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Crime and Punishment and Anna Karenina are two Russian Novels that both take place in the eighteen-sixties. The novels reflect two different ends of the sociology spectrum. Anna Karenina’s conflicts revolve around the realm of high-class society, however Crime and Punishment’s conflicts reflect the life of lower, mid-class society. The two main characters of both novels are Anna Karenina and Raskolnikov. The social statuses of these two characters are determined by the level they find themselves on “Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs”. “Maslow set up a hierarchical theory of needs in which all the basic needs are at the bottom, and the needs concerned with man's highest potential are at the top. The hierarchic theory is often represented as a pyramid, with the larger, lower levels representing the lower needs, and the upper point representing the need for self-actualization. Each level of the pyramid is dependent on the previous level.” (Maslow) The pyramid of “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” is shown below: (Maslow) Wherever people may find themselves on this pyramid is a reflection of their social status. For example, it is most likely that only a person in low-class society would need to worry of man’s basic needs for survival. This is the base of the pyramid and includes food, water, shelter, and warmth. The level man finds himself on this pyramid determines what he will spend his time worrying about, and may cause him to take drastic actions for his needs to be met. Ergo, behavior of man is a result of the level he finds himself on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as well as in society. Anna Karenina in the novel Anna Karenina, is a woman of high-class society. “There is really only one circle of Petersburg upper society: everyone knows everyone else, even visits each other. But this great circle has subdivisions of its own. Anna Arkadyevna Karenina had friends and close ties in three different circles.” (Tolstoy 139) Her husband supports her and her son financially. Therefore she is above the base of the pyramid. Because of her husband’s authority in society, Anna’s security needs are also met. “The majority of the younger men envied him for just what was the most irksome factor in his love- the exalted position of Karenin, and the consequent transparency to society, of their liaison.” (Tolstoy 185) This places Anna’s needs at again a higher level of Maslow’s pyramid.
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