Elie Wiesel Rubenstein Forgiveness

Thank you very much for writing such a captivating novel and to answer the question, what would you do in my situation? In response to this question, I would just like to say that I agree with your decision to leave the dying SS soldier and to not say a word when the man had asked for forgiveness. Yet some might say that It was the morally wrong thing to do. But just because the man Is dying doesn’t mean you have to show sympathy or pity for him. I emphasize that it would be nearly impossible to forgive a soldier whose goal was to make my life miserable and to cause nothing but hurt to my people. Even though Karl was a good soldier, he still carried out orders to kill the Jews and to cause them pain that, they will never forget. Forgiveness …show more content…
Your mind has been stained with the blood shed from the bodies and hearts of the ones you cared about. Karl wants forgiveness for himself, and if he truly wanted forgiveness he should have gone to the catholic church like most religious human beings have and asked the priest for repentance. Again, I would not forgive the man for killing my friends and family and my people. As Joshua Rubenstein states, “For Simon to grant him forgiveness would have been a betrayal of his and his family’s suffering” (Rubenstein 240). In a way, Mr. Joshua is correct when he says this because after what Karl has put you through, you cannot forget. So many good people have died alone just because of Karl’s actions. When Karl dies, like every other SS soldier he will receive a sunflower, and I think that is why you cannot forgive him. A sunflower represents life and the light that shines on them. While he will receive light for all the pain he has caused, other hopeless Jews who have burned alive will not. According to Arthur Waskow, “There is no way for you to repair the physical damage to the Jews you yourself have murdered” (Waskow 269). Waskow is saying that the damage is done and you will never forget it. Why forgive when you cannot