Capital Punishment In The Idiot By Fyodor Dostoevsky

In The Idiot, Fyodor Dostoevsky discloses his views of capital punishment through the portrayal of his character Myshkin. Dostoevsky makes several remarks about the apparent cruelty of the death penalty, typically through the lens of this character. “I believe that to execute a man for murder is to punish him immeasurably more dreadfully than is equivalent to his crime. A murder by sentence is far more dreadful than a murder committed by a criminal. The man who is attacked by robbers at night, in a dark wood, or anywhere, undoubtedly hopes and hopes that he may yet escape until the very moment of his death . . . But in the case of an execution, that last hope – having which it is so immeasurably less dread to die, – is taken away from the wretch and certainty substituted in its place.” (Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Idiot, pg. 38) The most painful aspect of the death penalty, in the eyes of Fyodor, was the expectation that death would come, with no hope of being free from the punishment. A significant factor to this opinion was Dostoevsky's personal experience on death row. After being convicted of associating with “radical” Westernizer groups, Dostoevsky was promptly sentenced to death. Unbeknownst to him, it was a pseudo-execution. The seemingly harsh punishment came as quite a shock to Fyodor and …show more content…
Biblically, logically, and morally. The Death Penalty is not something that should be taken lightly, and it hasn't been. The official numbers for executions is incredibly low and is a sentence that is used sparingly. The argument that Dostoevsky makes regarding the hopelessness of death row is far too circumstantial. Every punishment has a level of hopelessness. Life without parole can be considered hopeless, however it can often fit the crime. It is not the government's job to ensure the murderous inmates don't feel bad about their punishment. The Justice system is there to serve justice, and God is there to deliver forgiveness and