The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness: Matthew Fox Summary & Analysis

Fox looks first at the circumstances of Simon’s story: Simon does not know whether he is going to live through the day, while Karl wants Simon to relieve him of his guilt. Fox points out that the crime to which Karl confesses is not the only crime Karl has committed: “he had participated in, among other things, the death of eighty-nine of Simon's relatives. Indeed, he was partially responsible for the very camp where Wiesenthal was facing death daily.” Thus, Fox argues, his confession is only partial.

Furthermore, Fox writes, Catholics must undergo penance and demonstrate contrition, and Karl was a lapsed Catholic. Thus, in remaining silent, Simon gave him the penance he could give: “the penance of Karl’s having to be alone with his conscience before he died.” He believes that some sins are too great for forgiveness, and that Simon did right by not forgiving Karl in the name of others.

Fox also believes that Simon acted compassionately: he took Karl’s hand and held it; he swatted the fly away; he listened to his story. In a way, this prepared Simon for his future vocation as a Nazi hunter.

Fox then considers Simon’s visit with Karl’s mother, where Simon let her believe that her son was innocent. He notes that Karl’s mother clinging to her denial was surely a sin as well, a sin of willful ignorance of the sort that made the Holocaust possible. Fox notes that, after the war, Simon’s work has been to break this silence.

Fox concludes by recognizing how Simon’s story is still relevant to society today, as people are complicit in destroying the planet and mass incarceration systems. He writes that Simon’s story reminds readers to dedicate themselves to justice and compassion instead of allowing them to turn a blind eye.