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Karl’s Mother
Simon’s old friend who lives with him in the concentration camp. Arthur is cynical and bitter towards the Germans, and like Simon, his faith in God has been damaged. For this reason, he sometimes becomes angry with Josek, whose faith remains strong even in the face of such widespread atrocity. However, Arthur hopes that someday the Germans will answer for their crimes, even if the Jews have all perished. When Simon recounts his experience with Karl to Arthur, Arthur agrees that he did the correct thing in not forgiving Karl. Simon writes that Arthur died in the camps from an epidemic of typhus.
Arthur Quotes in The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness
The The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness quotes below are all either spoken by Arthur or refer to Arthur. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 1: The Sunflower
Quotes
It is impossible to believe anything in a world that has ceased to regard man as man, which repeatedly “proves” that one is no longer a man.
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One really begins to think that God is on leave. Otherwise the present state of things wouldn’t be possible […] What the old woman had said in no way shocked me, she had simply stated what I had long felt to be true.
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“Why,” I asked, “is there no general law of guilt and expiation? Has every religion its own ethics, its own answers?”
“Probably, yes.”
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You, who have just read this sad and tragic episode in my life, can mentally change places with me and ask yourself the crucial question, “What would I have done?”
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Arthur Quotes in The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness
The The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness quotes below are all either spoken by Arthur or refer to Arthur. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 1: The Sunflower
Quotes
It is impossible to believe anything in a world that has ceased to regard man as man, which repeatedly “proves” that one is no longer a man.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
One really begins to think that God is on leave. Otherwise the present state of things wouldn’t be possible […] What the old woman had said in no way shocked me, she had simply stated what I had long felt to be true.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Why,” I asked, “is there no general law of guilt and expiation? Has every religion its own ethics, its own answers?”
“Probably, yes.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
You, who have just read this sad and tragic episode in my life, can mentally change places with me and ask yourself the crucial question, “What would I have done?”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
