crimes and misdemeanors

The thought occurs to me that there are really three types of people you can relate to in Crimes and Misdemeanors.

First, there's the one I relate to -- the Woody Allen character. He's filled with weaknesses, but basically good. He has a hope that if he holds onto his ideals (no matter how worthless they actually are) the universe will reward him. The universe actually rewards him just a little.

Second, there's the Alan Alda character. He's the one who is a realist, so he has no qualms about taking advantage of life whenever possible. You only go around once, so you should do whatever it takes to be successful in others' eyes so you can achieve greatness in the world and in wealth. The universe rewards him tremendously.

I am not including Martin Landau's character as one of the relatable ones. Hopefully we don't relate to him (but the whole movie tragically illustrates that we very easily can).

The final character in this comparison is Sam Waterston's character. He is perfectly moral. he knows there is a moral code in the universe, and beyond that, he knows his happiness is directly related to how well he lives by this code. The universe punishes him horribly.

I definitely relate to the Woody Allen character. I don't work for my success like the Alan Alda character, yet I feel I deserve more than I have. I don't suffer the misfortune of the Sam Waterston character. I don't deserve to have the honor of suffering for what I believe in.