The image of Raskolnikov in the novel Crime and Punishment. What caused the contradictory behavior of Raskolnikov Raskolnikov causes

Which almost immediately became a household name in Russian literature. This character at the beginning of the novel is faced with a dilemma - is he a superman or an ordinary citizen.

In the novel "Crime and Punishment" Fyodor Dostoevsky guides the reader through all stages of decision-making and repentance after the deed.

Crime and Punishment

The crime theory of Rodion Raskolnikov, with which he tries to solve more global issues, subsequently fails. Dostoevsky in his novel shows not only the issues of evil and good and crime with responsibility. Against the background of moral disagreements and the struggle in the soul of a young man, he shows the everyday life of the Petersburg society of the nineteenth century.

Raskolnikov, whose image literally after the first release of the novel became a household name, suffers from a mismatch of his thoughts and plans with reality. He wrote an article about the elect, who are allowed everything, and is trying to check whether he belongs to the latter.

As we will see later, even hard labor did not change what Raskolnikov thought about himself. The old pawnbroker became for him just a principle that he overstepped.

Thus, in the novel by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, through the prism of the suffering of a former student, many philosophical, moral and ethical issues are revealed.

The beauty of the work lies in the fact that the author shows them not from the point of view of the protagonist's monologues, but in a collision with other characters who act as doubles and antipodes of Rodion Raskolnikov.

Who is Raskolnikov?

Rodion Raskolnikov, whose image is amazingly described by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, was a poor student. Life in St. Petersburg has never been cheap. Therefore, without a permanent income, this young man slides into hopeless poverty.

Rodion was even forced to quit his studies at the university, as there was not enough money for anything. Subsequently, when we deal with the different facets of his personality, we will be convinced that this student lived in a world of illusions for a long time.

So, why did Raskolnikov consider murder the only correct step towards the future? Was it really impossible to go the other way? Next, we will deal with the motives of the act and the situations in life that led to such an idea.

First, let's give a description of Raskolnikov. He was a slender young man at the age of twenty-three. Dostoevsky writes that Rodion's height was above average, his eyes were dark, and his hair color was dark blond. Further, the author says that because of the disaster, the student's clothes looked more like rags, in which an ordinary person would be ashamed to go out into the street.

In the article we will consider what events and meetings led to the crime of Raskolnikov. Writing at school usually requires the disclosure of his image. This information can help you complete this task.

So, in the novel we see that Rodion, having read Western philosophers, is inclined to divide society into two types of people - “trembling creatures” and “having the right”. This is where Nietzsche's idea of ​​the superman is reflected.

At first, he even considers himself to be in the second category, which actually leads to the murder of the old pawnbroker by him. But after this atrocity, Raskolnikov is unable to withstand the burden of the crime. It turns out that the young man originally belonged to ordinary people and was not a superman, to whom everything is permitted.

Criminal prototypes

Literary critics have argued for many years where such a character as Rodion Raskolnikov came from. The image of this person can be traced both in the press reports of that time, in literary works, and in the biographies of famous people.

It turns out that the main character owes his appearance to various people and messages that were known to Fyodor Dostoevsky. Now we will highlight the criminal prototypes of Rodion Raskolnikov.

In the nineteenth century press, three incidents are known that could influence the formation of the storyline of the protagonist of Crime and Punishment.

The first was the crime of a young twenty-seven-year-old clerk described in September 1865 in the newspaper Golos. His name was Chistov Gerasim, and among his acquaintances the young man was considered a schismatic (according to the dictionary, this term in an allegorical sense means a person who goes against generally accepted traditions).

He killed two old servants with an ax in the house of one bourgeois woman, Dubrovina. The cook and the laundress prevented him from robbing the premises. The offender brought out gold and silver items and money that he had stolen from an iron-studded chest. The old women were found in pools of blood.

The atrocity almost coincides with the events of the novel, but Raskolnikov's punishment was a little different.

The second case is known from the second issue of the magazine "Time" for 1861. It outlined the famous "Lacener Trial" that took place in the 1830s. This man was considered a French serial killer, for whom the lives of other people meant absolutely nothing. For Pierre-Francois Lacener, as contemporaries said, it was the same "what to kill a man, what to drink a glass of wine."

After his arrest, he writes memoirs, poems and other works in which he tries to justify his crimes. According to him, he was influenced by the revolutionary idea of ​​"fighting injustice in society", which was inspired by the utopian socialists.

Finally, the last case is connected with an acquaintance of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. A professor of history, a Muscovite, a relative of the merchant Kumanina (the writer's aunt) and the second contender for her inheritance (along with the author of Crime and Punishment).

His last name was Neofitov, and he was detained during the process of issuing false internal loan tickets. It is believed that it was his case that prompted the writer to put the idea of ​​​​instant enrichment into the thoughts of Rodion Raskolnikov.

Historical prototypes

If we talk about famous people who influenced the formation of the image of a young student, then here we will talk more about ideas than about real events or personalities.

Let's get acquainted with the reasoning of the great people who could form the description of Raskolnikov. In addition, all their treatises are viewed on the pages of the novel in the replicas of secondary characters.

So, without a doubt, in the first place is the work of Napoleon Bonaparte. His book The Life of Julius Caesar quickly became a nineteenth-century bestseller. In it, the emperor showed the society the principles of his worldview. The Corsican believed that "supermen" were occasionally born among the general mass of mankind. The main difference between these individuals and others is that they are allowed to violate all norms and laws.

In the novel, we see the reflection of this thought constantly. This is an article by Rodion in the newspaper, and the reflections of some characters. However, Fedor Mikhailovich shows a varied understanding of the meaning of the phrase.

The most cynical version of the realization of an idea by a former student. Who did Raskolnikov kill? An old money-lender. However, Rodion himself sees the event differently in certain parts of the novel. At first, the young man believes that "this is the most insignificant creature" and "by killing one creature, he will help hundreds of lives." Later, the thought is reborn into the fact that the victim was not a person, but a "crushed louse". And at the last stage, the young man comes to the conclusion that he killed his own life.

Svidrigailov and Luzhin also introduced Napoleonic motives into their actions, but they will be discussed later.

In addition to the book of the French emperor, similar ideas were in the works "The only one and his property" and "Murder as one of the fine arts." We see that during the course of the novel, the student is running around with an "idea-passion". But this event is more like a failed experiment.

At the end of the novel, we see that in hard labor Raskolnikov understands the fallacy of behavior. But finally the young man does not part with the idea. This is evident from his thoughts. On the one hand, he laments the ruined youth, on the other, he regrets that he confessed. If he had endured, maybe he would have become a “superman” for himself.

Literary prototypes

The description of Raskolnikov, which can be given to the image of the character, accumulates various thoughts and actions of the heroes of other works. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky examines many social and philosophical problems through the prism of a young man's doubts.

For example, a lonely hero who challenges society exists in most romantic writers. So, Lord Byron creates images of Manfred, Lara and Corsair. In Balzac, we recognize similar features in Rastignac, and in Stendhal, in Julien Sorel.

Considering who Raskolnikov killed, one can draw an analogy with Pushkin's The Queen of Spades. There Hermann tries to acquire wealth at the expense of the old countess. It is noteworthy that Alexander Sergeevich's old woman was called Lizaveta Ivanovna and the young man kills her morally. Dostoevsky went further. Rodion really takes the life of a woman with that name.

In addition, there is a fairly large similarity with the characters of Schiller and Lermontov. The first in The Robbers has Karl Moor, who faces the same ethical issues. And in A Hero of Our Time, Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin is in a similar state of moral experimentation.

Yes, and in other works of Dostoevsky there are similar images. First it was "Notes of the Underground", later - Ivan Karamazov, Versilov and Stavrogin.

Thus, we see that Rodion Raskolnikov combines a opposing society and a realistic character with his environment, origin and plans for the future.

Pulcheria Alexandrovna

Raskolnikov's mother, with her provincial naivete and innocence, sets off the images of the capital's inhabitants. She perceives events more simply, closes her eyes to many things, seems unable to understand. However, at the end of the novel, when her last words break out in her deathbed delirium, we see how wrong her assumptions were. This woman perceived everything, but did not show the whirlpool of passions that raged in her soul.

In the first chapters of the novel, when Rodion Raskolnikov is introduced to us, his mother's letter has a significant impact on his decision. Information that the sister is preparing to "sacrifice herself for the good of her brother" plunges the student into a gloomy mood. He finally affirms himself in the idea of ​​​​killing the old pawnbroker.

Here, the desire to save Dunya from rogues is added to his plans. The loot, according to Raskolnikov, should be enough not to need financial handouts from the future "husband" of the sister. Subsequently, Rodion meets Luzhin and Svidrigailov.

Immediately after the first one came to introduce himself to him, the young man takes him with hostility. Why does Raskolnikov do this? The mother's letter directly says that he is a scoundrel and a rogue. Under Pulcheria Alexandrovna, he developed the idea that the best wife is from a poor family, since she is completely in the power of her husband.

From the same letter, the former student learns about the dirty harassment of the landowner Svidrigailov towards his sister, who worked as their governess.

Since Pulcheria Alexandrovna did not have a husband, Rodya becomes the only support of the family. We see how the mother takes care of him and takes care of him. Despite his rude behavior and unfounded reproaches, the woman seeks to help with all her might. However, she cannot break through the wall that her son has built around himself in an attempt to protect the family from future upheavals.

Dunya

In the novel, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky illustrates various life positions and personal philosophies through the opposition of characters. For example, Dunya and Raskolnikov. The characteristics of brother and sister are similar in many ways. They are outwardly attractive, educated, think independently and are prone to decisive actions.

However, Rodion was crippled by poverty. He lost faith in kindness and sincerity. We see the gradual degradation of his social life. At the beginning of the novel, it is reported that Raskolnikov is a former student, but now he hatches plans to "get rich overnight."

Avdotya Romanovna, his sister, is striving for a better and happy future, but on more realistic positions. She, unlike her brother, does not dream of instant wealth and does not harbor romantic illusions.

The culmination of their opposition is expressed in the readiness to kill. If Raskolnikov succeeds and he goes for it in order to prove his own superiority, then Dunya's situation is completely different. She is ready to take Svidrigailov's life, but only because of self-defense.

We see Raskolnikov's punishment throughout most of the novel. It begins not at hard labor, but immediately after the death of the old woman. Gnawing doubts and worries about the course of the investigation torment the student more than subsequent years in Siberia.
Dunya, having defended her right to freedom, receives a happy life in St. Petersburg as a reward.

Thus, Raskolnikov's sister turns out to be more active than her mother. And her influence on her brother is stronger because they mutually care about each other. He sees a certain outlet in helping her find a soul mate.

Raskolnikov and Marmeladov

Marmeladov and Raskolnikov are in fact the complete opposite. Semyon Zakharovich is a widower, a titular adviser. He is old enough for this rank, but his actions explain this turn of events.

We learn that he shamelessly drinks. Having married Ekaterina Ivanovna with children, Marmeladov moved to the capital. Here the family gradually sinks to the bottom. It comes to the fact that her own daughter goes to the panel to feed her family, while Semyon Zakharovich is "lying around drunk."

But in shaping the image of Raskolnikov, one episode with the participation of this minor character matters. When the young man was returning from the "reconnaissance" of the future crime scene, he ended up in a tavern, where he met Marmeladov.

The key is one phrase from the confession of the latter. He, outlining glaring poverty, says "there are absolutely no barriers." Rodion Romanovich finds himself in the same position in his thoughts. Inaction and gloomy fantasies led him to an extremely distressed situation, from which he saw only one way out.

It turns out that the conversation with the titular adviser is superimposed on the despair that the former student experienced after reading the letter from his mother. This is the dilemma Raskolnikov faces.

The characteristic of Marmeladov and his daughter Sonya, who later becomes a window into the future for Rodion, boils down to the fact that they submitted to fatalism. In the beginning, the young man tries to influence them, to help, to change their lives. However, in the end, he dies under the pressure of guilt and partly accepts the views and life philosophy of Sonya.

Raskolnikov and Luzhin

Luzhin and Raskolnikov are similar in irrepressible vanity and selfishness. However, Pyotr Petrovich is much smaller in soul and more stupid. He considers himself successful, modern and respectable, he says that he created himself. However, in fact it turns out to be just an empty and deceitful careerist.

The first acquaintance with Luzhin takes place in a letter that Rodion receives from his mother. It is from marriage with this "scoundrel" that the young man tries to save his sister, which pushes him to commit a crime.

If we compare these two images, both think they are practically "superhuman". But Rodion Raskolnikov is younger and prone to romantic illusions and maximalism. Pyotr Petrovich, on the contrary, tries to drive everything into the framework of his stupidity and narrow-mindedness (although he considers himself very smart).

The culmination of the confrontation between these heroes takes place in the “rooms”, where the unlucky groom, out of his own greed, settled the bride with her future mother-in-law. Here, in an extremely vile environment, he shows his true face. And the result is a final break with Dunya.

Later, he will try to compromise Sonya by accusing her of stealing. By this, Pyotr Petrovich wanted to prove Rodion's failure in choosing the acquaintances whom he introduces into the family (previously, Raskolnikov introduced Marmeladov's daughter to his mother and sister). However, his nefarious plan fails and he is forced to flee.

Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov

In the novel Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov, whose image is evolving in the course of events, faces his antipodes and doubles.

However, there is no direct resemblance to any character. All heroes act as the opposite of Rodion or have a more developed specific characteristic. So Arkady Ivanovich, as we know from the letter, is inclined to a constant pursuit of pleasure. He does not shy away from murder (this is his only resemblance to the main character).

However, Svidrigailov appears as a character with a dual nature. He seems to be a reasonable person, but he has lost faith in the future. Arkady Ivanovich tries to coerce and blackmail Dunya into becoming his wife, but the girl shoots him twice with a revolver. She failed to get in, but as a result, the landowner loses all hope of the opportunity to start life from scratch. As a result, Svidrigailov commits suicide.

Rodion Raskolnikov sees his possible future in the decision of Arkady Ivanovich. He had already several times gone to look at the river from the bridge, thinking of jumping down. However, Fedor Mikhailovich helps the young man. He gives him hope in the form of Sonya's love. This girl forces a former student to confess to a crime, and then follows him to hard labor.

Thus, in this article, we met with the bright and ambiguous image of Rodion Raskolnikov. In Crime and Punishment, Dostoyevsky dissects the criminal's soul with surgical precision to show the evolution from delusional determination to depression after confronting reality.

A multifaceted romance

Leafing through the first pages of the book, we begin to get acquainted with the image of Raskolnikov in Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. Telling the story of his life, the writer makes us reflect on a number of important questions. It is difficult to determine what type of novel the work of F. M. Dostoevsky belongs to. It raises problems affecting various spheres of human life: social, moral, psychological, family, moral. Rodion Raskolnikov is the center of the novel. It is with him that all the other storylines of the great work of the classic are connected.

The protagonist of the novel

Appearance

The description of Raskolnikov in the novel begins with the first chapter. We meet a young man who is in a painful condition. He is gloomy, thoughtful and withdrawn. Rodion Raskolnikov is a former university student who abandoned his studies at the Faculty of Law. Together with the author, we see the meager furnishings of the room where the young man lives: “It was a tiny cell, six paces long, which had the most miserable appearance.”

We carefully examine the details of worn clothes. Rodion Raskolnikov is in an extremely distressed situation. He does not have money to pay off debts for an apartment, to pay for his studies.

Character traits

The characterization of Raskolnikov in the novel "Crime and Punishment" is given by the author gradually. First, we get acquainted with the portrait of Raskolnikov. “By the way, he was remarkably good-looking, with beautiful dark eyes, dark-haired, taller than average, thin and slender.” Then we begin to understand his character. The young man is smart and educated, proud and independent. The humiliating financial situation in which he found himself makes him gloomy and withdrawn. He hates interacting with people. Any help from a close friend of Dmitry Razumikhin or an elderly mother seems humiliating to him.

Raskolnikov's idea

Exorbitant pride, sick pride and a beggarly state give rise to a certain idea in Raskolnikov's head. The essence of which is to divide people into two categories: ordinary and those with the right. Thinking about his great destiny, “Am I a trembling creature or do I have a right?” The hero prepares for a crime. He believes that by killing the old woman, he will test his ideas, be able to start a new life and make humanity happy.

Crime and Punishment of the Hero

In real life, things turn out differently. Together with the greedy pawnbroker, the wretched Lizoveta perishes, having harmed no one. The robbery failed. Raskolnikov could not bring himself to use the stolen goods. He's disgusted, sick and scared. He understands that in vain he counted on the role of Napoleon. Having crossed the moral line, depriving a person of life, the hero avoids communication with people in every possible way. Rejected and sick, he is on the verge of insanity. Raskolnikov's family, his friend Dmitry Razumikhin, are unsuccessfully trying to understand the state of the young man, to support the unfortunate. A proud young man rejects the care of loved ones and is left alone with his problem. “But why do they love me so if I'm not worth it!

Oh, if I were alone and no one loved me, and I myself would not love anyone! he exclaims.

After a fatal event, the hero forces himself to communicate with strangers. He takes part in the fate of Marmeladov and his family, giving money sent by his mother for the funeral of an official. Saves a young girl from corruption. Noble impulses of the soul are quickly replaced by irritation, annoyance and loneliness. The life of the hero seemed to be divided into two parts: before the murder and after it. He does not feel like a criminal, does not realize his guilt. Most of all, he worries about the fact that he did not pass the test. Rodion is trying to confuse the investigation, to understand whether the smart and cunning investigator Porfiry Petrovich suspects him. Constant pretense, tension and lies deprive him of his strength, devastate his soul. The hero feels that he is doing wrong, but does not want to admit his mistakes and delusions.

Rodion Raskolnikov and Sonya Marmeladova

The rebirth to a new life began after Rodion Raskolnikov met Sonya Marmeladova. The eighteen-year-old girl herself was in extremely distressed condition. Shy, modest by nature, the heroine is forced to live on a yellow ticket in order to give money to her starving family. She constantly suffers insults, humiliation and fear. “She is unrequited,” the author says of her. But this weak creature has a kind heart and a deep faith in God, which helps not only to survive herself, but also to support others. Sonya's love saved Rodion from death. Her pity at first arouses protest and indignation in the proud young man. But it is Sonya who confides his secret and it is from her that he seeks sympathy and support. Exhausted by the struggle with himself, Raskolnikov, on the advice of his girlfriend, admits his guilt and goes to hard labor. He does not believe in God, does not share her beliefs. The idea that happiness and forgiveness must be suffered is incomprehensible to the hero. The patience, care and deep feeling of the girl helped Rodion Raskolnikov turn to God, repent and start living anew.

The main idea of ​​the work of F. M. Dostoevsky

A detailed description of the crime and punishment of Raskolnikov form the basis of the plot of the novel by F. M. Dostoevsky. Punishment begins immediately after the murder is committed. Painful doubts, remorse, a break with loved ones turned out to be much worse than the long years of hard labor. The writer, subjecting Raskolnikov to a deep analysis, tries to warn the reader against misconceptions and mistakes. Deep faith in God, love for one's neighbor, moral principles should become the basic rules in the life of every person.

The analysis of the image of the protagonist of the novel can be used by students of grade 10 in preparation for writing an essay on the topic "The image of Raskolnikov in the novel" Crime and Punishment "".

Artwork test

Philological sciences Literary criticism

Russian literature

Ma Wenying, PhD student, Moscow State University

them. M.V. Lomonosov

THE SPLIT OF RODION RASKOLNIKOV

This article discusses the motive for the split of the hero Rodion Raskolnikov in the novel "Crime and Punishment". The text analyzes three signs of the hero's split: a split in his personality, a split in his morals and a split in his faith, with the help of which the motive for the split of the hero is easier for readers to understand.

Keywords: Rodion Raskolnikov; split; personality; morality; Vera.

The surname Raskolnikov is immediately perceived as "speaking". The root of this word is "split". The verb "split" means "to dismember, break the unity, introducing disagreements into some. Wednesday." The habitual association evokes in the memory of schismatics, a split, that is, it connects the surname with the name of a religious and social movement in Russia in the 17th century. In Ozhegov’s explanatory dictionary, the “schism” has the following explanation: “in Russia since the middle of the 17th century: a religious and social movement directed against the official church, headed by Patriarch Nikon (who changed some rites and texts of liturgical books according to Greek images), and by the end of 17 in. called the Old Believers". And the “schismatic” in the second explanation means “one who brings a split, discord into some kind of organization".

From here we can guess that our hero is an unusual person. He is a schismatic in relation to the people and circumstances of that time. He wants to split something and establish something new, which is right and decent for him. But this does not mean that he goes to extreme measures, because a split is an act of breaking unity, after which the whole often falls apart. Therefore, the hero in the novel is a complex person, possessing versatility in personality and soul. So, his very name - Raskolnikov - indicates a painful split in his personality. The split of the hero's soul into two parts: one part of his soul is disinterested, compassionate and childishly innocent, the other is cold, proud, overflowing with pride and individualism.

As for the split in Raskolnikov, the most typical sign of it is the split in his personality. It must be admitted that Raskolnikov is a strange person, unlike others. Although he has a handsome appearance, he always looks like a weirdo. He is weak and has often teasing monologues about his own impotence, not only because of his febrile illness, but also because of his already frayed nerves. In most cases, he is sad, gloomy, as if he has nothing good in life and everything turns out to be difficult for him. He loses interest in communicating with people, as it is written in the novel: "Raskolnikov was not used to the crowd and, as already mentioned, he fled any society, especially recently." He prefers to live in his own world, and thus he does not want others to enter his hidden world. “He resolutely left everyone, like a turtle in its shell, and even the face of the maid, who was obliged to serve him and looked sometimes into his room, aroused bile and convulsions in him. This happens with some monomaniacs who are too focused on something.

In addition, Raskolnikov has a nervous fever. He is a sensitive, emotional person. It is easy for him to lose his temper in an instant, to begin to feel excitement, irritation and frustration under the influence of something. Sometimes all this is incomprehensible to readers. For example, after he hid the old woman's purse, he went to Razumikhin. On the way to him, thinking that at that moment he was least of all disposed to meet face to face with anyone in the world, Raskolnikov almost choked with anger at himself. And then all the bile was understood in him. “His nervous trembling turned into some kind of feverish; in such heat, he became cold.

However, in Raskolnikov we can see another side. In fact, under the feverish surface lies his true human nature. He is essentially a simple, kind and honest person, full of deep love for ordinary people. He helped his poor university friend with the last of his means. When he died, he went after his old and debilitated father. During the fire, Raskolnikov pulled out two children from one apartment that was already on fire, and was burned at the same time. He sympathizes with such a small person as Marmeladov and his poor family. He gives Katerina the last thirty rubles for Marmeladov's funeral. He protects an unfamiliar prostitute from a bully, treats Sonya not with contempt, but with great pity. He deeply loves his family, does not agree with the wedding of Dunya, who is ready to sacrifice herself and save her family. He strongly hates Luzhin's hypocrisy and fraud, frankly criticizes him and exposes his intrigues, exposes himself to protect his sister. He does all these not for himself, but for others. This also confuses investigator Porfiry Petrovich. Raskolnikov even killed the old woman not for money, but to prove his theories.

This shows that Raskolnikov is not one person, but two: external and internal. It is inhabited by an angel and a demon, good and evil. Vyach. clearly formulates this idea. Ivanov: “... The soul seems to itself unusually multi-stringed and all-encompassing. To all the experiences of someone else's self, she seems to find in herself a corresponding analogy.

The split of the hero is still manifested in the split of his morality. It is with this that the theme of this work begins - “crime and punishment”. In the work, the most key problem is Raskolnikov's attitude to crime, more precisely, his definition of what crime is. Indeed, his definition of crime is identified with his definition of his own morality. By all accounts, murder is an absolutely brutal crime. And this is not allowed by human and social morality. But in the eyes of Raskolnikov, he cannot be judged in the usual way. According to his theory, he divides people into two categories: ordinary and extraordinary. Ordinary people live in obedience and love to be obedient. And extraordinary people have the right to commit a crime, to allow themselves to violate the ancient law and step over at least blood and corpses in order to realize their goal. Taking the example of Newton, Mohammed and Napoleon, he even believes that "the majority of these benefactors and founders of mankind were especially terrible bloodsheders."

This is Raskolnikov's theory, which gives him a theoretical justification for the murder of an old pawnbroker. He does not consider his murder a crime, but rather, some kind of feat that such extraordinary people did, because he killed such an evil person as a louse, which many people hate. He received unexpected confirmation of this in one poor tavern, having heard the words of one student: “on the one hand, a stupid, senseless, insignificant, evil, sick old woman, unnecessary to anyone and, on the contrary, harmful to everyone, ... On the other hand, .. A hundred, a thousand good deeds and undertakings that can be arranged and corrected for the old woman's money, doomed to the monastery! ... - and all this with her money. What do you think, will not one tiny criminal be atoned for by thousands of good deeds? For one life - thousands of lives saved from decay and decay. ...No more than

the life of a louse, a cockroach, and even that is not worth it, because the old woman is harmful. In fact, all these words are the cry of Raskolnikov's heart. This is a split in his morality.

But it should be noted that his soul is embraced by human morality and kindness. This is precisely the reason why he greatly experienced his act, fell into torment of the spirit and experienced inner grief, both before the murder and after that. He hesitates in this matter and thought about it for a long time, even to the point of a fever, because he is on the border between moralism and immorality. He killed the old woman not for money, but to testify to his theory. After that, he would consider that his conscience does not gnaw at him, but in fact he was subjected to the torment of conscience every day. Having received a summons from the office from Nastasya, he felt fear. His legs were trembling, his head was spinning and aching from the heat. In the police, he felt a terrible disorder in everything, afraid to give himself away because of some most petty negligence. All these prove that in fact Raskolnikov really felt guilty despite his unconsciousness. And his morality is just the punishment of his crime. From here one can see the paradox in Raskolnikov's soul: a mixture of moral nature and immoral theory.

The last sign of Raskolnikov's split is the split in his faith, which is the most key religious issue in this work. On this question we must begin with his hatred of reality. Firstly, the city of Petersburg is largely to blame for Raskolnikov's spiritual split. The point is that the influence of St. Petersburg on Raskolnikov: the hero is cut off from the native soil of this city, which is the brainchild of Petrov, imbued with his anti-people and anti-soil spirit with such force that the city itself becomes like a spirit or a ghost, having lost touch with real life. As a result, “the inner world of Raskolnikov, torn away from his native soil, is devoid of integrity, fragmented, split into separate, incompatible, seemingly with each other parts: the ideal and disbelief in the ideal coexist together; longing for world harmony and the cold-blooded reflections of a killer converge in the soul of one person in the most incredible way.

Homework for the lesson

Select material from the novel about Raskolnikov.
Read in advance the article from the textbook about it.
Individual tasks given by the teacher are possible.

Questions for the lesson

• Poison or medicine offered to the world by Raskolnikov?
• Do you want to condemn or justify the hero?
• Who is Raskolnikov?
• How does he differ from previous heroes of literature?
• Portrait and author's characteristics (the latter through the mouth of Razumikhin).
• The idea (theory) of Raskolnikov: was there a righteous goal in it? The problem of ends and means in the novel.
• The role of dreams as an artistic device in the author's reflections on Raskolnikov's idea.
• The problem of "blood according to conscience": Nekrasov and Dostoevsky about it.
• Dostoevsky's refutation of the Napoleonic idea.
• Retelling-commentary of Raskolnikov's theory.

(frame from the movie "Crime and Punishment", 1969)

Exercise

Give a portrait description of the hero and analyze it. Portrait and author's characteristics (the latter through the mouth of Razumikhin).

Answer

Ch. one. “By the way, he was remarkably good-looking, with beautiful dark eyes, dark blond, taller than average, thin and slender ... He was so poorly dressed that another, even a familiar person, would be ashamed to go out in such tatters on street."

Part III. Ch. 3. The second time we see Raskolnikov differently. “Raskolnikov ... was very pale, absent-minded and gloomy. Outwardly, he looked like a wounded person or enduring some kind of severe physical pain: his eyebrows were shifted, his lips were compressed, his eyes were inflamed. He spoke little and reluctantly, as if through force or performing his duty, and some kind of restlessness occasionally appeared in his movements.

Dostoevsky often uses the technique of double portraiture. The writer dealt with heroes who went through an ideological and moral catastrophe that turned everything upside down in their moral essence. Therefore, throughout their novel life, they experienced at least two moments when they were most similar to themselves.

Raskolnikov was created from excellent human material; in a different, more perfect world, his internal qualities would be in perfect harmony with his external ones. Raskolnikov is naturally attractive, and this is evidenced by his appearance, as it was before he became involved in the stream of his casuistry. But the murder, committed in the name of the terrible idea he had borne, led to the collapse of not only his logical construction, but also his heart, the whole essence of his nature, which was reflected in his appearance, in the portrait. Raskolnikov was morally severely wounded, and he still had a lot to live in order to come to a new balance, if it was still possible for him.

The first portrait begins with the word "by the way." Dostoevsky, as it were, apologizes for the fact that he almost forgot to give a portrait of the hero. In the world of Dostoevsky's ideas, the portrait does not play a significant role, but it is never accidental. Such is the portrait of Raskolnikov. However, we do not immediately notice it, although it is already given at the very beginning, on the second page.

The author has already managed to interest the reader with his hero. Only when we find out that Raskolnikov planned the murder, we understand that he was not accidental. "he was remarkably good-looking". A dreamer, a romantic - and harbors a dirty thought about murder and robbery.

The hero's crime, disgusting, low, contrasts sharply with his noble appearance, and this, perhaps, is also the guarantee of his resurrection.

Question

How old is Raskolnikov?

Answer

Judging by the epilogue of the novel, when Raskolnikov was sentenced to hard labor for eight years and Dostoevsky remarks that "In eight years he will be only thirty-two years old", Raskolnikov was 23–24 years old at the time of the crime.

Exercise

Comment on the scene where Raskolnikov confesses to Sonya the crime he committed (Part V, Chapter IV). What is the main motive of those that Raskolnikov calls Sonia?

Raskolnikov about the motives for the murder		Observing Sony's Behavior
- ... well, yes, to rob	Somehow wearily and even as if with annoyance he answered	She stood dumbfounded, clapping her hands. A thought flashed through Sonya: "Are you crazy?" But immediately she left her
- You know, Sonya, what I'll tell you: if I only slaughtered from what I was hungry, then I would be happy now! Know it! Here's what: I wanted to become Napoleon, that's why I killed	He suddenly said with some kind of inspiration, he continued, burying himself in every word and looking mysteriously but sincerely at her. He looked at her with pain. He turned to her, looked sadly at her and took her hands.	Naively and timidly whispered. "Speak, I'll understand everything about myself!" - begged him
Well, I decided, having taken possession of the old woman's money, to use it for my first years, without tormenting my mother, to provide for myself at the university, for the first steps after university ... and for the first independent road to become	In a kind of impotence, he dragged himself to the end of the story and hung his head.	"Oh, it's not that, it's not that," Sonya exclaimed in anguish.
I did not kill in order to help my mother... I did not kill in order to become a benefactor of mankind. I had to find out something else, something else pushed me under the arms: I had to find out then whether I was a louse, like everyone else, or a man? Can I cross or can't I? Am I a trembling creature, or do I have a right?	He cried out irritably, but fell silent contemptuously; cried out in convulsive anguish. He leaned on his knees and, as if in pincers, clasped his head in his hands.	She threw up her hands. An agonized scream escaped. Her eyes, hitherto full of tears, suddenly sparkled

The most important: "Am I a trembling creature, or do I have the right ..." Here it is, the most clearly articulated, the main motive for the murder. Having reached the theory of two categories of people, Raskolnikov thought about which category he belongs to. "Extraordinary People" can allow themselves "blood of conscience". If he, Raskolnikov, can allow himself to step over the blood, then he "extraordinary person", and this determines everything in his later life. So he undertook this terrible experiment, "I killed for myself, for myself alone".

Question

Who is the witness to the scene of Raskolnikov's confession to Sonya in the crime committed?

Answer

Svidrigailov.

Question

How does he comment on Raskolnikov's act to Avdotya Romanovna?

Answer

Everything that Raskolnikov told Sonya about the motives for the crime was heard by Svidrigailov. He tells all this very clearly and concisely when meeting with Avdotya Romanovna.

“Here, how would you put it, is a kind of theory, the same case, according to which I find that a single evil is permissible if the main goal is good. The only evil and a hundred good deeds! ... Napoleon terribly carried him away, that is ", in fact, he was fascinated by the fact that so many people of genius did not look at a single evil, but walked through without thinking. It seems that he imagined that he was a man of genius - that is, he was sure of that for some time. He suffered very much and now he suffers from the thought that he knew how to compose a theory, but to step over something without hesitation, and not being able, therefore, a person is not a genius, and this is humiliating for a young man with pride and humiliation, especially in our age. .."

So, murder by theory or for theory.

Question for discussion

Do you want to condemn or justify Raskolnikov?

How do you feel about Raskolnikov?

Sample Answers

Raskolnikov, who killed the old money-lender, does not cause disgust. Rather, it even causes sympathy. Dostoevsky showed his hero in such a way that he evokes good feelings towards himself. One of the most characteristic features of Raskolnikov is compassion, suffering with everyone who feels bad. He seeks to help whenever he can. Having entered the Marmeladovs' room for the first time, he, leaving, leaves a handful of money on the windowsill, and only after leaving, he realizes that he has one of the last.

But, having met a deceived girl on the boulevard, whom the fat gentleman is hunting, he immediately intervenes and gives the policeman another twenty kopecks for the cabman. Ch. four.

Having received a transfer from his mother, slipping out of Nastasya's supervision, he raves about the quarter of the poor, feels sickly where the poor live. A street singer waits in vain for a two-kopeck piece from a shop - he gives her a nickel.

A woman named Duklida asked him for six kopecks for a drink - he gave her three nickels. Part II. Ch. 6.

- Listen, sir! the girl called after her.

She got confused.

- I, dear gentleman, will always be glad to share the hours with you, but now somehow I won’t collect my conscience in front of you. Give me, nice cavalier, six kopecks for a drink!

Raskolnikov took out as much as he took out: three nickels.

- Oh, what a kind gentleman!

- What is your name?

“Ask Duklida.

Once again in the room of the unfortunate Marmeladovs, Raskolnikov gives the widowed Katerina Ivanovna twenty-five rubles - all that he has. He simply cannot pass by an unfortunate person, past a hungry mother, clutching the last ruble in his pocket. But the ruble is the last one, and the unfortunate ones, the suffering ones - without end, and everyone cannot be helped.

Even his first love was love-pity, love-suffering. Part III. Ch. 3.

- Hm! Yes! What can I tell you? I don't even remember much. She was such a sick girl,” he went on, as if again suddenly thinking and looking down, “quite ill; she loved to give to the poor, and dreamed of a monastery all the time, and once burst into tears when she began to tell me about it; yes, yes ... I remember ... I remember very much. The ugly girl is so ... herself. Really, I don’t know why I became attached to her then, it seems because she is always sick ... If she were still lame or hunchbacked, I think I would love her even more ... (He smiled thoughtfully.) So. .. some kind of spring nonsense was ...

The following facts came to light at the trial. Raskolnikov helped his consumptive and poor university comrade with the last of his resources and almost supported him for six months. Then he took care of his father, put him in the hospital, and when he died, buried him. Raskolnikov rescued two children from a burning apartment and burned himself badly. Compassion, horror of cruelty overwhelms his dream of a horse being slaughtered to death. Part I. Ch. 5.

Conclusion

How did Raskolnikov, with his constant pain for the suffering of others, kill? It was not a simple murder, but a test of oneself, of theory, an ideological murder. He suffered terribly afterwards. Throughout the course of the story, Dostoevsky makes it so that Raskolnikov arouses pity and sympathy in us.

Question

Why, having successfully carried out his plan, does Raskolnikov suffer and confess to his crime?

Answer

From a theoretical point of view, everything is correct in Raskolnikov's act. The hero invites Sonya to resolve the issue, which is fair:

It seems to him that the third is not given. If the first is true, then the second is also true. "an old woman to die, and hundreds of people to live" and then he, Raskolnikov, must be forgiven. The phrase becomes clear: "I asked for forgiveness, Sonya". Sony's answer is very important to him. And her solution is: "But I can't know God's providence". So there is no forgiveness.

The hero's feelings did not accept the murder from the very beginning. Simultaneously with the maturation of the idea, the aversion to it also grew. (Find evidence in the text).

“Oh God! how disgusting it all is! And really, really I ... no, this is nonsense, this is absurdity!” he added decisively. : dirty, dirty, disgusting, disgusting! .. And I, for a whole month ... ". Part I. Ch.1.

"God! he exclaimed. hide, all covered in blood ... with an ax ... Lord, really?

He trembled like a leaf as he said this. Part I. Ch. 5.

“He was pale, his eyes burned, exhaustion was in all his limbs, but he suddenly began to breathe as if easier. He felt that he had already thrown off this terrible burden that had been pressing him for so long, and his soul suddenly became light and "Lord," he prayed, "show me my way, and I renounce this accursed ... dream of mine!" Part I. Ch. 5.

The discord between thought and feeling leads Raskolnikov to a painful state. And it affects his actions and decisions.

“He entered his room as if sentenced to death. He did not reason about anything and could not reason at all; but with his whole being he suddenly felt that he no longer had any freedom of reason or will, and that everything was suddenly decided completely.” Part I. Ch. 5.

“The last day, which came so unexpectedly and decided everything at once, had an effect on him quite mechanically: as if someone took him by the hand and pulled him along, irresistibly, blindly, with unnatural force, without objections. It was as if he had hit a piece of clothing in the wheel of the car and it began to be drawn into it. Part I. Ch. 6.

The desire to betray himself, to confess, arose in him the very next day. He loses his temper, either posing himself with some actions and words, or trying to confuse those whose suspicions he arouses. At home, coming out of a semi-conscious state, he feverishly destroys the evidence and then almost impersonates himself in the police office, fainting. After a faint, he answers the questions put to him in such a way that if Ilya Petrovich continued them, the murder case would turn from "very absurd" into completely clear.

He hides, so as not to touch him in the future, everything taken from the pawnbroker's apartment - and quite transparently tells Zametov about it, confusing him only at the end of the conversation. He is drawn to the crime scene, he recalls the experience with a painful feeling, repeating calls in the apartment where the pawnbroker lived. The sudden denunciation of the tradesman, who calls him a "murderer" to his face, takes him by surprise, and he silently walks next to the accuser, not finding words for refutation, denial.

The behavior of Raskolnikov, who is losing control of himself, talking to himself on the streets, leads to the fact that the circle of people who know or suspect something is becoming wider and wider, including Svidrigailov, who knows everything. All this is a consequence of the fact that Raskolnikov did not accept with feeling what he did in accordance with the conclusions of reason.

Understanding his condition, Raskolnikov cannot but draw a conclusion from this for himself. Since the consequence of the crime for him was torment, mental anguish, then he is not Napoleon. And if he is not the ruler, then he has no right to act. He went against his own nature. He killed himself.

"Did I kill the old woman? I killed myself, not the old woman! Here I slammed myself, forever." Part V. Chap. four.

Raskolnikov is tormented by the thought that he is in the blood of an unjustified murder (Lizaveta).

And as a result, there is a feeling of alienation from people.

Analysis of the episode "Svidrigailov at Dunya".

Literature

Karen Stepanyan. Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. // Encyclopedia for children "Avanta +". Volume 9. Russian literature. Part one. M., 1999

N.I. Yakushin. F.M. Dostoevsky in life and work: a textbook for schools, gymnasiums, lyceums and colleges. M.: Russian Word, 2000