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Theme Of Guilt In The Seventh Man

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Survivor guilt is when someone feels guilty for surviving a traumatic event when somebody else didn’t. The story The Seventh Man was told by a narrator whose friend was killed by a wave from a tsunami. The narrator was at the beach with his friend K, during the eye of a tsunami when all of a sudden, the waves resume. The narrator attempts to get K’s attention, but he fails to do so. The fear begins to take over when he starts running to safety, K unfortunately didn't realize the wave until it was too late and he was engulfed. Ever since that day, the narrator has lived his whole life blaming himself for the death of his friend K.. If the narrator would have tried any harder to save K he would have died as well, which is why he should forgive himself for his failure in doing so.

Guilt can change people in many different and extreme ways, which makes sense, but on the other hand doesn’t if you never did anything wrong. Guilt takes a huge toll on the narrator of The Seventh Man, to the point that he has to give up many things he loves. “I had always enjoyed swimming, but after that day I never even went in a swimming pool. I wouldn't go near deep rivers or lakes. I avoided boats and wouldn't take a plane to go abroad (Murakami 141).” It seems strange for the narrator to act this way when he didn't do anything, there wasn't anything he could’ve done differently so that K would be alive. That's why he should forgive himself so that way he wouldn't have had to give up the things he loves, his life could have been happier, more fulfilling, and definitely a lot happier.

As soon as he noticed that the storm was reappearing he alerted his friend, but knew that K. was unable to hear him, which is one of the reasons K. didn’t survive, some say that the narrator shouldn’t forgive himself for that reason. Saying something and doing something are different things, some might say that just saying something doesn't accomplish anything without actually doing something, which is why some might argue that the narrator should feel bad for what happened to K. Sometimes when you do something it can be the case of someone to get hurt. Captain Prior had cleared vehicles to be sent out, the ones that killed Privet Meyke in freak

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