Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov

     The other two characters of the novel who represent his opposing sides are Sonya Marmeladov and Svidrigailov. Sonya represents the warm side of Raskolnikov. She is a prostitute forced into that field because her father drinks away the money in the family. She is

Mikhail Lermontov’s ‘A Hero of our Time’ is set in the 1840s, a crucial time in Russian history. Pechorin was a revolutionary character in Russian literature due to his cynical and amoral personality that alienates him from all social strata. ‘A Hero of our Time’ generated a large amount of outrage from the public due to Lermontov, claiming Pechorin to be the ‘hero’ of our its time. ’Bela’ is a framed narrative portrayed from the views of an old friend, Maxim Maximych, however, the story told by Maxim Maximych suggests it is an unjust and biased view of our ‘hero’ thus we as readers are to depict the true ‘hero’ Pechorin is. Examining the chapter ‘Bela,’ his actions signify his capability to damage a society, demonstrating him to be the callous and manipulative character he is.

By tying the fear of death embedded into multiple characters with their egotistical qualities, Tolstoy illuminates how selfishness derives from rejecting our inevitable mortality. Choosing to begin the book with Ivan’s funeral, Tolstoy first introduces Ivan’s co-worker Pyotr Ivanovich and juxtaposes his proper external reaction to Ivan’s death to his instinctual internal response. Conforming to accepted social customs, Pyotr roams the funeral offering his condolences and socializing with Ivan’s friends and family, “Praskovya Fyodorovna sighed… and said: ‘I know you were a true friend of Ivan Ilyich’s…’ and looked at him, awaiting a fitting response. Pyotr Ivanovich knew that just as he had to cross himself in there, here he had to press her hand, sigh, and say: ‘I assure you!’ (36).

Debauchery, dueling, infidelity, orgies, and even monastery life are all used to help Fyodor Dostoevesky define his characters in The Brothers Karamazov. At the beginning of the novel, the reader becomes filled with contempt for a few members of the Karamazov family, yet filled with admiration for others. The legitimate members of the Karamasov family each represent a separate aspect of human character, which is applicable to society. In some ways the characters resemble separate factions and cliques of society that most often argue, but together can be productive. This is shown not by direct implication, but rather the reader discovers the fact on their own by becoming infuriated

Furthermore, the author reveals through Shukhov’s actions the determination that mankind experienced in the gulags. Shukhov takes a job, which could normally be considered a gruelling task, and turns it into an act of fortitude. As the sole thing he sees is “the wall in front of him” (97) and he shouts to not “give up yet, boys!” (109), he strongly exemplifies the perseverance of the prisoners. The task that he is given should dishearten him but instead, boosts his morale and thus, his determination. The character of Shukhov is crafted as a glaring example of the resilience men have in a gulag, and this is additionally explored through the characterization of Alyoshka.

From the very beginning, Chekhov exposes his readers to Sasha’s apathetic behavior and establishes that Sasha is beyond all possible redemption. Moreover, Chekhov made it a point to frequently direct attention to Sasha’s indifference through his well-written characterization. Chekhov, in reference to Sasha, revealed, “He felt neither terror, shame, nor depression, but only weariness and inward

Raskolnikov in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment is always striving for the power to be in control of his own life and even sometimes the power of other’s lives. Being able to have the power of a God Complex is something most sociopaths have in common, which includes the main character Raskolnikov.

One of the central characters, Evgeny Vasilevich Bazarov, is introduced as a nihilist, someone who doesn’t believe in anything and is well known to reject everything including existing values and institutions. A reflection of the new generation, Bazarov ideals as a nihilist exaggerates his hypermasculinity. His distaste and objectification towards women along with his desire to dominate and his lack of emotions reveals his hypermasculinity. He is sexually aggressive, active, independent and extremely competitive which further proves his hypermasculine traits. The introduction of Anna Sergeevna Odintsova threatened Bazarov’s nihilistic perspective and his masculinity. Odintsova’s curiosity towards the idea that Bazarov does not believe in anything

Dostoеvsky’s dеscription of thе tragic Karamazov brothеrs and thе murdеr of thеir fathеr provokеs quеstions about God’s sovеrеignty, thе placе of suffеring in our world, human

The ‘superfluous man’ is a character archetype that has been widely used in nineteenth century Russian literature. Such men are cynics who do not abide by the social norms. They are usually of the gentry, well-educated and aware of their character traits which define them as ‘superfluous’. However, they are not capable of or interested in changing themselves. Their actions, such as duelling and participating in romantic intrigues are usually fuelled by boredom, curiosity and apathy for the feelings of others.

The last son of Fyodor Karamazov was a bastard, born from the town’s holy fool. Although it is not entirely known whether Fyodor was the true father of Smerdyakov, he was widely believed to be so. Smerdyakov was raised by Gregory and his wife after his mother died during childbirth and later worked as Fyodor’s personal cook. As a child, Smerdyakov “loved to hang cats and then bury them with great ceremony” (Dostoevsky, 1981). As an adult, he was unsociable, arrogant, and despised everyone. Smerdyakov had no use for religion and suffered from epilepsy from an early age. Despite all of these things, Fyodor considered Smerdyakov to be a completely honest man, whilst the townspeople considered him to be a fool like his mother.

According to the story, Raskolnikov could be depicted as a person who is contradictory to himself. His actions and thoughts could be seen as two different characters. Whenever he thinks about committing the crime, he can be perceived as a character filled with malice. When he is backing away from doing said action, he seems remorseful and guilty. These actions can lead one to believe that he has somewhat of a personality disorder. He portrays two different personalities: these include that of being a criminal, and that of being a regretful man. Raskolnikov is described as a tall, slim, well-built, and handsome young man. The story states that he had brown eyes and brown hair. It is said that besides his

Now that a little background information on the story has been given let’s talk about the characters themselves. First up is Ivan and this is because he is the first person met in the story. Ivan is a barber and he cuts hair for a lot of people and some of which are of high rank. Ivan may shave beards but,”…his is perpetually unshaven.” (Gogol 115). Ivan’s clothes are stained and frayed and they show he isn’t of very high rank or class. He doesn’t dress normal either and what this means he doesn’t wear a dress coat. “Instead he wears an old frock coat that is missing buttons and has strings hanging off of it.” (Gogol 115). These characteristics say a lot about Ivan and how he is grotesque and even his actions are grotesque such as when he puts a pinch of snuff in if someone doesn’t like it or comments about it he rubs it around there face when he shaving them. This says he is unclean or gross but also peculiar and he doesn’t shave even though he does it for a living for other people. The people he cuts hair and shaves for say he stinks. “…Kovalyov the collegiate assessor said, ‘Your hands always stink.’ while being shaved, Ivan Yakovlevich would say: ‘But why should they stink?’ The collegiate assessor used to reply: ‘Don’t ask me, my dear chap. All I know is, they stink.’…” (Gogol 115). This shows what the people think of him when they see or interact with him and that is that he is uncanny or incongruous. Edwards and Graulund

Most protagonists in novels are benevolent and considered the good guy or hero, but they are not real. When a character is written as overtly good, he or she cannot be relatable. But if a character is not wholly good or evil, then they are more human-like than fictional character. A character who embodies both extremes is one who the reader can analyse the scope of humanity through. Raskolnikov from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment is a morally ambiguous character who plays a pivotal role, in order to highlight that there is a duality in human nature that cannot be shown in characters who are purely good or purely evil.

In the novel, “Fathers and Sons”, the character Yevgeny Vasilievich Bazarov is perceived to be a strong headed, and intelligent Nihilist who is not afraid to express his beliefs on anyone that dares to question and challenge him about it. He is first introduced in the story by Arkady as a great friend and gives a nice wrap in the first few chapters of the story; giving his father and himself the title of a doctor, “who had a special capacity for winning the confidence of lower-class people and indeed treated them casually”(15). But the story changes him quite a bit when they reveal what he is, Nihilist, who recognizes, nor respects nothing and “regards everything from (a) critical point of view”(17). Due to this given trait of nihilism, and the way he carries his opinions out to others, I believe the novel plays more against Bazarov rather than for him.