Not seeing the atrocities The act of forgiving a murder is out of the question for most people. Simon faces precisely this dilemma in Il Girasole. Karl, a dying Nazi, asks for forgiveness from a Jew, the narrator. The narrator leaves the dying Nazi unanswered, leaving him with an agonizing thought about whether or not he did the right thing. Given that both Karl's and the narrator's psychological well-being are affected not only by wartime but by other extenuating factors, the narrator should grant forgiveness to Karl, as this dying man is an individual who is sincerely repenting for the crimes he committed. Forgiveness will allow Karl to die with peace of mind while the narrator continues life with a stable and clean conscience. The narrator believes that Karl is not just atoning but is genuine in his repentance. Although Karl never formally apologizes, “in his confession [there is] true repentance” (Wiesenthal 53). Throughout the confession Karl shows many signs of honesty and remorse; his words are harsh as he confesses his sins and they are forced out even by the pain, Karl holds the narrator's hand throughout the confession and the fact that he is asking for forgiveness from a Jew (28-79). Sven Alkalaj agrees that forgiveness is possible when "there is a genuine recognition of guilt" (105). The narrator should grant him forgiveness because of the guilt blatantly evident in Karl's confession. Karl states that his confession is “an unanswered letter…” in fact, the letter is unaddressed (Wiesenthal 53). Although Karl is confessing his sins to the narrator, he must confess to those upon whom he has sinned in order to gain absolute forgiveness. “[Who] should [Karl] turn to? None of those he wronged [are] still alive” (81...... middle of paper ...... first in his desperate plea for forgiveness. Therefore, the narrator should grant Karl his forgiveness temporary until God and those who have sinned can make their own personal decision whether their sins are indeed justifiable. Forgiveness is crucial to having a clear conscience and peace of mind for both. However, all of this is questionable by the fact that today's experiences are incomparable to those of Hitler's time. One can begin to put oneself in the other person's shoes and know exactly how to respond to events that happen. all plausible reasoning can change continues to be an aspect of everyday life in every century. Works Cited Wiesenthal, Simon The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness 1969. New York: Schocken Books, 1998. Print.