Mary Gordon's Forgiveness

“Forgiveness can, of course, be good for both sides, but forgetting almost never is” (Gordon 152). Mary Gordon received her education at Barnard College and Syracuse University. That is where she figured out that she wanted to became a well-known American author. Since Gordon grew up in a Roman Catholic rich faith she oftenly included details referring to her religion in her works (“Mary Gordon.” Encyclopedia”). In 2007, she was “A recipient of the Lila Acheson Wallace-Reader’s Digest Writer's Award and of a Guggenheim Fellowship” (“Mary Gordon.” “Contributors” 279). Gordon had an interesting past associated with the Judaism faith. When her father was just a young boy he had to convert from Judaism to a different religion and form a new identity because he was born right before the Holocaust. Then after her father died, her family didn’t approve of her Jewish culture so they

She thinks that Karl thought that somehow all of his bad deeds would have been dismissed if Simon would have forgiven him and if that was intended then it would be considered “A narcissistic rather than a moral act” (Gordon 152). Gordon thinks that it was wrong of Karl, the Nazi to ask for forgiveness because Simon is just one Jew who does not represent all of them also because Simon can not spiritually fix Karl’s issues with God. The reason why Karl can’t use Simon’s forgiveness is because Simon is not a priest or closer to God than any other normal human being. Gordon said that if the German really wanted forgiveness and to show that he was actually worthy than he should’ve put himself in the shoes of one of the Jews and go and work in a concentration camp so “He could die in the miserable circumstances of those in whose name he is asking forgiveness” (Gordon 153). Gordon has stated that she would have not forgiven the SS Nazi officer, and she is strongly indicating that she is not neutral with the situation, but