Comparing Dostoyevsky's Crime And Misdemeanors '

Since the dawn of time, mankind has always wondered of a presence higher than us—a being that is much higher than this earthly realm. Thus the concept of the Gods was created. Over the eras, the Gods have been changed to a singular nonsecular ethereal being. In his world-renowned book, Crime and Punishment, Dostoyevsky weave a tale of misdeeds of a young man, Raskolnikov, who aspires to become something greater than the average human—a god amongst men. In the existential drama, Crimes and Misdemeanours, Woody Allen use Crime and Punishment as a template to convey the story of the philandering Dr. Rosenthal who tries to live his desired life via deception, adultery, and finally murder. It is obvious that Raskolnikov—a 19th century Russian cynic created from the mind of an ex Russian revolutionary and Dr. Rosenthal—a man of modern society are generally perceived to be polar opposites. However, their motives behind the deeds that they commit, their inner struggles, and their comparable views of nihilism are solid proof that they’re not really all that different. With this evidence, it is clear that the similarities between Raskolnikov and Dr. Rosenthal deserve further inspection.
Born in 1821, to multi-ethnic parents who were possibly of noble heritage, Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s cultured and religious upbringing, paved the way to his wondrous literary career. During childhood,

But Dr. Rosenthal had a dirty little secret. As previously mentioned, nihilism is the belief that life holds no meaning. This was Dr. Rosenthal’s standard of nihilism. The great French fashion designer Coco Chanel once said, “Guilt is perhaps the most painful companion of death.” Now having finally executed their well thought out plan of murder, both men (like any other human) begins to experience the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and