Part 2 on Oedipal Conflict and the Superego

When it came out, Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors  shook up many people with its moral challenge, a modern day twist on Crime and Punishment.  A wealthy, respected physician arranges the murder of his ex-mistress who is threatening to expose him.   Like Raskolnikov, he becomes tormented by conscience and fears of being caught after the crime is committed.  The police come to question him about the crime.  Unlike Raskolnikov, he endures his guilt and moves on without being discovered.  He wrestles with his conscience and wins.  The New York Times (Steinfels et.al., 1989) was prompted to publish essays by three theologians about the moral questions addressed in the film.  Others felt provoked to review their own indiscretions and their moral code.  If good is not rewarded and evil not punished, what is the basis for morality?  But hidden in this moral conundrum is a struggle between tyrannical fathers and rebelling children.  In fact, the film’s morality is used to help resolve the weak child’s dilemma.  In this film, morality offers solace to the weak. Continue reading “Crimes and Misdemeanors”:Morality from the Child’s Viewpoint