Crime and Punshiment

To begin I would like to say how enamored I am with Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment , it is one of my favorite works of literature that I have ever read for a class. Dostoevsky creates a very unique character in Raskolnikov. His ideas of superior and inferior people are radical and very unique, no one else seems to share his views. He states in his article "I only believe in my leading idea that men are in general divided by a law of nature into two categories, inferior (ordinary)...and men who have the gift or the talent to utter a new word" (261).  Raskolnikov is unaware of the beliefs held by others as well as social norms. He commonly walks around in dirty clothing talking to himself. It seems as if Raskolnikov is, at least in the beginning of the novel, uninfluenced by others. Like I talked about in my last blog post, Raskolnikov's ability to resist conformity appears to stem from insanity. His moods are extremley volatile and he often blacks out and regains consciousness somewhere without knowing how he got there. As the novel continue Raskolnikov's emotions conflict between guilt and the feeling that he, being superior, had the right to commit murder. I believe that the guilt he is feeling only comes from his new interaction with others like Sonia, Razumihin, and his mother and sister who have come to town. They are susceptible to social norms and don't believe murder is justifiable and this belief translates to Raskolnikov. Before Raskolnikov began associating with all these people, he lived in a a state of isolation and felt that he had the right to murder because he was superior. I believe Dostoevsky would agree with the idea that individuality is possible through isolation and, again, insanity, but, when in the presence of others, it becomes almost impossible to retain. Raskolnikov's case makes me believe that individuality is not always a good thing but, possibly, a hindrance in the pursuit of happiness and justice.

Mad Girl's Love Song

Mad Girl's Love Song

By Sylvia Plath 

"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary blackness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade:
Exit seraphim and Satan's men:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you'd return the way you said,
But I grow old and I forget your name.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)"

     Sylvia Plath's poem "Mad Girl's Love Song" seems to both refute and support the idea that individuality is possible. This poem is about a woman who is longing for the husband who has left her. She demonstrates the influence others have on us through her depression and insanity brought on by this man. This suggests that our emotions are not truly our own but simply reactions brought on by others. If one was completely isolated and had never known of another's existence what would there be to be happy about? What would make them angry? What would bring on a flood of sadness? On the other hand the speakers insanity, though caused by her husband, becomes purely her own. She begins to doubt what is reality, "(I think I made you up inside my head)", and begins to exist purely in the dark world her head contains. She seems to embrace this transition, giving up our world by choice, "I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead". Can individuality only be found in insanity? Perhaps losing one's mind is not as negative an experience as public perception would suggest, it may just provide the key to letting go of inhibitions and becoming entirely your own person (though not without some unpleasant side effects). Maybe insanity is the cure for conformity.