Should Haruki Forgive Himself In The Seventh Man

At some point in life, everyone has made at least one mistake that has led to remorse and guilt. People often feel guilty about things that happen that are totally out of their control. This is how Haruki Murakami, the narrator of "The Seventh Man", felt after his best friend K was swept away by a giant wave during the calm eye of a hurricane. Even though the narrator felt that he should have been able to save K, I believe he should forgive himself for K's death because he is human and there are no perfect humans. He should not continue to punish himself for the rest of his life for something he could not control. At the time of the accident, Haruki was young and afraid, and did not know what to do. His instinct to survive overpowered

He should not continue to punish himself for the rest of his life for something he could not control. He should forgive himself to be able to overcome the burden of fear that haunted him for many years and kept him from living a normal life. He has to face his fears so that the fears do not overcome him, even though the memory of the accident will always be with him. Haruki was too young to be able to know what to do in such a dangerous situation. Although most people like to believe they would be a hero when faced with dangerous circumstances, there is no way to know for sure what you would do until you are in that type of life or death situation. The survivor guilt that the seventh man felt for many years was due to the strong bond that he had developed with K. He considered K to be more of a brother than a friend and always felt he was entrusted with the responsibility to be his protector. "It (the wave), just barely missed me, but in my place it swallowed everything that mattered most to me and swept it off into another world. I took years to find it again and to recover from the experience----precious years that can never be replaced." (Haruki, pg.133,