The Illustration of Themes and Concepts: The Counterbalance of Suffering and Punishment

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When someone goes through topsy-turvy of life, he gets caught in the cobweb of the conflict between and self and the outer world, and so falters in distinguishing between the true and false decisions of life. These complications often lead to violence and crime. Nonetheless, it is believed that most of the criminal brains differ from a normal person’s brain in size, which consummates in their negative thinking. The study of neurology of a criminal mind has suggested that psychopaths are capable of showing sympathy to the people they are willing to show (Griffiths, 2013). In these two novels, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, the brains of the criminals have been adversely affected due to various factors. In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov the protagonist, though being a nice human being, commits a horrific crime. The guilt of committing this criminality captures his brain, which eventually leads to his confession of the crime; and therefore, he is sent to Siberia for eight years of imprisonment. Perry, similar to Raskolnikov, enacts a devastating crime, and is faced with traumatisation of his mentality. He is caught by the FBI and is given death penalty. The cardinal theme of poverty is illustrated in the fact that the principal characters, although being good people initially, commit a dreadful act thinking that the robbery might help them overcome their poverty. They symbolically visualize realistic and fanciful means of rescue after committing the crime, pass through intense inner and outer conflicts, and at last, they are issued so called fair penalty for their committed crimes.
The theme of poverty, whether severer or moderate, predominantly prevails all over the spectrum of bo...

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...lity of basic resources. These circumstances give birth to crime, suffering and, ultimately, punishment. The world literature is full of these themes, concepts and symbols: these two novels, being the part of the organic whole of world literature, represent the same themes, issues and imagery. Whether realistic or imaginary, the characters do think of the ways to come out of their sufferings. Such sufferings, confessions and punishments are echoed throughout both the novels. This theme or concept is evident even in today’s society and judiciary system. Mover and shakers either do not receive any punishment, or get less severe punishment compared to their crimes. The common man, most probably, obtains more severe punishments as compared to their crimes. This fact is truly prevalent throughout the world with no exceptions of nation, race, colour, culture or religion.

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