Raskolnikov shows his ambiguous morality with almost everything he does. Prior to murdering the pawnbroker and her sister, he thought he would be able to keep it together and stay calm. Right after, and even while committing the murder, he starts to become paranoid and restless. Throughout the novel, Raskolnikov goes through phases where he switches from being in a conscious state, into a state of unconsciousness. Raskolnikov is also a very forgetful person, but also tends to overthink things, which contrasts and could/does make him paranoid about his crimes and the thought of others finding out. He eventually becomes so paranoid, that with the addition of his own guilt, he finds himself about to confess to his crime, but also does not want …show more content…
There have also been multiple instances in which he has made impulsive decisions, but then starts to question himself. For example, when giving out money, Raskolnikov gives up money without a second thought, but then starts to question himself and even regret it. This is also seen with the murders. Raskolnikov was set on murdering the pawnbroker, but later starts to question his decisions and regrets it. These actions show his moral ambiguity, as he often starts to do something that fit within his own moral intentions, but ends up hurting more than helping. This can be seen when Raskolnikov was planning on leaving/abandoning his family. Raskolnikov’s morality said it was the right thing to do, but his family was hurt, especially since it came out of the blue and there was no explanation behind it. Even when planning to kill the pawnbroker, Raskolnikov’s ultimate goal was not to kill, but to take her money, for his own personal gain. While most would find this bad, Raskolnikov did not commit the crime to necessarily hurt someone, but to benefit himself, which shows he believes what he did was neither fully moral nor
Raskolnikov is a man who believes that he is above morality, and that he can justify committing murder based on his own moral beliefs. He believes that the ends justify the means, and that the murder of the pawnbroker will ultimately lead to a greater good. However, as the novel progresses, Raskolnikov's guilt and conscience begin to catch up with him, leading him to become increasingly morally corrupt. He becomes paranoid and isolated, consumed by his own guilt and fear of being caught. The novel illustrates the destructive effects of moral corruption, as Raskolnikov's actions lead to his downfall.
He also has shown self-doubt. He starts to get through the prison and gets distraught about what
This conflagration of emotions ignites a strong incentive for his dissonance to faith, all while he reluctantly refuses to completely give up a large portion of his identity. Shortly after witnessing the cruelty
Raskolnikov 's first attempt was telling Zametov. Yet once Raskolnikov remembers the implications of this action, he claims his accurate confession was a hypothetical situation. This also occurs when Raskolnikov tries to tell Sonya, he says “But if I come tomorrow, I’ll tell you who killed Lizaveta. Good-bye!” (Dostoevsky
Before he had isolated himself by choice, but now it’s as if he doesn’t have an option anymore. Raskolnikov has done something so wrong that he no longer feels like a member of humanity, which is why he specifies a “human word”. Raskolnikov’s guilt comes from the need to rejoin society. That is why his guilt fluctuates so much, but becomes much worse when his rationale for the murder is put into question. In part 3 chapter 6, Raskolnikov has a dream, in which he tries to kill Alyona but fails and she laughs at him.
After committing his crime, Raskolnikov instantly feels “horror and loathing of what he had done… He … [does not go] to the box or even into the room for anything,” (Dostoevsky, 108) instead Raskolnikov immediately begins to, “[wash] his hands and the axe” (109). This presents his mental suffering through his immediate reaction of guilt. As Raskolnikov physically washes his “axe with the blade in the water, and his hands in the bucket …” (109) he is metaphorically cleansing himself from his sin as if participating in a baptism. This presents Raskolnikov’s immediate suffering for his crime as he seems very eager to remove all traces of the blood.
Raskolnikov 's act of violence is what causes him to go insane, impacts the lives of the people around him, and finally violence is Raskolnikov’s way of proving himself as an above-average individual. Dostoyevsky used violence to change the course of not only Raskolnikov’s life but also the lives of the people around him. The story shows how one man 's image of himself as a higher being can cause him to commit violent acts, which impact everyone around
However, he finally acknowledged his fault and wanted to judge himself as a criminal. Reader can know he has conflict with himself. He was a person who wanted to be a good man, but his fear stimulated his violence.
“What he came for, specifically is to snatch sergei’s fish, to steal it away . Before the mind of Sergei Goralick really understands what it is his body has done, he seems to have taken the burner off of the stove and hit the boy in the head.” () This statement alludes to us that he is not a patient person. He judges automatically thinking that he knows what he is gonna do but in that case, he is incorrect.
The first of the dreams happen as a young boy is walking down the street. Raskolnikov’s first dream is about a young boy is who is walking with his father and drunken man and a horse. This man is beating his horse because he cannot pull a cart that is overloaded and too heavy. This dream is used to foreshadow the murder of the pawn broker, Alyona Ivanova.
Raskolnikov is a very intelligent, prideful man, So much so that the very thought of leaving his house in tattered clothes made him anxious. Raskolnikov also refuses to go to his tutoring job because of this. despite these facts, Raskolnikov has little care for the people and the world around him believing himself to be above them because of his intelligence.
Dostoevsky repeatedly refers to Raskolnikov’s apartment as a closet or other such small enclosure. As others learn of his crime, and guilt closes in on Raskolnikov’s conscience, his dwelling shrinks in proportion. For example, after Dunya receives a letter from Svidrigailov, Raskolnikov becomes paranoid that she
Crime and Punishment follows Raskolnikov, a peasant, and his psyche as he navigates life the following weeks after murdering two women. With the struggles faced every day in mid-nineteenth century St. Petersburg Russia, those hardships would inevitably seep into Crime and Punishment to shape the characters' lives. Dostoyevsky utilized aspects from everyday life in mid-nineteenth-century Russia to shape Raskolnikov and his setting in a way that would further the themes of insanity and suffering. Throughout Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov went to hardly any places though one he was at often was his home.
He strikingly uncovers his convictions about governmental issues through the primary character's activities. The message of the story spins around the wide thought of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is an idea in light of helping out more joy as opposed to individual or restricted bliss. Raskolnikov carrying out his killings mirrors this view by him trusting that his wrongdoing would be better for the world, “A hundred thousand good deeds could be done and helped, on that old women’s money…Kill her, take her money and with the help of it devote oneself to the service of humanity and the good
Raskolnikov’s accumulating debt owed to his landlord prevents him from moving outside of Saint Petersburg and causes massive emotional damage. Each time he leaves his apartment, he fears seeing his landlady, The stress and anxiety arising from the debt he owes to his landlord causes him to become unruly and he had, “fallen into a state of nervous depression akin to hypochondria,” feeding into his detachment from society. Not only does Raskolnikov’s living situation seem grim, but his room itself furthers his emotional detachment from society. Raskolnikov’s room allows him to dehumanize himself.