The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness

Prittie tries to understand Karl’s motives in asking for forgiveness, admitting that it is only natural when one is in pain and fears impending death to ask for forgiveness for the sins one has committed.

However, Prittie argues that if Simon were to forgive Karl, it would only be “mock-forgiveness,” purely because Karl is dying. Karl should not have been asking forgiveness from Simon, but instead from God. In walking out of the room, Simon did the most decent thing possible.