Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov

Raskolnikov confesses his crime to her, and through a very slow process is on the way to confessing his crime once and for all. Yet, even upon his occurring it is clear that Raskolnikov partially did it as a matter of practicality based on the influence of the case’s investigator, Porphyry. It is only through Sonia’s unflinching love for Raskolnikov that he is eventually transformed to love God and realize that this is the only true

In the novel “Crime and Punishment”, the author, Fyodor Dostoevsky gives the reader a glimpse into the mind of a tormented criminal, by his guilt of a murder. Dostoevsky’s main focal point of the novel doesn’t lie within the crime nor the punishment but within the self-conflicting battle of a man and his guilty conscience. The author portrays tone by mood manipulation and with the use of descriptive diction to better express his perspective in the story, bringing the reader into the mind of the murderer.

In Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, the character of Raskolnikov is one who may be considered evil or immoral for his actions, however his portrayal by the author is one that instills sympathy in the reader for the character due to his motives and personal, internal consequences he suffers for his crime of murder. There is considerable evidence supporting the view that Raskolnikov wants his theory surrounding the murder to be proven wrong, to get caught, and to be punished. This tells the reader that deep

Crime and Punishment, written by Fyodor Dostoevsky, is the story of Raskolnikov a young man who decides to commit multiple murders. In turn he is eventually found guilty and punished for his actions. Dostoevsky uses the immensity of Raskolnikov’s guilt to show the inevitability of morality.

Individuals have different ways in responding to hardships based on the principles they live by. In Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky explores contrasting ways of response to adversity. In the novel, there are those who don’t commit crimes while facing the hardships of life, like Sonia, Lizaveta, and Mikolka. Those like Raskolnikov, however, try to change the elements of life that provide challenges by taking drastic measures to modify society and life: by murdering an opportunist pawnbroker in his case. When reading Crime and Punishment, one can see that the difference in one’s response to suffering depends on whether or not violence is used. While Raskolnikov uses violence to change his circumstances, other characters respond to the same challenges of life in a way that does not generate violence. Approach to suffering is strictly rooted in the contrasting principles that the characters in the novel posses. Sonia, Lizaveta, and Mikolka’s way of life contradicts the principles that Raskolnikov lives by. Raskolnikov, in contrast, views himself as a Napoleonic figure, which takes his fate in his own hands in the beginning of the novel. By presenting these two opposing sides, Dostoevsky shows those who “step over” the laws to bring change into society and those who don’t. Raskolnikov establishes himself as a person who has new ideas.

Every person can have contrasting personalities, and the range in personalities can cause people to respond differently to situations they face in their lives. This is no exception in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, as Dostoyevsky brings forth Raskolnikov, the protagonist’s conflicting personalities through his reaction to events he witnesses. Dostoyevsky highlights Raskolnikov’s selfish nature through his reaction to his mother’s letter, but also illuminates Raskolnikov’s indecisive nature, as he constantly struggles with deciding between what is right or wrong.

In Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, Dmitri is wrongfully accused and then convicted of murdering his father. Dmitri arrives in this situation because he was at his father’s house the night of the murder. Dmitri says himself that if it weren’t for the Griggory seeing him, he would have killed his father. He wanted to kill his father, but he didn’t. Because all the facts and evidence line up against him Dmitri must fight a losing battle in terms of finding justice through the legal system. However, through his process of integration he faces three torments which force him to see himself better and then to see himself as a part of humanity. Zosima’s philosophy of active love and God’s mercy show that the only way to truly reform a criminal is to “acknowledge one’s own conscience” (64). Zosima advises that one “go at once and seek torments for yourself… Take these torments upon yourself and

Throughout Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment, many different biblical themes and allusions are represented and left open to the reader’s interpretation. Each theme can be seen as very contradictory, but they each share the common ground that religion means something different to everyone.

Next, in Crime and Punishment, the main character Raskolnikov alienates himself before and after he murders the old pawnbroker Alyona Ivanovna and her sister Lizaveta Ivanovna. Before the murder, the book, states “(Raskolnikov) kept aloof from everyone… he was very poor, and there was sort of a haughty pride and reserve about him… he seemed to look down upon(his comrades) as children, as though he was superior in development, knowledge, and convictions, as though

This ambivalence of meanings and moral principles emerges in particular during the many conversations and confronts that the protagonist has. Wasiolek, for instance, analyses Raskolnikov confession to Sonia and notices how the narrator states that Raskolnikov commits the crime " for himself only," implying that the protagonist feels superior to the social conception of wrong and right, and acts because as a free man he has the power to, even if that means killing two people. Under such prospective Raskolnikov seems "indifferent to the fate of other," but the reader knows that this is no true. As a matter of fact, the protagonist manages to help Marmeladov's family after his death, he refuses his sister engagement to Luzhin for a matter of principle and he helps a young woman

My understanding of the significance of cultural influence on Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment was deepened through the oral discussion. Much of the discussion focused on the role of Dostoyevsky’s choice of time and place and style of writing. The time and place Dostoyevsky sets this novel is important to take into account as, I learned through the discussion, it is heavily connected with why Raskolnikov wanted to murder Alyona Ivonka. The oral discussion also elaborated on the literary techniques Dostoyevsky uses to bring Raskolnikov's character to life, because it would be impossible to completely comprehend Raskolnikov’s transformation after the murder if it was not for his detailed descriptions. We also found it very interesting of how much of a connection does the detailed description relate with Dostoyevsky’s own life.

Similar to the story of “Queen of Spades” by Pushkin, in the story of Crime and Punishment each of the characters’ name also has a deeper meaning behind them. Raskolnikov, for example, means a split, a break, or fragment; Sonya means wisdom. In the story, Dostoevsky implement the meaning behind their names as a description for each characters—in the case of Raskolnikov, he has two separate side and Sonya becomes the angel whom capable of helping many people. This Raskolnikov’s character duality leaves an impression that the act that Raskolnikov did—the murder—feels as if it wasn’t cause by the true Raskolnikov; instead, it was the other Raskolnikov who murder Alyona Ivanovna, the pawnbroker.

In the end, Dmitri Karamazov is not guilty and Smerdyakov confesses his crime right before taking his own life. Dostoevsky illustrates grace in the novel through Father

In an effort to perturb Zametov, Raskolnikov’s character falters and his laughter serves to dissolve the tension. However, on the verge of a confession, Raskolnikov does not know what he wants to gain from the conversation. Instead of relieving the situation, Raskolnikov 's erratic behavior garners greater suspicion. His failure to relieve the tension parallels his failure to vindicate himself. Unaware of his transparent behavior,

Proud, aloof, and scornful of humanity, at the beginning of the novel Raskolnikov has become obsessed with the idea that he is a “superman” and is therefore not subjected to the laws that govern ordinary humans. He has not only published an essay, he also tries to prove this theory, by killing an old pawnbroker, whom he regards as worthless. However, the murder goes horribly wrong: he also kills the old woman’s simple-minded innocent sister (Lizaveta), who stumbles upon the scene of the crime. So ironically, the crime fails to confirm Raskolnikov’s cool superiority. Tormented by feelings of guilt, he acts erratically, and he fears that his guilt will be obvious to others. Much of the novel centers on Raskolnikov’s irrational state of mind and the eccentric behavior that follows from this. On several occasions he comes close to boasting that he could have committed the crime, and dares others to prove that he did it. He insults his friend Razumihkin and deliberately offends his mother and sister. However, he also acts in ways that show he still has a moral conscience. For example, he defends his sister against her scheming fiancé Luzhin. He gives money to Marmeladov’s widow Katerina Ivanovna. He recoils in horror from the depraved Svidrigailov. Most significantly of all, he is drawn to the