The Sunflower

The Sunflower is a 98 page novel chronicling Simon Wiesenthal, a Jew, during the holocaust. He is sent to Auschwitz where a dying Nazi soldier confesses his sins and tries to repent to Simon. He tells of when they set a house on fire with Jews corralled inside and he was to shoot anyone who tried to escape the fire. when he gets to the part where he shot a family he asks for absolution from Simon. Simon does not say anything and this is absolutely wrong.

Simon is wrong for not giving forgiveness. Simon should have given Karl, the dying Nazi, absolution from his crime because he was dying. He should have humored the SS man who had converted back to his Cristianity despite the teachings he had absorbed.It reminded me of Terrible Things an allegory where the woodland creatures are like the Jews and the Terrible Things are Nazis. The main character is a rabbit that wonders throughout the story if he did the right thing like Simon did after the disturbing deathbed experience. I reccomend it because it has a great twisted plot.