Movie Analysis: Crimes and Misdemeanors

“Crimes and Misdemeanors”
1. Judah Rosenthal would answer the second formation of the ontological question by stating that human beings are programmed to be moral or immoral by outside influences. In the scene in which Judah drives to the house that he grew up in, Judah walks through the house and goes through a sudden flashback of a Seder gathering with his entire family at the dinner table. At the table, his mother and father argue about the existence of a moral structure. Judah’s father says that he who commits a crime will be punished by God, but Judah’s mother does not believe in a moral structure and states that if someone can get away with a crime and not feel the ethics, they are free. Judah would believe that humans are nurtured by outside influences because he is a combination of the beliefs of both of his parents. Judah is the byproduct of his mother and father, for he sees a moral structure yet he feels free of his crime with time. Cliff would answer the first formation of the ontological question by stating that ethics are culturally conditioned and changing. In the scene in which Cliff is walking with his niece, Cliff describes how he is in love with Hallie and wants to make a move. Cliff states that the only issue is the ethical dilemma involving being married to his wife. Cliff would say that ethics are culturally conditioned and changing because Cliff may not generally or usually condone love affairs or adultery, yet at the current moment he feels that cheating on his wife with Hallie is acceptable and necessary. Cliff believes that due to the fact that his marriage with his wife is failing and not going well, loving Hallie is somehow what he needs to do. This would prove that ethics can change depending on the context or situation in which a person is immersed, in this case Cliff’s love life and marriage. Dolores would address the second formation of the ontological question by answering that human beings are inherently moral creatures. In