Revealing a Character's True Nature During a Moment of Crisis

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Recommended: Review of the tragedy plot in antigone

In literature, there are many examples of people who are placed in “fantastic” situations, which served to reveal much about themselves, as Dostoevsky suggests. There are also many instances in which people break down and do something completely uncharacteristic in these same situations, as a result of extreme suffering.

One such example, is Gretchen, from Goethe's Faust. She was an ingénue and thus revealed her true character at a crucial point in her life. She was not a murderer, yet she murdered. When all her misdeeds began to drive her mad, she became the most lucid in her discernment of good and evil. “Her last remarks saved her, as she cried out to God in repentance, she was forgiven. Receiving a spiritual awakening, though out of her mind with grief, she still recognized the devil. She sensed evil in Faust and finally realized that there was no love between them” (RoseDeClementi 3.2). Gretchen's deeds were just as despicable as his, but there was a difference; in her moment of truth, she repented and was redeemed. Faust knew that he was condemned to spend eternity in hell. In this instance, I believe that Dostoevsky was correct because Gretchen was portrayed as a victim of manipulation.

Another example in literature of someone who revealed her true character, in crisis, was Antigone, from a story of the same name. “In the story of Antigone, (who was the daughter of Oedipus), more tragedy awaited her. Taking a stand for what she believed to be an injustice and offense against her god, she buried her dead brother which violated the law, thereby sentencing her to her own death; she was to be placed in a tomb alive and left for dead” (Rose-DeClementi 1.2). Her strong beliefs shaped her character which dictated her ac...

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...his into consideration, I behaved responsibly. Even when I began to lose my composure with the hospital workers, who refused to take my friend in right away, my true character was revealed. Generally, crisis situations have a tendency to bring out the worst in me, as with most people. This disputes Dostoevsky's theory, which holds that the true nature of a person will be revealed during moments of crisis. My account, as well as the examples taken from literature, prove that Dostoevsky's theory, although valid, is not indisputable.

Works Cited

Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 1.1. 4 Sept. 2010.

Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 1.2. 10 Sept. 2010.

Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 3.2. 20 Oct. 2010.

Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 4.1. 25 Oct. 2010.

Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 4.2. 6 Nov. 2010.

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