Should The Sunflower By Simon Wiesenthal: Can We Be Justified?

When it comes to forgiveness, it is important to understand when you cannot forgive somebody for their actions. In The Symposium of Simon Wiesenthal’s memoir, The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness, Cambodian photojournalist Dith Pran’s response to Simon’s question on whether to forgive a dying S.S. soldier is fundamentally flawed. Pran compares Karl’s upbringing to that of a child raised by the Khmer Rouge, who were raised by murderers and had no sense of morality developed by their guardians. However, Karl’s actions cannot be justified through a struggling childhood, as he was surrounded by supportive people, did well in school, and was a member of the Catholic Church. Adding on, Pran depicts Karl as being forced into the military and unable to avoid joining, but Karl himself can be blamed for his own choices that led him to the S.S., as he volunteered for the military, and would go against the wishes and morals of his parents and his own Catholic faith. …show more content…
Pran portrays Karl in a way that paints him as a child who struggled and was taught to kill in his childhood. This is false, as Karl was raised well and did not have anything happen in the past that would affect his morality and commit the actions that he did. Pran brings up the Cambodian Soldiers apart from the Khmer Rouge, who ruthlessly tortured and beat him. These soldiers were, “.uneducated and very poor”. They were taught to kill” (Pran 231). However, this fact cannot be compared to Karl’s early life, who was raised well and was very successful in his