“The principles of economics before everything”
In 1865 Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote and published “The Crocodile” under the name A.Y. Poretsky, This ironic story of a gentleman, Ivan Matveich, who visits an arcade with his wife Elena Ivanovna and a family friend Semyon Semyonitch, is swallowed alive by a crocodile after teasing it. Once the gentleman is swallowed whole, his wife desperately pleas for the animal to be flayed are quickly denied by the German proprietor and his mumbling wife. The German couple is distraught over the assumed impending death of the crocodile, their fear is that it will burst from the immense amount it has jus consumed and for the possibility of lost profits. The German couple and Elena Ivanovna begin to argue as to what will become of either party with their monetary losses and who is at fault and who will be responsible for the loss of moneys. As this ensues a voice is heard; the voice of Ivan Matveich from inside the crocodiles belly. Ivan then begins to counsel his wife and friend on what should be done. He does not demand to be freed, and he is not afraid. He tells his wife who she should go talk to about the situation and makes the statement “the principals of economics before everything”. This statement seems to be entangles in all the themes of the piece but chiefly addresses the first theme of this piece which is economy over humanity.
Economy vs. Humanity
In the beginning of this tale the proprietor and owner of the crocodile is concerned with his profits and the possible loss thereof if his pet dies. Never once is he concerned with the Ivan’s life. As the story progresses he sees that the crocodile will not perish and is enthralled with the idea that a crocodile with a living man insi...
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...far as culture and industry. Dostoevsky makes several winning attempts to address throughout the story, especially with a quote by one of the characters in the story at the end; “We must be up to Europe, mustn't we?”
Other themes that are addressed in the story were fidelity, duty to ones friends vs. statues, pride and arrogance, and essentially irony. The end of the story leaves us wondering what will become of the sad bunch of characters. But the poignant thought is that there never was and ending because no one was willing to make a decision. Maybe that was Dostoevsky’s ultimate statement that he felt Russia or society was running itself in circles saying it was working for solutions but in fact it was just wearing out the floor.
Works Cited
http://www.online-literature.com/dostoevsky/3367/
The Crocodile: An Extraordinary Incident
By Fyodor Dostoevsky
The short story “The Death of Ivan Ilych” is about a man who realizes he is dying and that no one in his life cares about him. Even more disappointing for Ivan is the realization that besides his success as a high court judge, he has done nothing else to make his life worth saving. The death of Ivan Ilyich, sadly, comes as a release of stress to all. In the end, Ivan is soothed by the release of death, his family and friends are relieved of having responsibility of Ivan taken off their shoulders, and the reader is released from the stressful journey. Tolstoy teaches the audience through the structural elements of the “black sack” metaphor and pathos about the unavoidability of death and the relief of accepting it.
First, Dostoevsky gives the reader the character, Raskolnokov. He is the main character, whom Fyodor uses to show two sides of people their admirable side and their disgusting side. He loves Raskolnokov, which is why Fyodor uses Raskolnokov’s point of view throughout the whole novel. Personally, Fyodor dislikes some of his qualities but understands that all people are plagued with some bad traits, and that Raskolnokv is trying to make emends for some of his wrong doings, i.e. the murder of the pawnbroker and her sister. He knows that what he did was wrong and is willing to suffer for his crime, and he does throughout the whole book with his constant depression. Dostoesky believes in punishment for your crimes, this is why he shows Raskolnokov suffering through most of the novel, to show his great love for penance. Dostoevsky likes the kind giving nature of people; this is why he portrays the main character as a kind, gentle, and giving, person. Often, Raskolnokov thinks only of others benefits such as when he helped Katerina by giving her all his money for Marmelodov, as well as his caring about what happens to his sister with her marriage to Luzhin. Raskolnokov hates Luzhin’s arrogant and pompous attitude, which reflects Dostoevsky’s animosity of the same qualities in people in the real world.
The theme of the story is to stand up for who you are and to be unique. Being unique is an excellent trait that everyone has. Instead of making that ability a curse you should embrace it. When someone picks on us we should be unshaken by it and try to complement ourselves more and more. Vladimir didn’t do that while he was being bullied by his middle school claassmates and threatened by D’Ablo. After Vladimir stood up for himself he did not let anyone mess with him and he lost his shyness. This proves that one positive thing leads to another and soon we will all see a change in our attitudes and behavior. Reading this story shows that and that is what I think the theme of the story is.
To conclude the chronology of the story supports the inevitability of death. Also Tolstoy started with the death to make the story seem realistic and to get it out of the way. One reading about the death in the beginning, it exposed the reaction of Ivan’s coworkers and his wife, which shows the selfishness of society that he lived in. Throughout the story Ivan had mixed feelings about death, but when he accepts that his death is coming he becomes happy at the end of the
...t is . What really accentuated the story's realness was the cold-harsh fact that no one is exempt from death. This was given when Gerasim said to Ivan that everyone dies (p135). As the last book Tolstoy made before his conversion to Christianity: this book, delving deep into death, could reveal some clues about what the bible is trying to tell us about the truth of death. Is death the end, the process, or...the beginning? Who knows? One thing for certain is that every individual goes through the grief process a bit differently, and Tolstoy has proven that through his main character, Ivan Illych.
Classical economists such as, Jean Baptiste Say, Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and Thomas Robert Malthus, had a different view about the role of the government in a capitalistic society. The classical economists believed in a laissez-faire economy. They believed that the government should keep their hands off the nation’s economy. They felt that the market will be able to keep itself stable, without the intervention of the government. Jean Baptiste Say believed that supply would create its own demand. The classical economists had an assumption that the aggregate production of goods and services in the economy generate enough income to purchase all output. They also had the assumption that savings by the household sector matches investment expenditures on capital goods by the business sector.
Societal failures during the time the book was written had a tremendous affect on the character development in the novel, Crime and Punishment. At the time, which Crime and Punishment was written, in the mid 1860s, Siberia, Russia was in poverty-stricken conditions. Under the rule of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, many outrageous reforms were passed on. Alexander issued a reform with the hope of emancipating millions of Russian peasants who were owned by landowners. However, what was meant to benefit the peasants, it rather constituted a major restructure of the Russian Society, thus causing much of chaos and turmoil. Through Raskolinokov’s perspective, we are able to see how poor and desolate the conditions are. Especially in the Capitol of Russia, where Raskolinokov lives in, there are many people who live on the streets, and seems as if poverty is inevitably unavo...
The first important concept I learned was the ‘goals of monetary policy’. The primary goal of a central bank is price stability (low and stable inflation). Some of the Feds (short for the Federal Reserve Bank) other concerns are:
Hansen, Bruce. “Dostoevsky’s Theodicy.” Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, 1996. At . accessed 18 November 2001.
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy shows reader how not to live their everyday life. Of course we have to work day in and day out to provide for our families, but there comes a time when your work life should be put on hold. No life is ever perfect, we must make the best out of what we can accomplish. The Death of Ivan Ilyich teaches us about three themes: the right life, your mental “phony” life versus reality, and the unavoidable death to come.
The story of In "The Death of Ivan Ilych", was written by Leo Tolstoy around who examines the life of a man, Ivan Ilyich, who would seem to have lived an exemplary life with moderate wealth, high station, and family. By story's end, however, Ivan's life will be shown to be devoid of passion -- a life of duties, responsibilities, respect, work, and cold objectivity to everything and everyone around Ivan. It is not until Ivan is on his death bed in his final moments that he realizes that materialism had brought to his life only envy, possessiveness, and non-generosity and that the personal relationships we forge are more important than who we are or what we own.
It is apparent that the love between Sonia and Raskolnikov plays a crucial role in Crime and Punishment, pushing Raskolnikov in a direction he otherwise would not have gone. Dostoevsky uses their relationship as a tool to develop the philosophical themes in the novel and prompt profound changes in Raskolnikov’s character. Through their love, Dostoevsky demonstrates the importance of human relationships in finding and maintaining happiness. He also seeks to condemn nihilism and disprove the idea that one cannot make one’s own meaning in life by having Raskolnikov adopt Christian existentialism and find his purpose through Sonia.
Throughout the book, “Crime and Punishment,” by Fyodor Dostoevsky, we see key words that play major roles in the plot and development of the story. Five words, in particular, act as front-runners in symbolic themes; they are crime, punishment, poverty, suffering, and child. There is no doubt that these words play a major factor in the novel because not only do we see these words often, but also we experience the words as they are lived through by many of the major characters. What some readers might not realize is that Dostoevsky does not let only one of the words dominate a scene in the book; they are intermingled concepts. Where there is one of the five major words of the novel, Dostoevsky usually accompanies it with another. All five of the words are dependent of each other and without one of them, the novel would not demonstrate the story and powerful themes that Dostoevsky was looking to present.
... story but it also reflects Russian society. This, however, isn’t why many Russians still continue to hold this piece of literature as central to their culture. Although, it tells of their heritage and society, it is the simple genius of the structure of the novel of –14-line stanza form-and his lyrics, which are complex and meticulous but are written with such ease that they appear effortless, simple, and natural.
Debauchery, dueling, infidelity, orgies, and even monastery life are all used to help Fyodor Dostoevesky define his characters in The Brothers Karamazov. At the beginning of the novel, the reader becomes filled with contempt for a few members of the Karamazov family, yet filled with admiration for others. The legitimate members of the Karamasov family each represent a separate aspect of human character, which is applicable to society. In some ways the characters resemble separate factions and cliques of society that most often argue, but together can be productive. This is shown not by direct implication, but rather the reader discovers the fact on their own by becoming infuriated at the stupidity of the Karamazov men. This anger leads to the realization that in many ways, they themselves are in some ways similar to them.