Crime and Punishment and Metamorphosis and Reality

Dostoevsky's novel certainly touches briefly with my big question; Rodya's paranoia illustrates how one's uncertainty can afflict the mind. He make himself physically sick in believing that he has been discovered. As the novel moves through his punishment, he seems to become more stable, but continues to have incredibly realistic dreams; as Rodya believes his vivid dreams are real, so does the reader. Dostoevsky even layers multiple dreams in one scene, I believe. Additionally, Svidrigailov has a dream near the end of the novel in which he shelters the poor girl. Svid's dream culminates in his suicide. Rodya's illness and paranoia ends with his confession, yet he is still uncertain why he has confessed. Rodya eventually realizes that he is not a superman/extraordinary man, thus he needs Sonia's love. Finally Svid and Rodya become more sure of their realities, but I am not sure if Svid's suicide definately illustrates this; one can never know what will happen next and with Svid's suicide, he relinquishes the possibility of ever finding out what his life could contain. I do find it ironic, though, that Rodya's "realization" comes in the epilogue which could have been omitted completely. If the epilogue had been excluded, I think Crime and Punishment would apply more to my question. This is because the novel, lacking an epilogue, would have much less closure and the reader would mull over Rodya's confession in his mind: Did Rodya confess because of his love for Sonia? Does Rodya even love Sonia? What propels him to continue the confession despite his lack of desire to be redeemed?

I just thought of something else; as my motif was water, I found that water seemed to be prevelant as an agent of reflections and how one perceives themself. If water is ever-changing, always rippling and flowing, how can we ever be sure of what is inside of ourself? If water is the reflection of clarity within our own mind, we can never come to one conclusion and stay there: water may be still one day, and ripple or flow the next. I apologize if my memory of the text is slightly rusty.


If Crime and Punishment doesn't reflect upon my big question, Kafka's Metamorphosis certainly does. Gregor's situation is quite peculiar and one must question if the situation is genuine. Does Gregor's metamorphosis represent the transition of modern man from a "higher" animal to a "lower" animal? Though the reader finds Gregor's situation curious, I find it interesting that he is quite detached and not troubled by his situation. He only seems to care about his needs more and more as his transformation continues until he decides that he is a burden for his family in the end; expanding upon this it is interesting that Gregor was once the sole provider for his family and now he is the burden. If this is all part of a mental vision on Gregor's part, how can Gregor or the reader tell? How can we distinguish Gregor's position and possibility? We can't. Anything is possible, so Gregor can either be in dire need of mental help or physically an insect. I don't think we can tell what our reality is.


P.S. Mr. Kleeman- If this is late, I apologize; sometimes I cannot hear in the back of the classroom and I pushed it into the farthest corner of my mind during finals until I finally recalled the assignment after my brain felt a little less crammed. Happy birdwatching as always!

How can we ever truly be certain of our reality?

How can we prove our own existence? Thus, we begin to contemplate the incomprehensible, thought-provoking illusion of reality. I have decided upon this question because it has occurred in my thoughts many times, regardless of literature I am reading. Many times I have wondered if I perhaps have two personalities, or if I am in a coma, or do not physically exist and live ignorantly not knowing so. What if everything we know is a lie, an illusion, a dream? It would be incredibly disconcerting to wake up as Neo does in "The Matrix," would it not? How easily can our minds be manipulated, as in the novels "Primal Fear" or "The Magus" (my independent study)?



A few years ago, I learned that everything, which appears physically solid to humans, is in fact composed of mostly empty space. The atoms which create everything are only tiny pieces of mass, with much space "within" them. It is difficult to comprehend, yet knowing that you never fully touch anything is also slightly disturbing. When a person touches an object, he does not feel that actualy object, he simply feels the pressure from its electrons repelling his electrons. To sit on a chair, is to actually hover aove that chair, just at a very small scale. So, having established this, I find it strange to consider that the physical reality that we experience is actually much different at a small scale. Our world is already more of an illusion to us.



I also love to explore the idea of dreams; they are completely fascinating. What if dreams were in fact reality, and reality a dream?! It is curious to feel new sensations, such as flying or falling great distances, a feeling that you have never actually experienced in "reality," feels quite real and convincing in a dream. Many of my own dreams are based on fear, which drives me to wonder what it could "mean" or if it has any meaning whatsoever. I often have apocalyptic dreams in which (this is embarassing) aliens take over the world or some type of weather destroys my home. What do these dreams have to do with reality, if anything?



"The Magus," by John Fowles, applies to this idea especially. The protagonist, Nick finds himself struggling for answers once he has entered the "mind game" with Conchis. Nick cannot decipher Conchis' lies from the truth. He cannot decide whether to trust Lily or Julie; which persona is a lie? Are Alison's letters genuine or fictitious? Fowles subtly entwines the story, illustrating how fragile the human mind is, even though Nick thinks he is in control of himself. Similarly, the reader is led to believe certain aspects of the story as well; the reader feels in control, just as Nick does, but the reader is not a part of the story, so he thinks he has an advantage above Nick. Quite the contrary; Fowles tricks the reader's mind just as much as Conchis leads Nick through the game.

"Primal Fear" is another novel I have read in which reality is distorted for the protagonist as well as the reader. Martin Vail, a defense lawyer, becomes entwined in a case about young man named Aaron. Both characters manipulate each other. This novel has so many twists and turns; if you have not I recommend for you to read it! You will never guess how the novel ends.

Finally, I think the basis for "The Matrix" is a very interesting idea. I have never actually seen the entire movie (such a shame, I know), but I have seen the beginning in which Neo discovers his entire life has been a lie.

I am so excited to write about this topic! It has so many facets to explore! Happy reading to all!