Crime and Punishment and My Big Question

How has the progression of society and civilization been both a detriment and benefit to humankind?


In Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky portrays the mind of Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov as he commits two murders and undergoes a massive amount of psychological trauma and guilt in the period of time after he has become a suspect. Raskolnikov's perspective on life transforms from an outlook of arrogant superiority at the beginning, to his realization of his loved ones' compassion. At the end of the novel, Dostoevsky leaves insight into the impact of Raskolnikov's transformation as a character, and what that will mean for his future. He concludes, "He did not know that the new life would not be given him for nothing, that he would have to pay dearly for it, that it would cost him great striving, great suffering. But that is the beginning of a new story-the story of the gradual renewal of a man, the story of his gradual regeneration..." (Dostoevsky 542). The psychological torment that Raskolnikov undergoes after his murders, his evasion of prosecution, and the rest of his life in Siberia is the ultimate punishment for his crime. 
The progression of Raskolnikov's perspective from before his crime through his duration of the punishment could be compared to how a society transforms over time, through undergoing a disaster. Just as Raskolnikov faces consequences as a result of his wrongdoings, societies face aftermath from major dilemmas. However, sometimes the outcome that occurs from society progressing aren't synonymous with the outcome from Raskolnikov's crime. However, the cause and effect circumstances that Raskolnikov finds himself in is applicable to almost any situation in our history. Any major event will have ramifications that change society either for the better or worse. For example, terrorist attacks of the last decade have transformed Western societies to become  increasingly more cautious when it comes to national security. This has caused our society to become overly cautious in other aspects of our society, a progression that is a result from the negative experiences that caused us to lose trust in one another. In this sense, the progression of our society, as a result of major events, can be compared to Raskolnikov's progression as a person, as a result of his choices. 

King Lear and My Big Blog Question

      My big blog question, regarding how the progression of society and civilization has been both a detriment and benefit to humankind, can be related to King Lear through Lear's decision to divide up his kingdom. Although it is not an example of a progression of civilization over a long course of time, it illustrates how a single decision can become detrimental to the legacy of a kingdom and affect all those to whom it regards. When Lear decided to split his kingdom between Regan and Goneril, this caused a reaction between the two that ended in hostility between all members of the family and anyone with relations to them. Not only was a hostile environment created, but the matter was taken to such extremes that people got injured and killed. This issue brought out the worst in people and illuminated the dysfunction of their families through conflict over petty matters. Had Lear not announced that he wanted to split the kingdom, perhaps maybe none of the aforementioned events would have occurred. This is not to say that the families would be any more functional or the people any less bestial, however; Lear might have ended up alive along with most other of the characters in the play. In this circumstance, the progression of society is a detriment to mankind.
      In Lear, there is not much literature that demonstrates how the progression of society is a benefit to humankind. One of the few examples might be how Edgar's sense of humanity, compared to his brother and multiple other characters, ultimately saves him. All the characters that thirst for the throne the most end up dead as the play progresses. In the end, Edgar is the one getting offered the highest position of power, and he is the one that is most deserving at that point. This gradual determination of power is ultimately somewhat of a benefit, considering that neither Regan nor Goneril, nor any other of the completely greed-driven characters ended up with all the power. Although Lear does not have much to do with the progression over civilization and its effect, the play can still relate through the choices of its characters.

Tragic Heros and the Progression of Society

      When providing an example that connects to my question, One Hundred Years Of Solitude fits almost perfectly. However, with Oedipus it is hardly to create a correlation. My big question relates to the development of civilization and how it is detrimental and beneficial to society. Although there is not much of a major progression of a civilization in Oedipus, we can still consider the aspects of the society and how it could be potentially detrimental or beneficial. The culture of Thebes and Laïos, for example, are much different from today's society. The reliance on the belief of fate is potentially detrimental, if no citizen is willing to attempt to change what is chosen as their fate. However, if fate is a widespread belief then it might not be considered up to a regular human to determine his/her fate, especially with such loyalty to the gods.

        There seems to be a high importance set on morality, though, because the Choragus is always offering his words of advice and perspective of Oedipus's choices. For example, in Line 1174, the Choragus states, "For I weep the world's outcast./ I was blind, and now I can tell why:/ asleep, for you had given ease of breath/ to Thebes, while the false years went by." The Choragus seems to be highly concerned with the outcome of Thebes, which ties in to the importance places on morality. I do not think that necessarily all choices made by the characters are moral, especially considering most of the actions of Oedipus, although he at least realizes when he has done something wrong. Once he discovered Laïos was dead, he did not rest until he found the murderer. Once he realized that he was to blame, he could not live with his actions. This shows that maintaining a sense of morality is at least valued in society. This could be beneficial in the later progression of society, which does tie into my big blog question. 

       We can also consider Oedipus's rule and then eventual exile and the affect that will have on Thebes in years to come. A question we must ask ourselves is whether Oedipus's rule over Thebes was beneficial or detrimental to future societies. Overall, Oedipus was probably not the most beneficial, as far as demonstrating the responsibilities of a monarch. Killing one's father and proceeding to sleep with one's mother is not the best practice, and will most likely ultimately affect the factors in deciding the next ruler and his/her expectations as a person in a position of power. 

This picture is similar to the one we looked at in class. It illustrates  Oedipus's blood running down his face like tears. This is possibly symbolic of an attempt to cleanse himself, such as Lady Macbeth washing her hands.

Erica's Big Question

My big question is: How has the progression of society and civilization been both a detriment and benefit to humankind?

2) In my independent study book, One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez, this a very prevalent idea. As the Buendía family grows over time, so does the progression of civilization and industrialism in the small rural country it resides in. For example, the building of the railroad in Macondo at first helps the town connect with the outside world and gradually modernize. However, eventually this becomes a detriment to the citizens of Macondo when it leads to the development of banana plantations which ultimately end up killing hundreds of their workers. In most scenarios around the world, the progression of civilization has been both a blessing and a curse. Another example of this is during the American Industrial Revolution. The factories built provided more jobs for citizens, but the working conditions were often inhumane and caused people to get very sick or die. Ultimately, both good and bad come from evolving societies throughout time.