The Seventh Man Short Story

Words: 682
Pages: 3

Should the Narrator Forgive Himself?

In the short story “The Seventh Man” the narrator does not forgive himself for his failure to save K. The narrator should have forgave himself, but he didn’t because as he replayed the situation in his head, he felt like he could have done something. In the short story “ The Cost of Survival “ the author talks about why people do not take the right procedures in trying to solve life and death situations. In the short story “ The Moral Logic of Survivor Guilt “ the author talks about how people have survivor guilt and why they do not forgive themselves. On an internet page called “ Guilt Following Traumatic Events - Survivor Guilt” . It talks about how and why people have had survivor guilt. In the short
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Survivor is when someone feels guilty for not saving someone they know. As they replay the situation in their heads, they realize they could have done something, even if they couldn’t have. This usually happens when they lose someone they greatly adore and love. “ The sacred bond between soldiers originates not just in duty, but in love. “ (Sherman, 155). This means that soldiers can’t stand to lose their partners because they are like brothers. Every soldier has a special bond with another soldier that cannot be broken. In “ The Seventh Man “ the authors has survivor guilt because he loses his best friend in a wave. The author feels he could have saved K but he couldn’t, it was impossible. From that day on, he couldn’t even look at the water and beach. This because that is the spot where he lost his friend and it has so much sentimental feeling to him, that makes him feel bad. In the news article “ Guilt Following Traumatic Events - Survivor Guilt “ , it talks about how and why people get survivor guilt. “ Guilt is a common response following loss and/or traumatic experiences with significant victimization (e.g., after terrorist acts, war, personal victimization). “ ( Nader ). This means that with traumatizing events like those listed above people will possibly have survivor guilt. Since in “ The Seventh Man” K’s life