I chose to answer the second question which asks whether there can be an in between position with viewing the world as "harsh and empty of values and pitiless" or "a moral structure, with real meaning, and forgiveness, and a higher power." I believe that the highest percentage of people believe in the in between. Some are people are bad and some are good and we all hope the good out weigh the bad. We wish everyone had morals and could forgive but we know not everyone does. Some believe in a higher power and some do not. The in between is being a realist. Wishing it was all good and we aren't responsible and those that do bad will be punished later but knowing that isn't true. Or, just an example, you could see the world as harsh and pitiless because of a higher power and see this as a meaning. I think there is more of an in between than not.
The only similarities between Crime and Punishment and Crimes and Misdemeanors was the murder. Both men were responsible for the death of one (or more) people. Judah felt terrible guilt in the beginning but recovered and moved on without ever being discovered. Raskolnikov on the other hand, was so plagued by guilt he was physically affected and eventually confessed. They also committed the murders for completely different reasons which may be how Judah managed to justify his. Judah indirectly murdered his mistress because she was a threat while Raskolnikov personally, brutally, murdered two woman for reasons he has trouble finding; pride, the good of humanity, and money, being some.
I have less criticism about your post than I do questions. As to your first paragraph, do you think that those who are not in between but strongly believe in one view of the world are outcasts? If many people are "in between" how does one become a biased viewer? Also, for the second paragraph, do you think Judah could feel unafflicted by the indirect murder because he saw the world as cold and harsh? Could one say that Raskolnikov had a similar view on the world as Judah, and if so why did he react so dfferently? Well these are just questions that arose after reading your post, hopefully they will be beneficial in expanding on your next posts. But, overall I your blog post was good.
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