In both Crime and Punishment and Pride and Prejudice, the reader is afforded a glimpse of the darker side of human nature. Raskolnikov’s shocking coldblooded murder of Alyona Ivanovna, an elderly pawnbroker, and her sister Lizeveta, reflect a degree of brutality almost unimaginable in a human being. Likewise, Miss Caroline Bingley, while certainly not guilty of crimes as grievous or horrific as Raskolnikov’s, betrays a similar sentiment of heartlessness in her treatment of the Bennet sisters throughout the plot of Pride and Prejudice. However, the nature of each character’s cruel actions remain remarkably different. Raskolnikov seeks to transcend the ethical conventions binding society and act as a conscience-free moral agent, whereas Caroline Bingley’s behavior is very much a product of institutionalized classism, and she acts wholly within the parameters which Victorian England’s strict …show more content…
Indeed, Raskolnikov appears to say as much, admitting, “it wasn’t a human being I killed, it was a principal! (III.VI)” Murdering Alyona was not motivated by any particular spite or hatred that Raskolnikov bore towards her. By taking Alyona’s life, Raskolnikov desired to transcend his moral conscience and the laws of society. Yet, in this attempt to unshackle himself from a normative ethical code, Raskolnikov manifestly fails— “but I didn’t step over, I stayed on this side... All I managed to do was kill (III. IV).” Raskolnikov cannot suppress the force of guilt weighing upon his conscience, and ultimately confesses his complicity in the crime to the police. Seeking to operate outside the confines of his conscience and societal law, Raskolnikov is driven to madness by the impossibility of his quest—cruelty simply cannot be countenanced so long as it remains in opposition to social
One notable quote on moral corruption in the novel is when Raskolnikov says "I did not kill a human being, but a principle!" It highlights his moral justification for the murder and how it led to his downfall. Another quote is "By nothing but a fantastic theory that you've made up, you've taken away the life of a poor, decrepit creature, the drunken brute," it shows how the moral justification led to a terrible crime. Another quote that highlights the moral corruption is "The more I think of it, the more plainly I see that I have been a fool, that I have been duped, that I have been utterly in the dark about myself. "
Survivors of these tragic times are forced to remember the pain and suffering caused by one man’s paranoia. Along with that, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost, and many families will never be the same again. Also, the purges caused skepticism about the government’s actions among Russian citizens. This will have a negative effect, because the citizens can not trust the government, and have fear towards it. These series of unfortunate events, will forever be remembered as a tragic time in Russian
Even in the end of the novel Raskolnikov does not feel bad about the death of Alyona, the only problem his crime caused was the separation it put between him and the rest of humanity. “Now if the whole room had been filled, not with police officers but with those nearest and dearest to him, he would not have found one human word for them, so empty was his heart. A gloomy sensation of agonising, everlasting solitude and remoteness, took conscious form in his soul,” (Dostoyevsky 84) Raskolnikov makes this realization his first day after the murder. It’s the first moment he realizes to the full extent what murdering has done to him.
Today in class, I presented about reform ideas during the late 18th and 19th century in Russia, especially focusing on nihilism, socialism, and utilitarianism. The explanation of utilitarianism especially helped me to better understand the beliefs of several characters in Crime and Punishment. Utilitarianism is an ethical philosophy that focuses on promoting the happiness of the greatest number of people, even if it means harming a smaller group of people. Those who support utilitarianism believe that an action, such as murder or robber, is morally right if the outcome of the action brings happiness to a majority of the group. The principles of utilitarianism are especially seen in the actions and beliefs of Raskolnikov
By examining the casualties, motive, and consequences, it is clear that he committed this act under fear of opposition. The purge began with the assassination of Sergei Kirov, which was believed to be an attack ordered by Stalin himself. Kirov was a faithful communist, but his popularity posed as a threat to Stalin’s consolidation of power. ( Hill, Laura. “
In “Twelve Angry Men” juror 3’s strong mind and prejudice causes him to label the defendant and judge him before ever knowing the facts in the case. Because juror 3 has such strong opinions he isn’t afraid to say what he believes it causes problems. In the novel antagonist enlightens the other jurors on him and his son situation after his son punched him in the face, he makes the comment “I haven’t seen him in two years. Rotten kid.” By juror 3 making this comment he's letting people know that he thinks kids are rotten and have no respect for their parents that have does everything for them.
Raskolnikov e. Praskovya Pavlovna’s front parlor; Zosimov 26. What emerging theme does the following quote best suggest? “At that moment he felt as though, with a pair of scissors, he had cut himself off from everyone and everything (Dostoyevsky 140).” a. Isolation from society b. Psychological guilt c. Spiritual salvation d. Social mobility e. Self-realization 27. “’What a man wears on his head, brother, is the most important item of his costume-
Tolstoy’s ability to interweave the environment with themes of materialism and death makes The Death of Ivan Ilych stand out as a piece that criticizes societal values. In his article “Tolstoy and the Moran Instructions of Death,” Dennis Sansom focuses on the influence of fighting chaos in Ivan’s eventual acceptance of his own death. Socrates wrote, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” and Ivan’s life mirrored this until the end (qtd. in Sansom 417) .
Raskolnikov 's act of violence is what causes him to go insane, impacts the lives of the people around him, and finally violence is Raskolnikov’s way of proving himself as an above-average individual. Dostoyevsky used violence to change the course of not only Raskolnikov’s life but also the lives of the people around him. The story shows how one man 's image of himself as a higher being can cause him to commit violent acts, which impact everyone around
He asks his father, “… why did they…kill… the poor horse!” (Dostoevsky 48), signifying that Raskolnikov himself does not know exactly why he is going to murder Alyona. Because he is unable to witness the murder of a
Introduction: Marxist theory and Crime and Punishment: Karl Marx may have been the most influential philosophers in Russian society. Marxism is a concept that “class struggle plays a central role in understanding of society’s allegedly inevitable development from bourgeois oppression under capitalism to a socialist and ultimately classless society”. With this theory Karl Max had a great influence on Russian literature; especially on Crime and Punishment. The novel stands to be a perfect example of Communism (a form of Socialism) and a rise of a proletariat (a common man) with reference to Marxism theory. With this idea, Raskolnikov can be seen as a version of proletariat that is a simple, impoverished, poor common man who is severely struggling from paralyzing poverty and most importantly has a craving for Sukhija 14 fighting for the common good among a society of unjust people.
Other people’s harsh perspective of the McBride family affected how James viewed himself as well as others. James’ biracial ethnicity subjected himself and his family to the extreme persecution and racism of his peers. Growing up in New York, James faced a variety of negative opinions and judgements due to the racial prejudices of his neighbors, teachers, and peers. A prime example of said racism can be found on page 102 when James and his mother are returning spoiled milk, "The merchant looked at her, then at me. Then back at her.
Raskolnikov is often wrapped up in his thoughts to a point where he ends up wandering aimlessly, blocking out his surroundings, and getting lost in real life which in turn makes him forget what he was first so caught up in. Even when he 's filled with determination, he would sometimes still lose his direction, this for me correlates to Strakhov 's quote about "life in theory versus life in practice. " Life in theory can seem one way, but in practice end up completely different. Strakhov states that both struggle within a man 's heart and this internal struggle that Dostoevsky makes transparent for the reader, does depict a "nihilist suffering in a deeply human way" (485). It 's interesting how this struggle manifest itself in Raskolnikov 's. How the reader understands him versus how the other characters understand him reminds of the saying that things aren 't always how they seem on the
In the novel, Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky introduces several characters who should be shunned for their actions. Yet, we find ourselves rooting for them once we become familiar with them. Two characters that are awe-inspiring due to Dostoyevsky’s words are Sonia and Raskolnikov. Both of these characters commit “crimes” that one would see as appalling, but Dostoyevsky redeems these characters and brings them to salvation through his diction and delivery of the novel.
Raskolnikov’s accumulating debt owed to his landlord prevents him from moving outside of Saint Petersburg and causes massive emotional damage. Each time he leaves his apartment, he fears seeing his landlady, The stress and anxiety arising from the debt he owes to his landlord causes him to become unruly and he had, “fallen into a state of nervous depression akin to hypochondria,” feeding into his detachment from society. Not only does Raskolnikov’s living situation seem grim, but his room itself furthers his emotional detachment from society. Raskolnikov’s room allows him to dehumanize himself.