Passions vs Responsibilities

1. Passions vs Responsibilities By: Mary Cate and Ashley Culbterson Eschert

2. Number 11 • A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities.

3. Thesis In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov’s internal confliction over the murder leads to his mental decline in which his personal beliefs/passions are challenged against his social and moral responsibilities.

4. Passion Raskolnikov: schism: division in religion based on difference in beliefs. • Sin • Murders of Alyona Ivanovna & Lizaveta Ivanovna • Raskolnikov’s faith is shaken to point of almost not believing in God. • Pg 323 “What does God do for you?” • Rask exhibits anger. Endured anxiety and mental torture for so long, how could there be a God?

5. What is a passion? In terms for the prompt, a passion is… • A personal belief • Motivating factor

6. Responsibility • Morality • Guilt eats away at him • Psychology behind wanting to be caught • Pg 116 “The cupola of the cathedral… I too wanted to do good deeds… but now I’m trapped.” • Pg 520 Raskolnikov finally confesses to the murder and publicly acknowledges it.

7. Raskolnikov • Raskolnikov is split into two different people. • Passion: The irrational crazed side of him that succumbs to his emotions. • Responsibility: The sane side that fights the other and tries to seek redemption (to some extent) to put the sin behind him.

8. Passion • Insanity - True Self • One of Raskolnikov feels should be free from punishment and that the rules of society do not apply to him in this case. He did the world some good. • Wants murders to be swept under the rug, for all this to go away, and Raskolnikov will live with this and the guilt will go away.

9. Responsibility • Moral Conflict • Mental torture is worse than physical torture • Shown by the digression of mental state leading up to confession - worries family and friends • Sanity • Isolation • Pg 263 Porfiry - wolf in sheeps clothing

10. Passion Personal Passion Raskolnikov goes mad and kills pawnbroker Greed He gives mom’s money to Sonia Valuing society over a person Beginning of book he values the greater society over individual humans Causes him to act passionately and commit two murders “Kill her…good deeds” (Pg 68), “This trivial…later action” (Pg 69).

11. Responsibility Morality Feels guilt and wants to be caught Eats away at him even though he wants to simply forget it happened Wants there to be a God to forgive him and cleanse him of his sins Valuing a person over society End of book he values a person over the greater society Friend is no help to society and yet he is sad when he died “Raskolnikov started…he cried” (Pg 524), “Raskolnikov felt…stifling him” (Pg 525) He killed the pawnbroker out of his greed while is morals continued to desire being caught Development of value of life

12. Passion Selfish and Prideful Façade Personal pride Does not want help from others Refuses to acknowledge guilt Wants money and is angry when he does not have it Brotherly pride Does not want Dounia to marry for charity in order to help Raskolnikov Thought he was supporting family by education, money, and murder, but in reality he was crippling his family

13. Responsibility Social Duties Helping others helps him keep a positive image After murder stopped and did various acts of kindness Wants money for family but he constantly gives it away Confess crime and pay his debt to society “He had…thought of it” (Pg 401), “Not only that…put off the telling” (Pg 401). “If he had a conscience…as well as the prison” (Pg 265) Social duties in passion lead to murder, anger, and passion Social duties in responsibility lead to acts of kindness and confession