According to Foucault, power does not belong to the individual, but to the system, to the institution. In his essay on Discipline and Punish, Foucault presents his idea of the panopticon mechanism, a mechanism in which visibility is a trap. With little importance over the actual individual in the role of the observer or of the observed, the object of the system is total power over the observed. Due to the unique shape of the panopticon, there are no corners and thus no blind spots for the observed to hide in. The private space is replaced by the public one. Furthermore, as final evidence of total control, the observed never knows for sure if they are being watched or not, as they can’t see the observer (Foucault 200-205).
Foucault further …show more content…
The protagonist, Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, a former student, decides to murder and rob an old pawn broker, Alyona Ivanovna, not due to his desperate need of money, but due to a theory he wants to test. Raskolnikov leaves no evidence which would lead the investigation to him; however, the police lieutenant in charge of the case, Porfiry Petrovich, a meticulous thinker, understands Raskolnikov’s theory and has a big role in influencing the student to confess. Between the murder and the confession, Raskolnikov undergoes a long and painful process of thought. His friend, Razumikhin Prokofych, along with a prostitute and his future significant other, Sonia Semyonovna Marmeladova, are part of the protagonist’s path. In the end, Sonia turns out to be Raskolnikov’s salvation as she helps him find redemption and start living …show more content…
He feels tremendous guilt for what he has done, a guilt which pushes him towards confession. The illness he feels has no cure, and as a final step in the direction of ordinary people, he denies deciding his own future.
Another novel concentrated on the same themes as Crime and Punishment is Perfume, by Patrick Suskind. Set in the 18th century, the novel follows the life of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. Born in the outskirts of Paris, Grenouille develops the necessary assets to survive. He changes orphanages and jobs, fighting any disease until he manages to become a perfumer’s apprentice. From then on, he improves his techniques of extracting scents and creating perfumes. The next phase of his learning requires him to move to Grasse, where he becomes the greatest perfumer in the world by developing an angelic perfume.
Grenouille’s gift is in itself extraordinary: he has a perfected smell. Blindfolded, he could recognize any object or person from miles ahead. This unique ability enables him to rely on his nose and understand the world in a way that no other human could. He never forgets a scent by labeling them in his Palace of Odors and by constantly combining them in the most beautiful
Foucault further …show more content…
The protagonist, Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, a former student, decides to murder and rob an old pawn broker, Alyona Ivanovna, not due to his desperate need of money, but due to a theory he wants to test. Raskolnikov leaves no evidence which would lead the investigation to him; however, the police lieutenant in charge of the case, Porfiry Petrovich, a meticulous thinker, understands Raskolnikov’s theory and has a big role in influencing the student to confess. Between the murder and the confession, Raskolnikov undergoes a long and painful process of thought. His friend, Razumikhin Prokofych, along with a prostitute and his future significant other, Sonia Semyonovna Marmeladova, are part of the protagonist’s path. In the end, Sonia turns out to be Raskolnikov’s salvation as she helps him find redemption and start living …show more content…
He feels tremendous guilt for what he has done, a guilt which pushes him towards confession. The illness he feels has no cure, and as a final step in the direction of ordinary people, he denies deciding his own future.
Another novel concentrated on the same themes as Crime and Punishment is Perfume, by Patrick Suskind. Set in the 18th century, the novel follows the life of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. Born in the outskirts of Paris, Grenouille develops the necessary assets to survive. He changes orphanages and jobs, fighting any disease until he manages to become a perfumer’s apprentice. From then on, he improves his techniques of extracting scents and creating perfumes. The next phase of his learning requires him to move to Grasse, where he becomes the greatest perfumer in the world by developing an angelic perfume.
Grenouille’s gift is in itself extraordinary: he has a perfected smell. Blindfolded, he could recognize any object or person from miles ahead. This unique ability enables him to rely on his nose and understand the world in a way that no other human could. He never forgets a scent by labeling them in his Palace of Odors and by constantly combining them in the most beautiful