The biblical notion of the "promised land" has had a profound influence on secular literature. Modern authors have reinterpreted this biblical ideal to include any land of redemption or salvation . is an important concept in both Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and Kafka's America Although these novels present very different images of the Promised Land, both focus on the protagonist's feeling of claustrophobia up to the moment of. his deliverance is mental or physical. The salvation of both protagonists ultimately lies in a sense of spatial freedom. banned”? Get the original essay America begins with a corrupted ideal of America as a land of redemption Karl goes abroad because he inadvertently impregnated a servant; he is sent away to escape accusations of paternity and his societal sin can be established between Karl and the biblical Joseph, who must also leave his house because he is equally blamed. for the sexual advances of an older woman. When Karl arrived in America, he was greeted by a bright light: “a sudden burst of sunlight seemed to illuminate the Statue of Liberty, so that he saw it in a new light. (3) » This can be compared to that of the Israelites. exodus, which is guided by a pillar of fire: “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to guide them, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light. (Exodus 13:21)" However, a crucial difference between the biblical lighthouse and Kafka's is that, despite its brilliance, the latter illuminates an ominous entrance: the Statue of Liberty holds a sword instead of a torch. Despite this detail, America remains for the moment a landscape of freedom: “The arm with the sword rose as if newly stretched upwards, and around the figure blew the free winds of the sky.” This image suggests that America, the land of the free, could also be Karl's house of bondage. Joseph has a similar experience: he escapes the advances of Potiphar's wife only to be thrown into prison. upon release from prison, he becomes an important figure in Egypt, a country where his people will ultimately become slaves. Thus, Karl also unknowingly goes to a new country which could prove to be the antithesis of the Promised Land that he is. thought to be. His alienation is emphasized in biblical terminology. He describes himself as "fighting for justice in a strange land (22)" while Moses describes himself as "a stranger in a strange land." (Exodus 2:22).” Despite his idealized image of America, undoubtedly coming from Europe. Considering America at the time as a land of opportunities, Karl discovered a country of oppression. At first, under the tutelage of his uncle, he felt welcome and safe. But even then it starts to feel claustrophobic. Indeed, before disembarking from the ship, he found himself “uncomfortably stuck (5)” in the driver’s bunk. It is under this physical oppression that Karl makes his first personal contact, with the ship's driver. This friendship soon disintegrates when Karl trades it for an alliance with his uncle Jacob. Despite his unusually lavish accommodation with his uncle, Karl is almost a prisoner. His only contact with the city outside his room is the view from his balcony and its windows, but his uncle prevents him from enjoying this pleasure, who "frown his eyebrows in annoyance if he found Karl on the balcony" . (40) "The first When Karl leaves New York, he goes to Mr. Pollunder's country house. It is here that Karl feels most overwhelmed by hisclaustrophobic environment. The house itself is oppressive. Mr. Pollunder said: “Don't you think there's a sort of feeling of freedom when you leave the city and go to the country? "... "He speaks, thought Karl, as if he knew nothing about it. the huge house, the endless corridors, the chapel, the empty rooms, the darkness everywhere. (80)" But it's not just the maze of dark corridors that contributes to Karl's claustrophobia: "everything here squeezes him (82). " He feels attacked by Clara, to the point that he sees Mack, her fiancé , “like a liberator. (69)” He is physically trapped by his host when Mr. Pollunder questions him: “And he put his arm around Karl and drew him between his knees (79) “When they. finished speaking, Karl notices that Mr. Pollunder has his arm tightly around him, "and involuntarily he struggled to free himself from Pollunder's arm (82)" He imagines a clear but impossible moment. escape: "the road which leads to his uncle through this glass door, by the stairs, by the avenue, by the country lanes, by the suburbs to the big main street where his uncle's house was located, he seemed a strictly ordered whole, which lay there, empty and prepared for him, and called to him with a loud voice. (82) "However, once Karl leaves his uncle and his uncle's friends, his journey leads him to more oppression and work comparable to slavery. He finds work in Ramesses, a town that shares his nickname with the biblical city that the Israelites built while they were slaves in Egypt: “Therefore they set rulers over them to afflict them with their burdens And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom. and Raamses... And they made their life bitter by hard servitude, in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of work in the fields: all their service, in which they made them serve, was with rigor (Exodus 1:11. -14)” Karl describes the hotel employees with similar narrative force. He is shocked by the intensity of the work: “he had no conception of such a work (198)”. “After a twelve-hour shift, after leaving his shift at six in the morning, he was so tired that he went straight to bed without paying attention to anyone. (148)” Backbreaking work contributes to the progressive feeling of confinement and alienation of Karl. . When Karl leaves the hotel, he once again finds himself stuck in a compromising position serving Brunelda, a domineering and obese woman whose puppet lover, Delamarche, Karl knows from his previous trip. As their mutual friend Robinson, who had been Brunelda's servant until Karl's arrival, points out, "it's not service here, it's slavery. (242)" Karl literally finds himself suffocated by Brunelda's flesh when he tries to escape: "he flinches in an involuntary but unsuccessful attempt to escape the pressure of her body. (248)" She is the ultimate contribution to Karl's claustrophobia: " his head, which was pressed against his chest, he could move neither backwards nor to the side (252) “Thus, instead of a land of freedom, America becomes the land of slavery of Karl which he. must escape. His escape mirrors the biblical Exodus in its dramatic composition. Karl follows a job posting for the Nature Theater of Oklahoma stating, “Everyone is welcome!…Our theater can find a job for everyone, a place for everyone!” (272)" Karl notes that even "destitute and unsavory characters (295)" are hired. In the biblical exodus, Moses also insists on the inclusion of everyone. He will not even accept the Pharaoh's offer to let everything go except the cattle: “And Pharaoh called to Moses and said, Go, serve the LORD (Exodus 10:24) “The .Israelites leave Egypt in haste; they cannot take anything with them, nor even wait for their bread to rise. Similarly, Karl notes that “no one carried baggage; the only thing that could be called luggage was the baby carriage. (296).” The dramatization of the hiring process points to a more biblical meaning. The journey of future employees begins by passing through a field of women on pedestals: “hundreds of women dressed as angels, dressed in white dresses, with large wings on their shoulders, blew long trumpets which sparkled like gold. (274) » These angels, signifying redemption, sound trumpets, which is a biblical signal for the Israelites to assemble and continue their journey: “Make for yourself two silver trumpets; you shall make them of one whole piece, that you may use them for the calling of the congregation and for the journey of the camps. (Numbers 10:2)” Trumpets also indicate deliverance: “And if you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound the alarm with the trumpets; and you will remember yourselves before the LORD your God, and you will be saved from your enemies. (Numbers 10:9) “The Israelites, like the new employees of the Nature Theater, have no idea where they are going, but trust in the unknown promised land. Karl's enthusiasm is underscored by a long-awaited liberation from the confines of his previous life in America. “Only now has Karl understood how huge America was. (297)” The America that Karl passes through on his way to Oklahoma is full of new promise. Even the limitations of his train compartment cannot take away his new sense of freedom: “Everything that happened in the small compartment, where the cigarette smoke was thick despite the open window, became relatively insignificant compared to the size of the room. scene. out. (297)" Images of large landscapes abound in the final scene of the novel. "Masses of blue-black rocks rose sharply up to the railway line; even if you craned your neck out of the window you couldn't see their peaks. (297-8)" This landscape of mountains, valleys, and streams contrasts sharply with the view from the balcony of Karl's bedroom at his uncle's house in New York, where he had "little more than a view of a street , which ran perfectly straight between two rows of squarely cut buildings” (38) » Thus, we expect that Karl will find in the promise of Oklahoma the land of redemption that his early experiences in America did not offer. and Punishment presents a character in a similarly claustrophobic environment whose redemption occurs not in grand landscapes, but in prison in Siberia However, for Raskolnikov, the protagonist who torments himself mentally after murdering a pawnbroker, prison. allows one to free himself from mental rather than physical claustrophobia and anxiety. Like Karl, Raskolnikov is completely alone and poor in a strange environment. He lives in a small room, “more of a wardrobe than a living space. .. nestled under the roof of a five-story building. (1)”. The small enclosure contributes to Raskolnikov's claustrophobia: "It was a very small place...and so low that anyone of slightly above average height felt uncomfortable there (23)" . This environment also contributes to Raskolnikov's isolation: "A more neglected and degraded way of life. One could hardly have imagined it, but it suited Raskolnikov's current mood. He had resolutely withdrawn from all human contact (23) "But Raskolnikov is also mentally alienated because he believes himself superior to everyone and therefore cannot interact with others. He agrees with a conversation that 'hehears: "Kill her, take money from her... don't you think that thousands of good deeds will erase a small, insignificant transgression?... Nature must be guided and corrected. (56) " He uses this "superman" philosophy to justify his actions: "What he envisioned was 'no crime' (61)" After the murder, Raskolnikov's sense of isolation grew due to his intense guilt and delusion feverish. At first, he questions his mental health: “A dark and tormenting idea began to arise, the idea that he was going crazy and that he was not capable of reasoning or protecting himself. (69) » guilty that he doubts his own faculties: “The conviction that everything, even memory, even the simple power of reflection, was abandoning him, had begun to torment him unbearably. “What if it starts already? Is this really the start of my punishment? (76)" Intense self-condemnation leads Raskolnikov to new lows: " In his soul he was tormented by a sad feeling of eternityloneliness and estrangement. (87) "Even though he is aware of his situation, Raskolnikov rejects all offers of help, friendship and support." He had cut himself off from everyone and had withdrawn so completely into himself that he now recoiled from any contact. (1) "He is so consumed with guilt that he expects imminent accusation from everyone and is therefore unable to trust anyone, even his mother and sister. The city of St. Petersburg adds to Raskolnikov's oppression and alienation. It is dirty and the people are poor. The intense, "stifling" heat of July contributes to the claustrophobia. sewage invaded the city and this particular summer smell... all this combined to aggravate the young man's nervous problems (2) "Raskolnikov cannot in any way free himself from his physical and mental oppression while remaining in. the city. Raskolnikov's only escape from his mental prison is his dreams. Their hallucinatory quality is far from the dirty hustle and bustle of the city and that of the murderer. bad conscience. "He [gets lost] in a labyrinth of waking dreams (58)" which represent the antithesis of his world --- an Egyptian oasis, "clear and cool" water flowing over brightly colored stones. The bright and pure dream. The imagery has biblical resonance. The clean water, contrasting with the dirty and diseased canals of St. Petersburg, represents the pure water of New Testament baptism: "And he showed me a river of pure water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne . of God and the Lamb. (Revelation 22:1) "However, even his dreams are invaded by the claustrophobic imagery of his doomed reality. During a delusional hallucination, "A fly awoke, banged against the window and triggered a moaning hum. (235)” This same fly appears when Raskolnikov wakes up from his dream: “Only a large fly was buzzing and banging against the window. (236)" Like the trapped fly, Raskolnikov is trapped within the confines of St. Petersburg and his tormented, guilty conscience. Thus, the only way for Raskolnikov to escape his doomed existence is to leave St. Petersburg and purify morally his conscience through Confession is the biblical path to redemption: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)” Confession is. also linked to baptismal purification, and the “wide and solitary river (463)” in the Siberian prison camp suggests the biblical meaning of the Jordan: “and [they] were all baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their. sins (Mark 1:5) “However, it is difficult for Raskolnikov to truly confess..