Crimes And Misdemeanors

1.) The two characters that I saw to be the most opposite were Ben, the rabbi, and Judah, the optometrist. Ben was going blind and he could have been upset at God for it, yet his faith and outlook on the world helped him stay positive. However, his optometrist, Judah, had a less optimistic outlook on life, and he was terrified to come clean about his affair to his wife. The two began to have a discussion about life and Ben pointed out to Judah, “Without the law, it’s all darkness.” This reveals that Ben is faithful; he gets light from a God who acts like a caring parent that has given people rules because he loves humanity. Even though Ben is going blind and all he will physically see is darkness, he can still metaphorically see the light that God shed’s on the world. Ben is hopeful that Judah’s wife will forgive Judah because he knows there is good in people instead of just evil. Judah points out to Ben that they clearly have different views on life, because he thinks that his wife and society will never forgive him for the mistake he made. He even said in the beginning of the movie, “The eyes of God are on us always…unimaginably penetrating, intense eyes.” Judah clearly views God as a stern judge or king, always keeping a close eye on his subjects. Judah thinks that once he has made a mistake, there is no turning back, he will forever be judged for what he has done. Judah’s motivation in life is not driven by goodness, like Ben’s; instead it’s from fear of God’s judgment. At the end of the movie, due to the fact that Judah has not been caught and nothing terrible happened to him, he no longer feels afraid of what God will do to him. This is opposite of how I saw Ben at the end of the movie, who is celebrating a wonderful life for his daughter, in spite of the recent loss of his sight. It is clear that Ben’s optimistic outlook on God as a kind parent helps him overcome his hardships in a more healthy way than Judah.

2.) The positive view Ben has about God caused him to live a genuinely happy life, no matter what challenges were thrown his way. He embraced his blindness and focused on the positive, he knows God had a reason for every challenge. It seemed to me that Ben lived a more stress-free life, he may not have had the most money or even his sight, but he knew that he had other blessings. Many of the characters loved Ben; his sister even called him a “saint” because his positivity and faith in God was admirable. One of the ending scenes of the movie was of Ben dancing with his daughter at her wedding, which symbolizes hope and celebration of love. Ben’s choice to follow God in his profession, and live what he preaches lead to a “happy ending” in the movie. In contrast to this, Judah had a darker more cynical outlook on God and the world. Instead of choosing to fess up to his wife about his affair, and hope that she would forgive him, he had his mistress killed. Judah ended up living a life of lies and deceit, which he felt guilt about for only a little while. Judah moved funds around, had an affair, and finally had someone murdered, which shows me that he cared more about his status quos than following God’s law. Judah’s motivation behind his profession was even negative, he was basically helping people for the money. Instead of turning to God for help, Judah took matters into his own hands and altered his life the way he saw fit. Overall, Ben’s hopefully attitude about humanity and God cause him to live a less stressful and sinful life than Judah, who views humanity and God as unforgiving and cold.

3.) I think that there is more to the universe than just friendly and unfriendly, for me there is an in-between. Although I consider myself to have faith, I do not think it is as strong as Ben’s. Sometimes I am afraid to tell the truth because accepting the consequences is difficult for me, it is hard to show people my flaws. I understand how Judah was afraid of his wife’s reaction, because I am usually afraid of my loved one’s reaction when I do something wrong. I wish I were able to have the unwavering faith of Ben’s and I hope as I grow older and I am presented with more challenges I will make the right choices. However, I am not as pessimistic about humanity as Judah is, I do know that people and God are forgiving. When I have gone to someone in crisis and confessed what I have done, it usually turns out okay. Judah viewed the world as so cold, that he was too afraid to give anyone a chance. I think the world is a complicated place; it can be friendly and unfriendly, easy and difficult. In the worst of times, I do become sad and upset at the world, yet I find comfort in knowing that there is a reason for the challenges I endure. My outlook changes a lot, I think because I am still young and I have a lot to discover about who I am. I know that I am approaching adulthood, yet I am constantly confused and surprised about what the world has to offer. For example, my baby cousin was born around the same time my grandma passed away. My excitement about the goodness of God and the world turned into confusion and hurt by this sudden change of events. Overall, I try to keep a positive outlook on life, and realize that there is a reason for everything. However, my faith is not yet strong enough to keep me from getting confused and hurt by negative things and people.