INVESTIGATING THE MUTUAL INFLUENCE OF ÉMILE ZOLA’S NATURALISM AND EXPERIMENTAL METHOD: AN ANALYSIS OF CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Abstract

The study analyzes the detailed analysis of Crime and Punishment under the lens Of Emile Zola’s Naturalism and experimental method to observe several underlying psychological, criminal, and moral struggles of Raskolnikov. Aiming to deal with the objective nature of crime and criminology, and the deterministic framework of naturalistic novels. This study further explores the scientific nature of literature, how literature can be read as a scientific piece and how an author may perform experiments on his characters by analyzing the internal nature, their psyche and their characters as an individual as well as a member of society.

Zola’s naturalism emphasizes the scientific objectivity, influence of heredity on characters and their surroundings, and environmental determinism, serves as a major tool in dissecting the motivations and behaviors of the character. We can clearly see that the theory can be applied to the novel. The researcher has designated the character of Raskolnikov and the study follows his character as the theory fits on Raskolnikov as the protagonist of the novel. Raskolnikov becomes the central character with which one can examine the dilemmas, internal conflicts and external phenomenon of the overall novel. This thesis posits that Raskolnikov played the role of all sorts of criminal mindsets and the stages of criminality, the normal and abnormal being, the philosopher and ignorant man, the simple minded and intricate character. The way he responds toward the objective and subjective realities of the universe, and how the fragile natural laws vary from an ordinary to an extraordinary person. The study further tries to answer the questions why did Raskolnikov commit murder and what explains his innocence and wickedness throughout the course of his actions. How in the battle between conscience and reason, conscience wins?