| Contents > Conveying the Existentialist World: A Goth Perspective by Heather Simmonds |
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Crime and Punishment (1866) is a novel set in 19th Century Russia, about a young man by the name of Raskolnikov, a university student who, at the time of the narrative, has abandoned his studies due to excessive poverty. Growing tired of pawning what items he still owns to an old woman, and having become convinced that society would be better without people like her, he plans and carries out the murder of the pawnbroker, and her sister. Raskolnikov had pre-empted the murder, putting much thought into his reasoning behind such an act. It is revealed later in the book that, during his time at university, Raskolnikov had written and published a paper. Raskolnikov’s paper was essentially regarding the ethics of murder for the sake of the greater good of society, and that some individuals are, in a way, beyond the ordinary morals by which we are normally bound. This ties into the idea of freedom of responsibility, by which Raskolnikov is able to justify his decision to carry out the murder. The subsequent anxiety that he experiences is, in part, a result of this.
Like many of Nick Cave’s songs, Deep in the Woods (1983) is a narrative, and also, like many of Nick Cave’s songs, it is about murder. 3 To summarise the story, it would seem that the protagonist – whom we shall speak of as Cave, for convenience – has murdered his lover and disposed her body in a ditch, somewhere in the woods. The opening lines of the third verse are as follows:
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Now the killed waits for the killer
And the trees all nod their heads, they are agreed
Considering the notable influence of Dostsoyevsky’s writing on Nick Cave’s work, 4 these lyrics could be read as comparable to Raskolnikov’s problem in Crime and Punishment (1866). Although careful to commit his murder without being caught, Raskolnikov is left with the constant doubt and fear that maybe his actions have not gone unnoticed; maybe someone did see, and maybe he will ultimately get caught and have to face his punishment. Likewise, as the killed waits for the killer, Cave fears that it is only a matter of time before he, too, must face his retribution. The final verse of Deep in the Woods begins with:
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Love is for fools and all fools are lovers
It’s raining on my house and none of the others
Here, Cave is having to come to terms with his guilt. Like the anxiety which plagues Raskolnikov’s thoughts in Crime and Punishment (1866), the rain over Cave’s house and none of the others, conveys the same feelings. He is alone, and with complete freedom from ethics and morals, he struggles to rationalise his actions and whether he is in fact inherently better than anyone else. He must figure out on his own if really does hold the power to make such a decision without having to accept the consequences that ordinary people are forced to contend with.
On the other side of the world, The Cure, instrumental in the development of Goth as a genre, formed in the UK in 1976 under the name “The Easy Cure” (Brothers, n.d.). By 1978 they had shortened their name to “The Cure” (ibid.), and released their first single. Although they began with the intent of playing Punk music, their early sound would best be described as Post Punk, and before long they became heavily associated with Goth and other prominent Post Punk/Goth bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees.
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| Contents > Conveying the Existentialist World: A Goth Perspective by Heather Simmonds |