Abstract
Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment (1860) is a psychological novel, which has been subjected to various interpretations by the scholars worldwide. Dostoevsky has aptly dealt with the problems of the concept of justice and human existence. The protagonist is suffering from an acute psychological crisis after committing the dual murders. He has his own vision of justice inspired by the Hegelian concept of Superman to substantiate his act of murder of the pawnbroker. Crime and Punishment primarily analyses the concepts of utilitarianism and nihilism, which ultimately culminate into Kierkegaardian existentialism. It is a gripping novel showing how the image of justice varies from person to person. The connotation of justice depends on the perspectives of different individuals. The novel makes us think again and again about the issues relating to justice. Does system really follow justice? If so, then why is there so much of social inequality? In the present paper, I would like to analyse the image of justice in the context of the novel and in wider perspectives as well. Justice is basically a fluid concept. We cannot limit the meaning of the word in a definition.
Author Information
Sarani Ghosal, National Institute of Technology, India
Paper Information
Conference: IICSSDubai2016
Stream: Politics, Philosophy, Ethics, Consciousness
This paper is part of the IICSSDubai2016 Conference Proceedings (View)
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