An Ethical Look At Simon Wiesenthal's The Sunflower

“The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness” by Simon Wiesenthal is the true story of the author, a Jewish man, who was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp. During his time in the concentration camp, he was asked by a dying Nazi soldier for forgiveness for his crimes against the Jewish community. This request raises several moral questions. Is it alright to forgive someone who has done no harm to you? Can a person forgive someone on behalf of others? Can anyone really forgive anyone else, or is forgiveness in the hands of a higher power? These moral questions apply not only to this particular situation, but to almost every decision we make in our everyday lives.