Crime and Morality

Morality is a debatable topic in current times. What is right and what is not depends entirely on perception. In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s ‘Crime and Punishment ‘, morality is questioned, while being laid bare publicly. The way we perceive a crime speaks about our views of the world, and ourselves as well. The conflict between perception and reality shows through each and every thing and action. Actions speak louder than words. In the novel, Raskolnikov’s actions hurt those who love him. He ends up inadvertently harming the ill woman he loves and his family comprising his mother and sister.
In Fakir Mohan Senapati’s ‘Six Acres and a Third ‘, crime is perceived in a different light. The protagonist, Ramachandra Mangaraj, gets away with all his crimes in a judicial setup. But poetic justice is delivered by the very end of the novel. Mangaraj’s demise at the hands of those he wronged is utopian, but is poetic justice. The judicial system dismisses criminals, but gives birth to them too. People when wronged can go on the wrong path thus becoming dangerous elements of the society. No villain is born, but created by the society in conditions as harsh as desert winds blowing day and night.