Crimes and Misdemeanors Page #10

which he'd rejected,

are suddenly stirred up.

He... hears his father's voice.

He... imagines that God

is watching his every move.

Suddenly it's not an empty universe at all,

but a just and moral one, and...

he's violated it.

Now he's panic-stricken.

He's on the verge of a mental collapse.

An inch away from confessing

the whole thing to the police.

And then, one morning, he awakens and

the sun is shining and

his family is around him and

mysteriously the crisis has lifted.

He takes his family on a vacation to

Europe and as the months pass he finds

he's not punished.

In fact, he prospers.

The killing gets attributed to a drifter who

has several other murders to his credit

so, what the hell,

one more doesn't even matter.

Now he's scot-free.

His life is completely back to normal.

Back to his protected world

of wealth and privilege.

Yes, but can he ever really go back?

Well... People carry sins

around with them.

Maybe once in a while

he has a bad moment, but it passes.

And, with time, it all fades.

Yeah, but... so then, you know,

his worst beliefs are realised.

Well, I said it was a chilling story, didn't I?

I don't know. It'd be tough

for somebody to live with that.

Very few guys could actually

live with that on their conscience.

People carry awful deeds

around with them.

What do you expect him to do?

Turn himself in?

I mean, this is reality.

In reality, we rationalise, we deny,

or we couldn't go on living.

Here's what I would do.

I would have him turn himself in.

Cos then, you see, your story

assumes tragic proportions

because, in the absence of a God,

he is forced to assume

that responsibility himself.

Then you have tragedy.

But that's fiction. That's movies.

You see too many movies.

I'm talkin' about reality.

I mean, if you want a happy ending,

you should go see a Hollywood movie.

Come on, darling.

Let's think about going home, huh?

Nice talkin' to you. Good luck.

Miriam, we're gonna make a wedding

like this for Sharon. And I can't wait.

She'll be radiant.

- You're looking very handsome tonight.

- And you look beautiful.

We are all faced throughout

our lives with agonising decisions.

Moral choices.

Some are on a grand scale.

Most of these choices

are on lesser points.

But we define ourselves

by the choices we have made.

We are, in fact,

the sum total of our choices.

Events unfold so unpredictably,

so unfairly.

Human happiness does not

seem to have been included

in the design of creation.

It is only we, with our capacity to love,

that give meaning

to the indifferent universe.

And yet, most human beings seem

to have the ability to keep trying,

and even to find joy,

from simple things,

like their family,

their work,

and from the hope that future

generations might understand more.

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