Raskolnikov Guilt

Improved Essays
Development of Guilt in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment Ideally, when committing a felony, the criminals main concern is not getting caught. In Dostoyevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment, the poverty-stricken, ill man Raskolnikov proves otherwise; it is not the punishment that provokes fear, it is the guilt and psychological instability that will drive the convict to insanity. Set in the late eighteenth century in St. Petersburg, Russia, Raskolnikov is faced with the dilemma of whether or not to murder his pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanova. After convincing himself that he is a “superman”, a man who is so exceptional that moral law does not apply to him, Raskolnikov murders Alyona and her sister, Elizaveta and spends the rest of the novel facing …show more content…
This concept applies psychologically to Raskolnikov. Before murdering the Ivanova’s, Raskolnikov was doubting himself, “can it be, that I shall really take an axe… No, I couldn’t do it!” (58) But, after “crossing the bridge… He was free from that spell” (58) and knew that he could go through with his crime. After doing so, Raskolnikov is faced with accusations and becomes guilty of his actions. He gets into an argument with one of the policemen, Razumikhin, and storms off to a seemingly tranquil bridge with unpleasant thoughts, as mentioned by the policeman “How could I let him go like that? He might drown himself” (163). Raskolnikov then goes to the Voznesensky Bridge to sort out his thoughts, and “he notice[s] a tall woman… [whom] flung herself into the canal” (164), and as he watches the scene and the reactions of bystanders, he rethinks his dilemma. He says to himself “is it really a way out?” and then momentarily after: “God, what dumb things I think about” (165). The climax of this scene occurs when Raskolnikov sees the result of acting on suicidal thoughts. After seeing the foolishness of the woman’s actions, Raskolnikov realizes that suicide will not solve any of his problems and he changes his mind. He uses the bridge to his mental advantage, because when crossing it, his thoughts are neither where they started nor have changed yet. However, when stepping off …show more content…
When Raskolnikov is in the state of dreaming, the scenes displayed in his mind unravel his guilt. He says that “in pathological states dreams are often distinguished by an uncommon vividness and sharpness of focus by an extraordinary conjunction with reality” (52), meaning that his dreams are based off of his life, and they will affect his daily thoughts. Before murdering the sisters, Raskolnikov “dreamed a terrible dream” (52) about his childhood. In this dream, he is distraught watching a man named Mikolka harm a horse. He screams out “what’s wrong with you Mikolka?… it breaks my heart [to see this]” (53-54). This dream signifies the two sides of Raskolnikov: the violent one capable of murder, and the guilty one, upset even before the felony has been committed. Slightly after the crime, Raskolnikov “looses conciseness” (265) and relives the murdering of the sisters. In his limbo state, “he freed the ax and struck the old woman … [then] his heart shrank … he tried to cry out, and woke up” (267). In this dream, Raskolnikov’s several attempts of immorality fail. Due to this failure, he realizes his actions are wrong and he that is not extraordinary enough to commit a crime without it mattering: his guilt finally catches up to

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Raskolnikov Foil

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In his stirring psychological thriller novel, Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky subtly manifests how one cannot live without the compassion and concern of others. Dostoevsky’s use of Raskolnikov’s closest friend as a foil character balances Raskolnikov’s seemingly incorrigible ways with Razumikhin’s solicitous personality by the contrast shown in Dostoevky’s choice of words, which further validates how Raskolnikov needs a person who is compassionate so that he refrains from committing more heinous crimes. Of the numerous characters in the novel, Dostoevsky exemplified the most contrast between Raskolnikov and his only friend, Razumikhin. This serves as a way to define Raskolnikov’s blasphemous personality. It is reasonable that Dostoevsky established Razumikhin as the foil character because he spends the most time with Raskolnikov throughout the novel.…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While trying to find a way to escort the young girl back to safety, Raskolnikov has a sudden realization that said to have brought complete ‘revulsion’ over him. This word is used to describe his awareness that the sacrifice of his twenty kopecks would benefit no one except for the policeman who, in Raskolnikov’s words, will later take more money to turn a blind eye towards this crime. The word ‘revulsion’ implies loathing and repulsion, which portrays Raskolnikov’s disgust towards this demoralization. Dostoevsky also uses the word ‘wretched’ to depict the state of agony he’s come to, all because of his futile sacrifices and inability to help the girl. He soon pities the girl and envisions her ill-fated end.…

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When Razumikhin states, “he’s not hypochondriac at all, but just inhumanely cold and callous, as if there really were two opposite characters in him” it is quite evident that even though Raskolnikov is incessantly undermined by his own self hate, he is attempting to attain some sense of morality. Hence, since Raskolnikov’s own kins were shocked when Razumikhin asserted this statement to them, it is evident that Raskolnikov’s seemingly split personality and indecision were the effects of him having committed the murder, and the decision of whether to confess or not came as a result. Thus, this is one of the many instances in the novel that corroborates the belief that Raskolnikov is a crucial morally ambiguous character in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Raskolnikov on the other hand murders two women in attempt to become a Napoleon, not to gain more money. Sonya expresses innocence by accepting her sins and asking God for forgiveness. Sonya concludes that if she believes in God, she is not considered a prostitute in his eyes. Raskolnikov displays guilt from…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Drunks Raskolnikov

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Raskolnikov, whose name is fittingly translated as “schism”, alienates himself from his family, his friends, and most of society. He wallows in the chaos of his mind, and premeditates his crime, and in his overconfidence, transcends moral acceptability for societal good, considering the murders of the dishonest pawnbroker, Ms. Ivanovna, and her sister his duty in order to better the decrepit society in which he lives, as a form of “survival of the fittest” and to “guide and correct nature.” After murdering Alyona and Lizaveta, he takes their money, but later decides against using it, thinking it to be blood money. This can be seen as an allusion to Judas’ betrayal and the incredibly prominent religion of Christianity that permeates much of…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    One side of Raskolnikov is warm and compassionate while another side of him is cold, unfeeling, and self-willed. Raskolnikov’s moral ambiguity is a vital role in the novel because Dostoevsky uses Raskolnikov to make the readers question the validity of a black and white world. Raskolnikov is caught between two contradicting situations. On one hand he is warm and compassionate, like in the second chapter of Part 1 Raskolnikov leaves money for Marmeladov and his family since one of his kids is selling herself to bring money in for the family while the other kids are going hungry because Marmeladov drinks their money away. On pages 45-47, while Raskolnikov is walking in town he comes across a fairly young but drunk girl.…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Superman Does Not Dream

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Superman does not Dream In Part 3 of Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Raskolnikov once again wrestles with his emotions after his murder of Alyona and constant evasion of the police. The police just found a piece of Raskolnikov's writing from about two month before. He describes his belief for the need of some great being to be above the law, in order to make their society more safe. Once reminded of his old writing, Raskolnikov begins to wrestle with himself whether he truly could consider himself the superman.…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Dreams are the agglomeration of the fleeting flight of hidden hopes and horrors that a person experiences. Therefore, dreams are the looking glass with which we can glimpse a person’s inner character and the reason why they act as they do. In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment, the author emphasizes how dreams mirror reality by accentuating within the characters their subconscious guilt and fears, by providing insight into the hidden underscoring concept of the character during their times of emotional distress, and by presenting the revelations provided within their dreamscape that reveal the internal schism of the characters. In the first dream presented within the novel, Dostoevsky describes the atmosphere from which Rodia Raskolnikov…

    • 1703 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After he commits the crime, he is troubled deeply with his actions and he becomes sick. Raskolnikov is trapped by his conscience, and he isn't able to free himself until he can find meaning in his life. Dostoevsky strives to discredit the theory of a superior being by showing how much it can make one suffer and lead to destruction. I believe it is vital for this theory to be discussed and explored, because there are many layers to it. However in my opinion, interfering with the fate of others is something no one else should have control over.…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Raskolnikov avoids his mother and sister as much as possible and his friend, Razumihin, whose kindness he rejects. He wishes to remain separate from his friend and family and only finds some kind of solace from Sonia, whom he sees as being similar to him. Then again, Sonia is the one inspires him to return to his old-self by confessing to the police his crime. The moment when…

    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The first dream illustrates his id being a young boy and his wishful impulse to act on the murder. In the second, it showcased the ego to avoid’s pain and responsibility of the crime. Then in the last dream, it showcased the superego where Alyona played a monumental role in controlling Raskolnikov's impulsive conscience. In the novel Crime and Punishment, The Psychoanalytic Theory is illustrated throughout Raskolnikov's dreams such as the suffering horse, Petrovich beating the landlady, and when Raskolnikov attempts to murder…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Following the logic of the Underground man, “a man takes revenge because…he’s found a primary cause, a foundation, namely, justice,” which suggests that, for Raskolnikov, the calculated nature of the murder is one that cycles through reason and logic (Dostoevsky 13). Furthermore, according to the young student the murder is “simple arithmetic” (Dostoevsky 56). It is as though Raskolnikov is trying to suppress the will of his Dionysian side, through the formulaic murder, however, with the unexpected appearance of Lizaveta Ivanovna, he is no longer able to find a logical justification. Unlike the previous murder, his Apollonian side is not “ready to distort the truth intentionally… deny everything…merely to justify his own logic,” and thus his Dionysian side takes control and commits the second murder (Dostoevsky 17). Despite Raskolnikov’s attempts to overcome his multiple consciousnesses, according to both Nietzsche and the Underground Man, it will be impossible for him to do so, as seen when the Underground Man states that “human nature acts as a whole, with all that it contains, consciously and unconsciously” (Dostoevsky…

    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He is a student and is intelligent enough to create his Extraordinary Man theory and write an essay about it which was then published. However, there is a darkness in him , a darkness that caused him to commute a murder of an old woman and her sister. Others of Raskolnikov’s actions throughout the book prove his to be a good man; his concern for his mother and sister, his willingness to marry the daughter of his landlady, his generosity to Katerina Ivanovna, his love for Sonya, etc. In the end, he still committed a murder, and while this one action doesn't define Raskolnikov as a person, it still can suggest a part of his character.…

    • 1030 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    His tumultuous trance throws Raskolnikov into a time of recklessness and foolishness. In a drunken stupor, he encounters a local police clerk in a tavern, and they analyze the murder of the pawnbroker. Raskolnikov proclaims the murderer to be brave and cunning. This act of recklessness portrays his paranoia and carelessness, a contradiction that aptly explains Raskolnikov. Convinced he will be discovered any moment, Raskolnikov would rather muddy the waters of the investigation by questioning the unknown murderer’s identity.…

    • 1177 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Raskolnikov places himself on a pedestal, equating his power and prominence with Napoleon, someone who he believes is “capable of evolving something new” and has “never hesitated to shed blood” in this pursuit. (Dostoevsky, p. 220). He rationalizes his crime by claiming that he is like Napoleon, one of the extraordinary men who “in virtue of their innate power” are “criminals”. (Dostoevsky, p. 220). However, one of the most vivid and gruesome scenes in the novel, Raskolnikov’s dream involving the slaughter of an innocent mare, demonstrates that Raskolnikov has fallen short of this ideal.…

    • 1601 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays