Raskolnikov's Dreams

Raskolnikov’s room represents the cramped suffocating feelings he has, trapping him within his own thoughts. When the apartment is first introduced in the novel, Raskolnikov “w[akes] up bilious, irritable, and angry, and look[s] with hatred at his little room… with yellow dusty wallpaper coming off the walls everywhere, and with such a low ceiling that a man of any height at all felt creepy in it” (28). The first obvious impact on Raskolnikov’s mental state is the fact that he wakes up angry at his room, showing a direct correlation between his emotions and his home. The second impact on Raskolnikov is shown through the low ceilings of his apartment. The low ceilings of his home force him to feel “creepy,” a word with negative connotations implying something sinister, alluding to Raskolnikov’s murderous intentions. In the same scene in the novel, Raskolnikov was described as having “withdrawn from everyone, like a turtle into its shell, and even the face of the maid who had the task of serving him, and who peeked into his room occasionally, drove him into bile and convulsions” (28). Raskolnikov’s behavior is described with a simile, regarding a turtle hiding in its shell, implying that he is an animalistic and weak natured person who wants to isolate himself. Raskolnikov also has a maid, who takes care of him yet he shuns her as he

That is also the reason as to why he doesn’t rape Dounia and lets her leave because he cares for her. And so, when he has a dream about an innocent child that turns into a prostitute, it’s alarming for him when realizes that every good thing he touches is destroyed because he realizes that he isn’t capable of being redeemed. His actions have led him on a road where he doesn’t believe he’s capable of redemption and is the reason why “Svidrigailov [pulls] the trigger” because that’s the only way to escape for him (487). His dreams that he has had of his wife Martha, coming to him after her death, don’t have the same affect on him as Rask’s dreams do because he feels nothing for the woman that was his wife for several years. He doesn’t feel remorse or believe what he did was wrong.

    The confusion in Raskolnikov’s soul is best seen when he tries to help a girl in the street who has been raped and left to the whims of whoever may

In this quote, Raskolnikov wakes up from his illness, and realized that he is really confused about his reality . He has forgotten what we might assume the things that he would rather forget. Raskolnikov wants to see life clearly but everything is so confusing that he can't at that moment. But in this passage, we see that forgetting is actually causing him pain and suffering.

First, let me introduce you to the main character himself otherwise known as the murderer in this story. Raskolnikov is the main protagonist of the novel, making the story in his point of view. He is very alienated from society due to his

Although, Raskolnikov tries to hold on to his morality, he starts to develop a concept of Ubermensch in his mind. Raskolnikov justifies his future actions by many reasonings. Not only would the death of the pawnbroker bring him wealth but everyone would benefit from her death. In this quote, Raskolnikov overhears this conversation about wanting the pawnbrokers. This further convinced Raskolnikov that everyone including him would appreciate her death. Additionally, Raskolnikov explained the theory of Ubermensch. The concept of a individual being extraordinary by having the possibility to go above the law without guilt. He wanted to test this concept to see if he is an ubermensch. Raskolnikov character shows in the novel the wrong and insufition

In Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky introduces Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov. In the opening of this novel, Dostoevsky has his main character commit two brutal murders. As the novel progresses, Raskolnikov deals with the aftermath of his actions. Dostoevsky uses dream symbolism to develop the idea of guilt in Raskolnikov and to show that everyone eventually feels guilt. There are four dreams that uncover the motive, explanation, and aftermath of why Raskolnikov killed these two women.

Raskolnikov struggles with guilt following his killing of Ivanovna; one half of him finds his guilt unjustified and believes that he had a right to kill her, while another half of him feels that he sinned by his killing and therefore must redeem his conscious. Throughout the course of the dream, Mikolka constantly justifies his killing of the mare by stating “[the mare is] my goods,”

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.

Even when Raskolnikov was asleep he received painful messages of others who were suffering, just as he was. In one particular instance, before the double-murder, Raskolnikov is brought back to the poverty he suffered throughout his childhood. He once again feels a great empathy toward the suffered, but this time

After the dream Raskolnikov decides not to kill Alyona, and immediately feels better because the decision is in keeping with his naturally compassionate

If one takes the dream and extends the concept of the mare to represent the different women in Raskolnikov’s life, it is clear how the dream reveals to the reader the workings of Raskolnikov’s superego––his good conscience, if you must. While on the exterior, Raskolnikov entertains the idea of being an extraordinary man––granting himself the ability to kill and purge–subconsciously, Raskolnikov is revealed throughout the novel to have a (unwilling) sense of justice and fairness. This is emphasized most when, in his dream, the young Raskolnikov rushes out to help the mare without caring about his own well-being. Our more mature protagonist, whether out of a sense of duty or righteousness, follows this same impetuous train of thought throughout the novel––specifically in how he helps the women in his life. Take, for example, Raskolnikov’s actions whenever Marmeladov is killed. In the same way he rushes after the mare without thought to his own welfare, Raskolnikov gives his last bit of money to the Marmeladov family, despite the fact that it is all he has. This underlying sense of duty and desire to help provides a marked departure from his more animalistic wish to be extraordinary and kill. In his dream, we can take the young Raskolnikov to

The title of Feodor Dostoevsky’s work, Crime and Punishment, leads the mind to think that the book will focus on a great punishment set by enforcers of the law that a criminal will have to endure, but the book does not really focus on any physical repercussions of the crimes of the main character, Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov.

In his dream, Raskolnikov realizes that his assumption of ‘extraordinary' men is imperfect; and that there are severe costs to these ‘extraordinary' men being able to commit crimes and break the laws that everyone else abides by.

Raskolnikov lives an ordinary life as an ordinary man. He is a good man and has a good heart, but he soon commits a crime that will forever change his life. Raskolnikov is a good man; I believe he is kind, generous, and selfless. Now, how are all of these positive traits found in a murderer? I think was caught in a psychotic moment, his mental state was not all there, and he had a dream, he made a plan, and he committed this terrible crime. A good example of Raskolnikov being a kind hearted person, and selfless is when he sees a young girl at the end of the street, he sees by her a rough looking man staring at her. He starts to get very worried what this man might do to this young girl. He goes down the street to get this young girl, and he pays for a taxi to get her home. This was so generous, and small yet so impactful. Raskolnikov cared about what might happen to this young girl, and did something about it. This showed how selfless Raskolnikov is, and what a kind heart he has. I think this shows Raskolnikov’s true character. From here, he makes some terrible decisions, and is engulfed by guilt, but I believe he is a generous, kindhearted person. In this book, Crime And Punishment, Raskolnikov goes from being an ordinary man with an ordinary life to a murderer, tortured by guilt, haunted by the memory of his crime, and him finding himself again in society after the murders.