After all, "Crime and Punishment" is interesting..! Think about its charm from the angle of Napoleon
David.'TheBonaparte over the Saint-Bernard Pass'-' (used in place of '-')Wikipedia.
Previously in this article, we have discussed Napoleon's life as it emerged from the French Revolution and its turmoil.
We have also discussed in previous articles that Napoleon in particular has a close relationship with Raskolnikov, the protagonist of Crime and Punishment.
Crime and Punishment is often referred to as a first-rate work of crime fiction and psychological fiction, a masterpiece.
Why did Raskolnikov commit the crime, what kind of mental state did the crime put him in, and the hand-wringing with the police over the crime are all interesting and not at all faded away even today.
Interesting as a crime and suspense novel.
Crime and Punishment" is a book that I have uploaded before in terms of readability and fun.Three commonalities between Shinran and Dostoevskyintroduced in theThe Record of the House of Death."It is a recommended introduction to Dostoevsky along with
Now, having said that, as expected of Dostoevsky.
I am not the kind of guy who simply finishes reading and ends with "Oh, that was fun.
When I use the word "funny" in Dostoevsky, it is not the same as "funny" as in ah-ha laugh, or "funny" as in ah-ha fun, or "funny" as in watching scintillating entertainment.
I mean the kind of fun that makes you lose track of time and get absorbed in it, and yet has a feeling of sticking with you long after you have read it.
Crime and Punishment" has a great deal of ideological depth that makes it such an interesting read.
One of these is what Raskolnikov calls the Napoleonic idea.
Here's what I've posted on my blog beforeYoshio Yoshimura's "Dostoevskyi: A Record of Overcoming the Modern Spirit"We will look at the idea with reference to the
Raskolnikov recounts the motive for the murder as follows.
I wanted to be Napoleon, so I killed him. ......
Crime and Punishment, Vol. 2, p. 248, Shincho Bunko, translated by Seiichiro Kudo, 34th printing in 2005.
He tells of his surprising motive for murdering an old moneylender in order to become Napoleon.
So what kind of person is Napoleon to him?
Napoleon was a man who, according to Raskolnikov, "bombarded Toulon, massacred Paris, forgot his great army in Egypt, spent 500,000 troops on an expedition to Moscow, and escaped a crisis in Vilna with a single phrase of aphorism, and after his death a memorial statue was erected. In other words, in Napoleon, Raskolnikov was a man who, for his own purposes, did not torment his conscience by soaking the world in blood, nor did the people condemn him, but rather praised and worshipped him, and even erected a memorial statue of him for that purpose.factHe draws a simple but world-shattering and bold conclusion from this fact. He draws from this fact a simple but bold conclusion that turns the world on its head in terms of depth of meaning - "Let's see,allI'm allowed to do that."
Yoshio Yoshimura, Dostoevskyi: Record of Overcoming the Modern Spirit, p. 64
Geniuses and extraordinary people who shine in world history, such as Napoleon, are allowed to do anything.
Killing a single person is a crime, but killing a great number of people throughout Europe makes you a hero.
The fact that murder, once thought to be the absolute evil of mankind, is so easily affirmed.
Where then is the absolute standard of right and wrong in this world?
Raskolnikov looks at the facts of Napoleon's case and asserts, "And when you do, all is forgiven." [omitted].
There is no right or wrong, no divine judgment. One can do what he desires. God will not allow it! Sonya says, "God will not allow it!" to which he responds with the fact that he does allow it for others. And when she still insists on God - "Yes, and what does God do? And when she continues to insist on God, he chuckles wickedly, "Maybe there is no such thing as God at all.
There can be no God before the fact of Napoleon. -What then is the torment of conscience? Dunya asked. It would be easy to deny this, because God is something that cannot be said to exist or not to exist. However, it is not easy to deny it. What about the undeniable voice of conscience within us? Raskolnikov thinks to himself
- "Oh, Sonya! What a nice well those people have dug! And they're using it! They are already using it! I cried for a while, but I was already used to it. We get used to everything, you shameless human beings!"
Yoshio Yoshimura, Dostoevskyi: Record of Overcoming the Modern Spirit, p65
*Sonya here is the heroine of "Crime and Punishment" and Raskolnikov's lover, and Dunya is his sister.
Now, here at last, Napoleonic thought has expanded the issue to the existence of God.
An extraordinary person like Napoleon is allowed to do anything. People may revere him, but God would never allow such a thing.
Sonya tells Raskolnikov that.
But being an intellectual, such logic does not apply to him.
What has God done for us? The oppressed and unfortunate people are still living in poverty and suffering, and people doing evil things are still infesting the world with their own faces. Does God allow such injustice? If not, why doesn't God punish them?"
Sonya's thoughts and feelings are unreachable, and logic will not convince this man.
The sister Dunya then poses a question that appears to be a shot in the arm.
What about the human conscience? When we sin, we suffer the pangs of conscience."
He thinks for a moment, but quickly counters.
People are such shameless creatures that they get used to everything. We may cry for a time, but one day we will get used to it.
Besides, an extraordinary person like Napoleon can be an extraordinary person because he does not care about such moral concepts and conscience at all in the first place.
People like him are different from the majority of ordinary people."
That is why the hero, Raskolnikov, is obsessed with whether he is Napoleon or not. And he killed the old woman to find out. For him, taking the money was not the main goal.
In this way, the novel "Crime and Punishment" seems to be different from mere crime or psychological novels, doesn't it?
What is good and what is evil in this world?
Why do some people suffer misfortune in this world even though they have done nothing wrong, while the wicked become rich and prosperous?
If there is no good or evil, if all is forgiven, what hope do we have to live by?
Why do I live a serious life and not kill people for money?
His family suffers because of poverty, and yet he still loves himself. Even if he tries to work and live honestly, his path is already closed due to his family background and poverty. After all, this life will not change until he dies. No, it may get worse.
What would you do in such a situation if there was no good or evil in the world and everything was permissible?
If they still do not sin, why is that? Where is the basis for this?
These are some of the themes depicted in "Crime and Punishment.
This is not an issue that is completely irrelevant to those of us living in modern Japan. In fact, it is an important issue precisely because we are living in an extremely confusing time.
Crime and Punishment" is a great masterpiece that asks the timeless question of "now."
It poses to us the question of good and evil, sin and punishment in that time and age.
Napoleon is one symbol of this.
It symbolizes "neither good nor evil. It is a symbol of "a world where all is forgiven and the trampling of the weak is justified.
Thinking about it this way, I feel that having studied the French Revolution and Napoleon, I have a better sense of what Raskolnikov was trying to say.
Crime and Punishment" is definitely a masterpiece among masterpieces. It is still interesting.
We have examined "Crime and Punishment" from the angle of Napoleon, but there are many more ideas and angles to this novel.
I think the great appeal of this work is that it is not only interesting as a crime novel, but also allows the reader to appreciate such a profound thought.
I encourage everyone to pick up a copy and take the time to confront Dostoevsky.
You will be exhausted, but I assure you that such an intense experience is not easy to find.
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