Raskolnikov Guilt

However, Dostoevsky does not hold Raskolnikov completely accountable for the emotional and social defects that lead up to his crime, ultimately outlining his beliefs on how man should be punished. Dostoevsky makes apparent the idea that Raskolnikov at times acts out of his own control, seemingly under the influence of a higher power. Before his murder, he pleads to be stopped by God or any influence, but “in spite of his dread, he was driven into crime, like a mere tool of Fate” (Lavrin 31). He is used by Dostoevsky to make an example and represent all of man at times. During the murder, Dostoevsky describes the event as though Raskolnikov were possessed, “He seemed not to use his own strength in this. But as soon as he had once again brought

As a matter of fact, Raskolnikov dreams about the killing of a horse, which is significant as it foreshadows that Raskolnikov will commit the murder. Foreshadowing is the act of hinting towards a future event in the novel though words, phrases, or events. The killing of the horse foreshadows that Raskolnikov will murder Alyona, a pawnbroker, as he is thinking about death in his dream. In addition to foreshadowing, this dream also highlights Raskolnikov’s feelings towards the murder. Specifically, the actions of Mikolka and seven-year-old Raskolnikov in the dream symbolize Raskolnikov’s conflicting opinions about the murder as he wants to commit the crime but also knows it is wrong. Mikolka and the onlookers all enjoy seeing the horse struggle and die as Mikolka encourages the onlookers to “whip [the horse] on the muzzle [and] on the eyes” (70). This represents Raskolnikov’s evil intentions to murder Alyona, as he shows no sympathy towards her, just like how Mikolka is indifferent to his horse’s age. Moreover, Mikolka shows no remorse after killing his horse, and his emotions parallel Raskolnikov’s arrogance as Raskolnikov only cares about himself and does not worry about the lives of others. However, young Raskolnikov represents the other part of Raskolnikov who does not want to commit the murder, as he believes that he cannot kill Alyona, just like how Raskolnikov asks his father in his dream why Mikolka wants to kill the horse. Moreover, after the horse is dead, Raskolnikov runs up to the horse and kisses it, showing his compassion, and leaves sobbing as “howls escape … from his constricted chest” (73). This quotation uses onomatopoeia, which is a word that imitates a sound. The word howl in the quotation allows the reader to hear

He believes that he is an extraordinary man, and justifies his reasoning to rightfully commit crimes without punishment. To demonstrate the truth of his theory he chooses to murder an elderly pawnbroker, which ends up causing him to murder her half-sister. During his misery that leads to the killing of these two women, Raskolnikov meets a drunken man named Marmeladov. This drunken man shares about his daughter Sonya, a prostitute, working to earn money for their family. Raskolnikov soon forms a stronger more complicated relationship with both Sonya and Dunya and the novel portrays these two leading female characters in similar ways.

The first dream discussed in the book is when Raskolnikov experienced was the horse dream. Raskolnikov dreamed that he was watching Mikolka murder his horse with an axe. “Mikolka stationed himself at the side and belabourned her back at random with the crowbar…The crowd was still shouting” (pg. 50). This dream foreshadowed the actual murder of the pawnbroker; the dream also showed Raskolnikov’s feelings toward the murder. The horse was a symbol for Alëna Ivanovna, the pawnbroker. The two main characters in the dream, Raskolnikov’s younger self and Mikolka symbolize the conflicting feelings Raskolnikov has about committing the murder. While the young boy

Hours before Raskolnikov’s murder of the pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanovna, in Part I of Crime and Punishment, he dreams of a prior episode from his childhood. In this incident, a cruel man, Mikolka, brutally kills a mare (a female horse) because she won’t gallop to his liking. He beats her senseless with many objects: a crowbar, a whip, and even an axe. Young Raskolnikov is horrified at this site, sobbing out of revulsion. This dream serves a larger, symbolic purpose as a representation of Raskolnikov’s killing of the pawnbroker.

While walking on the street, Raskolnikov is enraged by a man who is preying upon a drunken girl. All of the sudden, Raskolnikov has a complete shift in attitude toward the situation and becomes indifferent to what the man does with the girl. In this scene, Dostoevsky uses diction, figurative language and dialogue to convey the complexity of Raskolnikov’s thoughts and feelings. With this insight he provides, Dostoevsky reveals an inner-conflict that Raskolnikov struggles with: his desire to be protective and have good morals, which conflicts with his pessimism and lack of control over his emotions.

Relating the following passage to previous events in the book, a symbolic connection can be made between the murder to Raskolnikov’s nightmare (55-59). Whenever Raskolnikov is out on a walk, he thinks of disturbing circumstances, only to come across something beautiful in his eyes. Horses are generally described to be both majestic and beautiful, which would apply to Raskolnikov’s attraction towards them. Horses are also often used to symbolize freedom and strength, which is what he vaguely hopes for.

Moreover, Raskolnikov endearing plans soon come into effect. Having subconsciously questioned what he believes to be ethically right in his dream, he reaches a state of

Raskolnikov was a man on a mission in this story. Why might I say this because of the way in which he sought out to kill something. The pawnbroker may have been his outlook to kill that thing but by killing her did he really get anywhere. He says that he only killed “a louse, a useless, loathsome,... -a louse”(pg.381) he says this as a way to try and cover up things that he has going on inside him in his real-life. Before he sought to kill he took to himself as a extraordinary

One of Raskolnikov’s crimes is the double murder that he committed as he broke into the pawn

Literally Raskolnikov lives in an extremely small apartment, while figuratively he isolates himself from society, friends and family through a combination of mental and physical obstacles. Although the novel represents Raskolnikov as a fairly isolated person initially, his isolation only worsens thorough his plotting and execution of the murder of the pawnbroker Alyona Ivanovich. After murdering Alyona in Part I, the punishment for his crime begins in Part II. Raskolnikov states, “‘Surely it isn't beginning already! Surely it isn't my punishment coming upon me? It is!’" as he begins to mentally war with the potential consequence of what he has done (Dostoyevsky 74). This realization of his execution of his interpretation of the Ubermensch as not yielding the intended consequences haunts Raskolnikov. He is sent into fevers and illness as a result of his guilt regarding his crime, which further isolate him into his “cell” as he goes into his mind. Raskolnikov thinks and dreams, with many of his dreams symbolizing the realities of his conscience. Unlike Meursault, Raskolnikov reflects upon himself in his isolation throughout the novel. His conscience weighs heavy with the thoughts of his crime. Raskolnikov believes that “‘the old woman was a mistake perhaps, but she is not what matters! The old woman was only an illness...I was in a hurry to overstep...I didn’t mean to kill a human being’” (Dostoyevsky 217). Raskolnikov ponders his actions through the time of the crime to his sentence in Siberia, eventually realizing that he does not embody the Ubermensch he so desperately wanted to become. Raskolnikov only reaches this level of self reflection after following Christianity, a concept rejected by Meursault that leads to his inability to fully recognize his true

There were two salient in the story that caught my attention. The first one being that Raskolnikov over heard the student’s conversation with the officer about “how you could get money from her, how rich she is, and how she could give you over five thousand if you asked (63)” which influenced him to kill the pawn broker. However, throughout this part of the story we realized that Raskolnikov had a clear conscious of what he was doing because in the story he me plotted what he would do and how he would kill Alyona Ivanovna once Lizaveta leaves the store at a certain time.

He becomes mad as the possibility of his being caught comes ever closer, and his behavior becomes erratic at any suggestion of his involvement. In Part 2, it becomes apparent that there are two Raskolnikov’s: one who encourages life, and the other who wants to die. His committal to die becomes apparent in Chapter 6, as he steps out to do something before he goes. However, this split personality that Raskolnikov possesses gets in the way, and he attempts to confess to Zamyotov in a rash decision that confuses himself. He wants to get away from the crime as quickly as possible, but at the same time wants to be discovered so that death can come sooner, and clarity within his soul can be reached.

The dream of the mare being whipped symbolizes gratification and punishment. The dream occurs after Rodion crosses a bridge leading out of the oppressive heat and dust of Petersburg and into the fresh greenness of the islands. This symbolizes a corresponding mental crossing, suggesting that Raskolnikov is returning to a state of clarity when he has the dream. In it, he returns to the innocence of his childhood and watches as a group of peasants beat an old mare to death. After Raskolnikov awakes, he reflects on it as a “such a hideous dream,” the same term he used before to describe his plot to kill the old woman (62). Although he had said how horrible his act was previously in the novel, Raskolnikov never truly feels remorse until this dream.

Raskolnikov’s poverty is part of his motivation for killing the pawnbroker. He believes that her death will be a chance for him to get enough money to resume his education and make progress toward a better life. While his poverty is one of the reasons behind Raskolnikov’s crime, it is not the true cause behind the murders. Ironically, Raskolnikov seems to not care for money as much as he should. Whenever he has it, he is seemingly careless with it.