The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness: José Hobday Summary & Analysis

Hobday introduces herself as a woman of Native American descent, who has listened to the stories of genocide committed against her own people. However, when reading Simon’s story, she is reminded her mother’s advice when she told Hobday that she should learn how to let go of the poison inside her.

Hobday says that forgetting and forgiving stem from the same place, and in order to forgive one must also forget. She believes that forgiveness is necessary not for Karl’s peace of mind, but for Simon’s. No memory should have the power to hold someone down.