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What is the theme, purpose and relevance of "Crime and Punishment" to today? Posted by mijeejo on May 13, 2009. |
Crime and Punishment Group
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The primary theme of "Crime and Punishment" is guilt. Rudya kills the old woman, and spends the rest of the novel sick with guilt and fear. Another theme of the novel is the connection between the mental and physical self. Although our protagonist's pain is psychological, he experiences severe physical illness as well. The readers must ask what the significance of this connection is. Are our physical and mental selves separate or the same? To what extent are we physical or mental? All of these questions are still relevant today. We still question the duality of the physical and the spiritual. We still struggle with issues of human guilt. Posted by morrol on May 13, 2009. |
