perpetrator: a person who allegedly committed a crime, victimized or attacked others; a direct or indirect participant in the killing of the Jews
Is a victim obligated to forgive his/her perpetrator? If so, is the obligation of a spiritual or religious basis (does God require it of them)? There are, of course, several groups of that can identify with the narrator's dilemma. As I see it, there are two major dilemmas being discussed.
- Was the narrator required as a Jew to forgive the Nazi since atonement is a major tenet of the Jewish faith - even if his faith was wavering?
- Was the narraror obliged to grant the last wish of a dying man who was a stranger to him? Is that a human obligation?
The first dilemma is difficult to answer because the narrator was questioning his faith at the time and so, in a way he wasn't the best candidate to repent to....or was he? Perhaps, one could see this as a test of the narrator's faith..a challenge that he failed in the eyes of God. The consequence of that failure was being plagued with constant memories of the soldier. Could it be that the narrator found some peace in visiting the soldier's mother? Or did that aggravate things? It seems that not only did the narrator not forgive the soldier, but in the end he hasn't forgiven himself for holding back his blessing.
This is a problem that plagues the mind of victims of horrible crimes and their descendants until someone in the chain forgives the perpetrator. It's a hard thing to do and I can't say that I would be able to do it either. I would not have forgiven the soldier, but unlike the narrator, I would've freely expressed my reasons to the soldier before I left his bedside. I would not forgive him on behalf of "my people"because I am not an official representative of them, but as an individual he wouldn't receive my full forgiveness either. I would not be able to forget the suffering his people inflicted on mine. I would merely wish him well in the hereafter adn remind him that only God can judge and forgive him.
As far as the 2nd dilemma, in times of war, can people really be held to norms held in times of peace? I wouldn't feel obliged to grant his wish because I would have no connection to him. I would urge him to seek out a nurse, doctor or priest - those whose earthly duty it is to save, comfort or heal. The narrator shouldn't be held accountable for obliging this dying wish because the soldier committed acts that could only be attributed to an animal or a monster.What moral obligation does man have to forgive an animal?
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