Customer Reviews

The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness

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I relish this volume for the story that Simon Wiesenthal shares of his Holocaust experiences.

Much of his 98-page account covers his unwilling audience with a dying SS man named Karl who had asked the nun on duty to fetch a Jewish prisoner, any Jewish prisoner. He did not tell her why. Once Wiesenthal entered, Karl began a long tale of how he had come to this place, what he had done and why he wanted forgiveness. What Karl said and how Wiesenthal reacted are riveting. Years later, the latter traveled to Stuttgart to meet Karl's mother, yet did not tell her what he had learned about her son. I could have done no better in his place.

I found the details surrounding his encounter equally riveting. One day, Wiesenthal was ordered to join a concentration camp work detail that hiked into the town of Lemberg, where he had attended Technical High School in Sapiehy Street. By coincidence, the guards brought the enslaved men through the streets he had once walked as a free young man, to the very building where he had attended school. As he walked, he thought of events, both recent ones in the camp and more distant events in Lemberg and at his school. He recounts them all.

Readers also learn of Wiesenthal's friends Arthur and Josek, neither of whom survived, who comforted and consoled one another and him, talking philosophically under the most inhuman circumstances in order to maintain their humanity.

The reactions of various famed writers, religious leaders and others are less important. Some are nevertheless compelling by virtue of their authorship or unique content. These include replies by Holocaust survivors Jean Amery, Moshe Bejske, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Primo Levi and Nechana Tec, two of whom later committed suicide, and Rabbi Lawrence Kushner. I was especially struck by Theologian Franklin H. Littell's call for increased awareness "of the earnest nature of the choice between good and evil, between innocence and guilt."

This book has been important for 25 years. In the wake of Sept. 11, 2001 it carries increased weight. Alyssa A. Lappen

I recently picked up this book because I recognized the name of famed nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal. The Jews suffered terribly under Pharaoh during the days of Moses and under Hitler during World War II. The tale of a nazi soldier asking a Jew - enslaved in a concentration camp - to forgive him for his sins is incredible. To ask forgiveness of one person as a representative of his people is quite a believable notion. Haven't US Presidents apologized for slavery, internment camps, etc in the name of the citizens of the United States??
I liked the fact that Simon's conscience bothered him after he left the soldier's bedside once he heard his terrible tale. I enjoyed his philosophical talks with his fellow prisoners as well as the trip he took to the soldier's mothers house after the war. This was a well-written book and it should be required reading in all high schools.

Wiesenthal's book on the extent of forgiveness is one of the treasures in Holocaust literature. Writing on the Holocaust has often been very generic -- autobiographical, psychological or thematic -- but Wiesenthal's book brings together these different methods of writing and leaves us with a masterpiece that stirs us emotionally and intellectually. Oftentimes, Holocaust writing appeals to our emotions, rather than our rationality. In fact when writers have tried to look into the psyche of the perpetrators and tried to explain rationally just what drives one to commit such crimes against humanity, they have been accused of siding with the perpetrators in trying to understand them. Others argue that the victims and survivors of the Holocaust should be the focus of anything written on the Holocaust, and that focusing on perpetrators is a negation and diminishing of the victims' suffering. I do not agree with this, and I think a fuller understanding (if it is possible to comprehend such inhuman activity) of the events that happened cannot be achieved without looking at both groups of people involved. Wiesenthal's book has this balance, exploring both the psyche of the perpetrator, an SS man, as well as the thoughts running through the head of the victim, a concentration camp inmate. Can we forgive such crimes which have been perpetrated on our people? And is an individual even in a position to forgive on behalf of everyone? If we do not, are we as bad as the perpetrators themselves? "The Sunflower" asks us questions which we have to confront in our lives. It doesn't just describe a situation and give an answer to it. Instead it leaves us to make our own value judgements about the questions we face, and in doing so, it brings out the prevalent dilemmas in the human condition. A classic and must read for anyone trying to figure out humanity.

Faced with the choice between compassion and justice, silence and truth, Wiesenthal said nothing. But even years after the war had ended, he wondered: Had he done the right thing? What would you have done in his place?

The first time I read this book I struggled with the questions of what I would do in Wiesenthal's situation. Reading all of the views of the contributors did not resolve this matter in my mind. Subsequently to reading this book, I purchase a copy of the book An Encounter With A Prophet which favors forgiveness and gives a unique prayer to achieve forgiveness even when you do not want to forgive. This author made sense but I still could not answer the questions in Wiesenthal 's book.

Then one night walking home from work, I was attacked by a mugger. Coming up from behind me, out of the shadows, the mugger managed to hid me twice on the back of my head before I knew what was happening. Due to space limitations I will skip the details of what followed suffice it to say when the ambulance picked me up off the street , I was drenched in my own blood.

On the way to the hospital my mind started to race. Having grown up as a fighter, I vowed to find this man and evoke some Charles Bronson style justice. As I engaged in this type of thinking, in my mind's eye I could feel and see the mugger sneaking up behind me getting ready to hit me - something they call a flashback a frightening experience to say the least.

As this flash back phenomena continued, it occurred to me to pray the unique prayer suggested in that book An Encounter With A Prophet, I started saying this prayer repeatedly. The flashback dissolved. However, every time I stopped praying, my mind immediately started planning more Bronson style justice and the flashback phenomena would returned. This phenomena gave me the continued motivation to pray for the S O B all that night and for the next few days. (This strange prayer let's you call the person an S O B while you are praying)

When I returned to work I was surprised that I could, against all advise to the contrary, walk home down the very same street at night without experiencing any fear whatsoever. The only feeling I had for the mugger was compassion and all fear was gone.

Now I have no question of how to resolve the issue which still plagues Wiesenthal. Forgiveness is the answer.

simon wiesenthal is a brilliant, haunted writer who conveys chillingly the perceived moral dilemma he faced as a dying SS officer begged him for forgiveness for his crimes againt the jewish people during the second world war. while it seems obvious to this reader that the proper response would have been a prompt "rot in hell", it does give more than enough food for thought to anyone who realizes the enormity of the holocaust's unpleasant moral implications for all philosophers and sociologists who endeavor to know the actual nature of man as opposed to wishful thinking a la rousseau or kant. wiesenthal's accomplishments and inspiring life's work (much like frankl's) since his horrendous experience as one of the many victims of this unbelievable historical atrocity gives hope to all students of the human condition even in the shadow of auschwitz and unspeakable evil. a treasure of a book.

This is a very strange book in many, many ways. A dying S.S. officer asks for 'a Jew' (any Jew concentration camp inmate will do) so that he can ask for forgiveness for killing some other specific Jews in the past while, at the same time, expressing no general guilt for any other crimes he has done as a Nazi Officer. Simon Wiesenthal is picked as that Jew. Mr. Wiesenthal is silent, he walks away after being forced to listen to this confession(?) and this experience troubles him for decades after. I found it strange at first, that he is so troubled. His going to meet the mother of that officer years later I found strange. One may wonder why he formed, with the mother, a complicity to allow this man to be recalled by her as a 'good son'.

Yet, strange is not bad and this book is an excellent book. I found the arguments (from many people) after the story were; enlightening, maddening, brilliant, ridiculous, inspiring, even stupid. In other words they are an excellent display of human reaction and judgement. These reactions form a debate about when and why someone should be forgiven or not forgiven. The question of when a plea for forgiveness is genuine is discussed. Questions are raised about when it is even morally possible to forgive. The reader may walk away ambivalent regarding the conclusions the facts have led to. There is an element of uncertainty. The book causes the reader to think. Even if the reader's initial decision remains from beginning to the last page, there may be elements discussed that make that decision less comfortable after all. And although the soldier's plea remains bizarre, that Mr. Wiesenthal remains troubled becomes understandable.

This is a book I was assigned to read for my freshman Foundations of Inquiry class in college. By the end, I was so greatful that I had the opportunity to read this book. It is set during the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. The narrator, who is a Jew is asked forgiveness by an SS soldier. The narrator is left wondering what he should do: Forgive the soldier for what has been done to the Jews or decide not to forgive him. You are left with the question, "what would you do." It definitely makes you wonder what you would do in the situation of the narrator. Powerful!

The Sunflower tells the story of a dying Nazi soldier who seeks out Simon Wiesenthal for forgiveness for his crimes against the Jews so he can die in peace. The story is based on fact from Wiesenthals life. Many famous people wrote essays, which are printed in the back of the book, arguing wether to forgive him or not. But the true value of the book lies in the question what you would do if you were in the same situation.

This book would make an exceptional follow-on study for a unit on the Holocaust. Serious consideration might also be given to using Primo Levi's SURVIVAL IN AUSCHWITZ as an additional source. (I much prefer Levi's book to Elie Wiesel's NIGHT, I might add--essentially the same story, though longer, but a beautifully written book.) But to THE SUNFLOWER, SHOULD (or COULD) anyone ever consider forgiving a Nazi for the atrocities of the Holocaust? Under what circumstances, if any? WHO should be allowed to forgive? How DOES one reconcile the Judeo-Christian ethic of forgiveness (also given an attempt at atonement) with the horror of the Holocaust? A tough one, indeed!

Exceptional material for a critical thinking-oriented class!

Of course, none of the above precludes simply reading THE SUNFLOWER for the sheer pleasure of it!

I have always stood by my belief that it takes more courage to forgive than anything else. This book did not challange that belief in the slightest. While I hope that I would be able to forgive anything done to me, it is impossible for me to question another persons choice to forgive or not to forgive, especially a victim of the Holocaust.

Mr. Wiesenthal's story is horrifying, hauting, chilling, compelling, and inspiring to a level that I hopefully will never be able to fully comprehend. How can I? Not being a victim of such a massive crime- I will never be able to comment on what he should or should not have done. No one can...so in a sense, the response part of this book is unimportant.

What is highly important is the story Mr. Wiesenthal shares with us. He is obviously a man of tremendous courage. Yes he stood silent when asked for forgiveness, however, the compassion he showed to the SS soldier and his mother can and should be highly commended. That alone shows what wonderful heart this individual has. I imagine to come out of his experience and be compassionate would be very difficult, and he handled it with grace and true heart. For that, he is a hero.

This is a great piece of work because of the honesty with which Simon shares his story, and this is a story that must always be told, remembered, and learned from. Despite the fact that the memory Holocaust is something that very much is still alive, it is saddening to realize that genocide is still very much apart of our world today.

This book is important for Mr. Wiesenthal's experience, but pointless as far as the question/commentary that composes its second half.

All the reader needs to know is the experience and story of this great man, not what others think of his actions. It is impossible to relate to such an experience without experiencing something even remotely similar, however, it is very possible to appreciate, learn from, and cherish the story of Simon's experiences that he shares with us.