Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Wyman, Alina

Area of Concentration

General Studies

Abstract

This thesis is an attempt to have a discussion on the theme of condemnation that is present in both Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, The Idiot, and Akira Kurosawa’s film, Hakuchi. Along those lines, this thesis attempted to explain the effect that this theme has on characters within each work, and why this effect is relevant. Through the course of analyzing these works in the context of condemnation, I found that the nature of this condemnation can be directly linked to instances of trauma experienced by characters in each piece, and through these individuals’ inability to overcome the negative consequences of this trauma in an effective or lasting way. I also found that although the traumatic root of this condemnation is shared in each work, there also exist implicit differences in the application of this theme that are connected to the differing ideological, philosophical, and historically varied perspectives of the two authors. This study of condemnation has given me a deeper understanding of both of these works, and the people who created them, which has allowed me to attain a more inclusive perspective towards responses to trauma and those who are so deeply afflicted by it.

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