The Sunflower

The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal is a book of non-fiction. The first section, also titled “The Sunflower,” is an account of Wiesenthal’s experience as a concentration camp prisoner under the Nazi regime. In the account, Wiesenthal describes his life in Poland prior to the German occupation, his experiences of anti-Semitism within the Polish culture, and his life as a concentration camp prisoner. He describes life in the concentration camp, the continuous humiliations, the hunger, the illness, and the constant threat of death.

Central to the narrative in “The Sunflower” is the story of Simon being summoned to the deathbed of a young Nazi soldier whom Simon calls Karl and who has been wounded in combat. Karl confesses to Simon his activities against Jewish people, which he did in the service of the Nazi regime, and tells Simon he cannot die in peace unless Simon, a Jewish person, forgives him for the things he has done to Jewish people. Simon, after hearing the detailed confession, leaves the room without giving forgiveness. This experience haunts him long after the encounter. After the war, Simon tracks down Karl’s mother in Stuttgart and visits with her, listening to her as she tells him about Karl’s youth, his Catholic upbringing, and his rejection of his parents’ values in joining the SS. Simon decides not to tell Karl’s mother the full truth of Karl’s death.

After his experience with the dying Nazi, Simon continues to be troubled by the question of whether he should have forgiven the young man. He discusses it with his friends in the concentration camp and comes to no satisfactory resolution. He does gain some satisfaction, however, from the exchange of perspectives among the various prisoners. At the end of the narrative, Wiesenthal poses the question to his readers: if you had been in his position, at the bedside of the dying Nazi who asked for forgiveness, what would you have done?

The subsequent two-thirds of The Sunflower, the section entitled “The Symposium,” is a series of essays in which fifty-three individuals give their responses to Wiesenthal’s question. The respondents, presented in alphabetical order, come from many different life experiences. Some individuals have experienced political oppression, some are writing from their positions as theologians, some are fellow Holocaust survivors, and one is a former Nazi. The essays address the nature of forgiveness as it is viewed within various religious traditions, as well as from personal, non-religious perspectives. The cumulative result is a broad and nuanced variety of opinions on forgiveness, reconciliation, and accountability.

The Sunflower is, in a sense, the story of the vocation of Simon Wiesenthal, a man who spent most of his life bringing former Nazis to justice for the crimes they committed against Jewish people. Having heard that first confession of a dying SS man, Wiesenthal continued to be troubled by his refusal to give forgiveness and then spent much of his life seeking out and listening to the confessions of many others guilty of crimes of the same nature. By asking his readers what they would do in his situation, Wiesenthal not only bears witness to the most horrible event of the 20th century, but he also invites all people to participate in the discussion of justice and reconciliation.