Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Religion as Societal Conformity in Crime and Punishment Essay

The central theme of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky deals with conformity’s role in society. Dostoyevsky uses conformity to make Raskolnikov mentally ill and eventually turn himself in to face the punishment for his crimes. Religion influences every character in the book, but none more ardently than Raskolnikov. Understanding religion’s role as a force for conformity in Crime and Punishment provides a powerful insight into character motives and, furthermore, philosophical influences. The first thing to address while discussing the author’s purpose is to examine the motivation of the main character, Raskolnikov. In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov becomes an ubermensch, and part of this is that he does not take into account†¦show more content†¦He uses every means to justify his actions, but something is holding that guilt there. That something is undoubtedly religion. In order to understand Raskolnikov’s guilt, it is important to unde rstand the religious influences at work in the time period and place he lived in. In St. Petersburg where Raskolnikov lives, there are strong Christian influences from the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Church condemns killing people with few exceptions. Although is not a devout believer, these influences are still at work in the book. It is clear that Raskolnikov is struggling to fight God away because, as he says that â€Å"once God’s will gets mixed up in it, nothing will be done† (389). He acknowledges that the guilt he has is God’s doing, and he struggles internally to get rid of it. The idea that he is not able to feel good about the murder that he knows improved society. He states that â€Å"what bothers [him] is this permission according to conscience† (253). Even though he wants to establish his own moral code, it is impossible for him to do so because of the influence of religion. By not following the rules established by Christianity, Raskolnikov is essentially making himself God, which is an internal struggle throughout the novel because Raskolnikov feels guilty about it. Although he commits murder, which is impermissible in a religious and societal context, Raskolnikov actually saw some value in religion. It is forShow MoreRelatedThe Influence of Durkheim on Modern Criminological Investigation1441 Words   |  6 Pages(Hopkins Burke, 2006), Emile Durkheim believed that crime was an important necessity in every society as it played important functional roles in the maintenance of social cohesion, the continuity of social progress and the establishment and reinforcement of societal norms. He stated that criminality was a normal phenomenon, its influence prevalent even on the most saintly of societies. Durkheim’s theories regarding the normality and inevitability of crime, along with his influential concepts of anomieRead MoreDeviance : Deviance And De viant Acts1774 Words   |  8 Pagesbeing transferred to an individual by way of social consensus and finally the societal reaction to the behavior that will either define it as deviant or not (Franzese, 2009). Most easily identified deviance is that of crime, murder, rape and theft to name a few, although these are obvious examples they are only a handful of types of deviance out of a much larger pool of deviant acts some of which that are not considered crimes yet are still highly deviant acts such as cheating on a partner or staringRead MoreRejecting Gender Roles In Sophocless Antigone1262 Words   |  6 PagesRejecting Gender Roles in Antigone Human nature dictates that conformity is a safer choice than expressing individuality. When placed in a situation where one must either remain silent or speak their mind and face severe consequences, there is much less risk in taking the first option. Sophocles, an Athenian tragedian from the fifth century BC, confronted this theme throughout one of his most popular works: Antigone. In the play, the title character must decide if she should honor her brother andRead MoreKohlberg s Theory Of Moral Development1450 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"Kohlberg developed six stage theory of moral development, and then he group them six into three. Which are higher-order levels of development: Level 1- Pre- Conventional morality which have two stageies 1- obedience and punishment, 2- Individual interest: behavior driven by self-interest and rewards. Level 2- Conventional morality two stageies are 1- interpersonal: behavior driven by social approval, 2- Authority: behavior driven by obeying autho rity: behavior driven by obeying authority and conformingRead MoreThe Banning Of Movies On Lgbt, Religion, Laws, And History1532 Words   |  7 Pagesattitudes and views of various cultures towards LGBT, namely religion, laws, and history. Religion has a big influence on the attitudes of certain cultures towards LGBTQ community. The three main religions, Abrahamic religions, Indic religions and Sinic religions, all have different views towards homosexuality for various reasons. Abrahamic religions such as Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, have negative views of homosexuality. Since their religion is based on the teachings of their holy scriptures, mostRead MoreKhaled Hosseini And Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter 1792 Words   |  8 Pagesmale dominance was undoubtedly amended; this is where humanity divides uncovering the struggle between the oppression of women and the precedence that has been set forth for centuries. Khaled Hosseini and Nathaniel Hawthorne both comment on this societal disconnect in their domestic narrations of female characters. In Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns the character Mariam depicts a women who endures rape, abuse, and imprisonment in her own home under the hand of h er husband. Similarly Hester inRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Justified1864 Words   |  8 Pagescontradicts nearly every religion. From the reasons listed above formulate the ideal of abolishing the death penalty all together. Yet those who side in favor of the death penalty believe that it serves as a beacon of justice in a corrupt world. Statistical backing shows that the amount of money to house, feed, and clothe inmates for life sentences is exponentially high. It is important to also weigh the fact that the death penalty is a very thorough, thought through punishment only requested in theRead MoreThe Victorians Concern With Morality1180 Words   |  5 PagesVictorian morality focused on values that support low crime rate, resilient ethics, and sexual control. (Rosner, Mary 27.) Victorians were understood to hold strong ties to the moral concern. This is owed to the the number of people, such as Charles Dodgeson, that embarked on a quest for resolution to their innermost conflict which called for strong moral and ethical elements. Browning’s very own â€Å"The Bishop Orders His Tomb†¦Ã¢â‚¬  sarcastically criticizes religion through the use of a materialistic priest characterizingRead MoreSocial Bonds: Aboriginal Gang Formation in Canada2861 Words   |  12 Pagesinternalization of conventional societal bonds for Aboriginal youth and the consequent perpetuation of Aboriginal gangs. Social Control Theory: Hirschi’s social control theory has been pervasively used to explain the occurrence of gangs and specifically gang membership. However, rather than focusing solely on why individuals choose to become involved in criminal behaviour including organized crime, Hirschi begins his analysis by asking, â€Å"Why do most persons conform to societal norms?† (Abadinsky 2010,Read MoreDelhi School Of Social Work3112 Words   |  13 Pagesand religious institutions further the development of contexts of meaning, value orientations and symbolic codes. Social institutions are established or standardized patterns of convention-regulated behavior. They include the family, education, religion, and economic and political institutions. Major Perspectives Marx †¢ Social institutions are determined by their society’s mode of production. †¢ Social institutions serve to hold the ability of the dominant class. Weber †¢ Social institutions are

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.