What Would I do? There are many definitions of forgiveness. The dictionary defines forgiveness as “The disposition or willingness to forgive.” I agree with that, but I believe that forgiveness also lies in the hands of the victim and varies based on the crime. The book The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal is about a Jew in a concentration camp in the height of World War II in Germany. One day when he is working in a hospital, Simon is asked to forgive a dying Nazi soldier, Karl. He is faced with a dilemma that everyone has to encounter at some point in their life, but this is different than forgiving a family member for lying to you. Simon has to decide right then whether or not to forgive a murderer of many innocent Jews. Simon Wiesenthal wrote this book because he wanted to reach out and find closure for his actions. He also wanted to tell the reader about his life as a Jew in a concentration camp and the horrors he faced. He wanted us to think about what we would have done in his place and what forgiveness means to us. After he published his book, he asked certain people to respond to the story and what they would have done in his place. Some people are Jews, some are Christians, some are young, some older, some were even part of the war. Everyone who wrote an essay was different from the rest in some way, but they all had one connection, Simon. If I were in Simon’s place, I would not have granted Karl forgiveness. I think Simon was right not to have forgiven Karl because