In the book “The Sunflower”, Simon Wiesenthal, who was the author, was one of the victims of the Holocaust. Within this book, Wiesenthal presents his readers with his problem of whether or not to forgive the disgraceful delinquencies of one of the dying Nazi soldiers. Wiesenthal asks, “Was my silence at the bedside of the dying Nazi right or wrong? This is a profound moral question that challenges the conscience of the reader of this episode, just as much as it once challenged my heart and mind” (Wiesenthal, 97-98).
Before the reader can answer the authors question on whether he was right or wrong, you must ask yourself what the true meaning of forgiveness is and to what extent someone should be forgiven. Can one forgive without forgetting, or vice versa? In the editor’s introduction of “The Sunflower, Bonny Fetterman wrote, “Is
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When I was younger, my parents taught me the difference between forgiving and forgetting. I believe that one can forgive without forgetting. When thinking about forgiveness, the first thing that comes to mind is the quote, “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me”. Do me wrong the first time and I will forgive you, however, I will not forget what you did so that you cannot fool me again.
During the Holocaust, Eva Mozes Kor, another holocaust survivor, shared a similar experience to the one of Simon Wiesenthal. Eva Kor had a twin sister named Miriam. Her family was sent to a ghetto in Simleul Silvanei in March of 1944. They were later then sent to Auschwitz. Once Eva and her family arrive to the Auschwitz railhead railroad of Auschwitz, the mother replied with yes. At this moment Eva