Raskolnikov's Character in Crime and Punishment

Analysis:

I'll give you the full text. You can visit hi.baidu/killsr yourself.

The name Fyodor mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821-1881) is by no means unfamiliar to readers in China. His major works, The Poor, the Insulted and the Damaged, Notes on the Dead House, * *, Teenagers and brothers karamazov, have all been translated into Chinese. His masterpiece Crime and Punishment is more familiar to readers.

Gorky once said that only Shakespeare can compare with Dostoevsky in terms of artistic descriptive power. The shocking tragic images in Dostoevsky's works, as well as the solemn and tragic painful images he created with extraordinary artistic power, are deeply imprinted in the hearts of all those who have read his works. "If time can extinguish the flames of love and all other human feelings ... then for real literary works, time will create immortality." Dostoevsky's works are just one of such immortal works in world literature.

Dostoevsky's road to life and literature is the most profound tragedy, and its essence is: hostile to the reality of genius, freedom and artistic beauty, suppressing and destroying people's souls.

Dostoevsky was born into a doctor's family in a poor hospital in Moscow. He graduated from Petersburg Military Engineering School on 1843. Shortly after graduation, he devoted himself to literary creation. The poor published in 1846 brought him a high reputation and attracted the attention of literary circles. The poor man was obviously influenced by Nicola Nikolai Gogol's coat. Ideologically, it was also close to the advanced representatives of civilian intellectuals at that time. He joined a group of utopian socialist Peter La Schelsky (182 1- 1866), was arrested, sentenced to death, pardoned, commuted to exile, and served four years of hard labor in omsk prison (1850-1). Later, based on his experiences in prison, he wrote Notes on the Dead House.

Four years in exile greatly changed his thinking, thinking that in the society at that time, resistance was meaningless; He only sees oppression, the collapse of moral foundation, the victory of the bourgeoisie, poverty, prostitution and hunger ... but he sees no way out. He believes that there are only two possibilities in such a society: oppression and oppression; There are only two kinds of people: oppressors and oppressed; No, there can be no third possibility and third power. There is such a sentence in his notes: "Be a slave or a ruler". This sentence may be used as an inscription for his creation. This sentence shows the distress of the protagonists in his main works and reflects the law of capitalist society in their minds: if you don't be a slave owner, you will be a slave. If you don't oppress others, others will oppress you. "Learning from others" is against human nature. So Dostoevsky chose the latter: he would rather be a victim than an executioner, and he would rather be trampled on than trampled on by others. Besides, Dostoevsky didn't know there were other possibilities.

Crime and Punishment was first published in Russian Official Gazette on 1866.

Serfdom was abolished in 186 1 year. This makes Dostoevsky full of hope. He feels that a new era in Russia has begun. However, the ruthless reality shattered Dostoevsky's naive fantasy, and also disappointed some young people who were looking for the road to reform, causing them to fall into the abyss of doubt again. It is this disappointment that often urges some young intellectuals to carry out individualistic and fruitless resistance. The theme of Crime and Punishment came into being under this background.

But when the author first conceived this novel, the protagonist was Marmee Radov, mainly talking about alcoholism, and the title was not Crime and Punishment. Raskolnikov's story came into being later, when Marmeladov had retired to a secondary position.

The author assumes that the theme of Crime and Punishment is:

First, people are not born to enjoy happiness. Happiness can only be achieved through suffering (as a victim, I would rather be oppressed and trampled).

Second, the thought of the protagonist Raskolnikov: grab the power to rule this society-by hook or by crook. "In the novel, he shows excessive pride, arrogance and contempt for this society through his own image." "Dominate this society." He wants to "seize power quickly and get rich." The idea of killing people appeared in his mind as a ready-made thing. "He fantasized about benefiting mankind, but he chose' struggle'.

The road is to ensure personal "freedom" first.

He tried to stand above the society, and his "resistance" to this society was individualistic. Such "resistance" failed.

But when writing, as a real artist. His realistic thoughts prevailed. Crime and Punishment became one of the most powerful literary works that exposed the cruelty of Russian society in 1960s. It shows with amazing artistic power that if we stay on the basis of this society and within the boundaries of its reality and consciousness, we will never find any way out. The whole novel echoes the desperate cry of people crushed by this society: you can't, you can't live like this. No escape has become the main theme of the novel.

Raskolnikov, a college student in the law department, was crushed by poverty. Unable to maintain a minimum living, he was forced to drop out of school and hide in a closet more like a cupboard or coffin than a house. The landlord stopped providing him with food and threatened to kick him out. ...

So Raskolnikov had the idea of killing people, because "the ruler" and "Napoleon" were unscrupulous. However, this is just a kind of "thought". From "thinking" to "action", we have to go through another "leap". After he made his first mortgage with an old woman who was a loan shark, he heard a college student talking in a small restaurant. That college student has a similar idea, but he doesn't really want to put it into practice.

However, reality forced Raskolnikov to stop thinking.

Raskolnikov's understanding of Malmeladov determines the tone of the whole novel, which immediately raises the theme of the novel to the height of sad reflection on human destiny, and makes readers immediately feel that they are in the sad atmosphere of millions of people suffering. Let the father tell people how and why his daughter has fallen to * * *. Few people in world literature can reveal the sadness, pain, humiliation and misery of life so profoundly. Only artists who deeply sympathize with the sorrow of the lower classes can create such a shocking image and picture. Later, Raskolnikov said to Sonia, "It is more correct to throw yourself into the water and end it all at once, a thousand times more correct and a thousand times wiser!" Sonia was not surprised at his words at all, but asked, "What about them (Katrina Ivanovna and the three orphans)?" Even suicide is a rare luxury for the poor. Maybe Sonia can throw herself into the river, but even if she does, she still can't put thirty rubles on the table in front of Katrina Ivanovna. There are indeed some situations in life that can convince an impartial observer that suicide is a right that only those who have a secure life can get and a luxury that they can enjoy. People like Sonia can't even kill themselves. Their situation is that there is no way in the sky, no way in the ground, no way in life and no way in death. The reality before them is that it is a crime to destroy morality; Don't destroy morality-it's also a crime to treat relatives. If Sonia doesn't sell her body, the children will starve to death. Malmeladov said: "Everyone must have at least one place to go." But Marmeladov, Sonia and Katerina Ivanovna have nowhere to go. "God! Is there no justice? If you don't protect us helpless people, who will you protect? ..... There are laws and justice in the world, there must be, and I will definitely find it! " Catalina Ivanovna, desperate, said desperately. However, the ruthless reality is that "God" did not "protect" them; She didn't find "justice" and "fairness" in her mind until her death. It can be seen that there is no "justice" in the society in which she lives. "God" is deaf and dumb, turning a blind eye to the tragic fate of the poor and watching "such a thing" (Sonia's words) happen in front of her ... The artistic image of Catalina Ivanovna is very touching. Readers seem to see this arrogant woman who fell into the bottom of society and was tortured by life. They seem to see the blush on her face, the blood she spilled on her handkerchief, her bouts of coughing and crying in despair. "What? Please, father? ..... no need ... I'm not guilty! ..... Don't repent, God will forgive me ... He knows how much I have suffered! ..... Even if he doesn't forgive me, forget it! "She said before she died. Of course, she will never forget her "noble" birth, and the "certificate" that can prove her identity and happy past will always accompany her until she leaves this world. However, these do not make people feel detrimental to the image of this tragic figure. On the contrary, they make the character look fuller and more real.

"People, this despicable thing, will get used to everything!" After listening to the story told by Malmi Radov, Raskolnikov thought. But "what if I'm wrong? If, on the whole, the whole race, that is to say, all mankind, is really not despicable, then everything else is prejudice, just heartfelt fear, and there are no obstacles. " It is despicable to get used to everything and obey everything; People who can resist and "cross" the past are not mean. From "thinking" to action, Raskolnikov has taken the first step.

But the tragic experience of the Malmeladov family alone is not enough for the protagonist to take a decisive step. So, the next morning, I immediately received a letter from my mother.

In his mother's words, he is their "everything", their "all hope" and "all hope". For him, the mother is willing to "sacrifice" her daughter to marry a loveless lawyer-Lu. The only realistic way is waiting for his sister Dunia, who, according to him, is no different from Sonia's fate, except that she puts on the cloak of "legal marriage" and essentially sells herself for her relatives. Later, Svei Drigslov also said the same thing in his own way: marrying a Lu is not the same as accepting his "proposal", but just taking another person's money. Du Neshka and Suo Neshka, both victims of this society, have the same fate. "As long as the world exists, Sonechka will never disappear!"

Just as he tortured himself in this way, he saw another insulted girl. "ah! It's you, dear Svay Driggs! What are you doing here? " He clenched his fist and pounced on the fat girl who was pestering her. In his view, this girl sitting on a bench by the roadside, the street singer, the woman sitting at the gate of hotels and entertainment places, the woman who threw herself into the river-they are all Dunechka, they are all his sisters, and all kinds of Svidriglov and Lu people are bullying them,-his "sisters" and his dear people are everywhere ... those so-called scholars use them. " For those oppressors and rulers, of course, there is no need to worry about falling into this "percentage". They are naturally at ease. But for poor people like Marmeladov and Raskolnikov, for Du Neshka and Suo Neshka, the number "a few percent" can never reassure them. Sonechka has fallen into this "percentage", and Dunechka will inevitably fall into this "percentage" ... So, the fate of Dunechka and Sonechka, as well as the fate of all "sisters", are intertwined and emerge in front of Raskolnikov.

So he had a terrible dream. The horse that was brutally killed in the dream is a symbol of all the oppressed and trampled people. On that poor horse, it seems to concentrate the pain of all the insulted and injured people. When Katrina Ivanovna died, she shouted in despair, "Xu has been exhausted! ..... there is no strength anymore! " These words with blood and tears echo the image of the horse in Raskolnikov's dream. For the poor, their life is such a nightmare.

So, what should we do? Where is the way out? Within Raskolnikov's consciousness, there is no answer to this question. However, reality requires him to give a clear answer: "We must take some actions and act immediately, the sooner the better. In any case, you must make a decision, any decision will do, or ... otherwise, give up life completely! "

Shortly after the novel was published, critic Pishaliev (1) pointed out in a commentary entitled "Struggle for Life" that Raskolnikov's "root of illness" was not in his mind, but in his pocket. This strange "theory" entered his mind, because the pain of his situation far exceeded "the limit that his strength and courage can bear". "In any case, this theory can't be used as the reason for his crime, just as the patient's illusion can't be used as the reason." His "theory" is only the product of the environment he was forced to fight against. The only real reason is the painful environment. So no matter what the author's subjective intention is, the novel still reflects the reality of inhuman life in that powerful society with amazing power, which is amazing.

-

1) Pisalev (1840-1868), a famous Russian critic, philosopher and revolutionary democrat.

Raskolnikov killed someone, but he didn't "cross" the past and stayed here. Facts have proved that he is not "Napoleon", he does not belong to those oppressors and rulers, and he is not "Superman". He didn't kill the old woman, but himself. He felt terrible loneliness, and he felt that he had completely divorced from this society. Not only can he no longer say what he thinks to his relatives, but he can no longer say anything to anyone. "He seems to have cut off his contact with everyone and everything with scissors." But he can't be completely divorced from the masses.

"Oh, if I am alone and no one loves me, I will never love anyone! Then there will be no such thing! " (That is to say, in that case, he will "cross" the past! However, someone loves him and he loves others. It is unbearable for him to be completely separated from the crowd, leave the people who love him and give up the right to love, so he can't "cross" the past. Man is invincible. Raskolnikov needs to return to man, so he can't completely lose his humanity.

However, Svei Driggs Love and Lu people "crossed" the past. Of course, they didn't kill people with axes, nor did they violate the criminal law of that society. But relying on their own financial resources, they really "do whatever they want." Svy Drigslov doesn't care about anything. His only interest is to satisfy his own desires. He said to Raskolnikov, "I can see what's on your mind: moral problems, right?" ..... You put all this aside; What are you thinking now? Hey! Hey! Because you are still a citizen or a person? In this case, it should not be illegal intrusion; Don't do anything you shouldn't do. " Svidriglov himself has "put all this aside", so he can do the bad things he has done. Such people are more terrible than fire, plague and famine. Lu people openly advocate the scientific theory of "love yourself first" because it is said that "everything in the world is based on personal interests". Raskolnikov hit the nail on the head and pointed out: "Let's spread out what you just advocated, and the conclusion is that killing people is ok ..." Of course, the Lu people put forward a strong demand, because he didn't need to kill people with an axe, and he didn't need to pollute his white hands with blood. However, he can buy a beautiful wife with money, frame Sonia with impunity, and coldly "leapfrog" moral laws.

Dostoevsky has been inconclusive about how the novel ends. As can be seen from his notes, he had imagined several different endings: let Raskolnikov escape and go to the United States via Finland; Suicide; Confess. But confession is contradictory to Raskolnikov's character and the logical development of this artistic image. Finally Raskolnikov turned himself in, but he didn't think he was guilty; He believes that his sin just failed to persist and failed to "cross" the past.

For Raskolnikov, Sonia was a ray of light in the darkness of despair. Raskolnikov and Sonia are the contrast between reason and mind, reason and emotion. Sonia's heart is full of love for people. She is a symbol of human suffering. Dostoevsky believes that suffering and love are one. Human reason is weak and unreliable, but human suffering is endless; The whole life arrangement is so unreasonable, so shocking and so cruel that reason can't fully understand its irrationality. All that remains is the suffering and love that everyone feels.

Raskolnikov asked Sonia, "If suddenly it's up to you now: ... do you want Lu people to live and do bad things or let Katrina Ivanovna die? So what would you decide? " Sonia replied, "How can it be up to me?" No, Sonia can't make such a decision in any case: to cross another person's body in order to achieve her own goals. All she can decide is to let others cross over from herself and give herself to others. Dedicating others, in the world at that time, was actually just an impossible ideal. In the novel, the image of Sonia is of course idealized, but it is also pale.

So the author wrote "* * *", hoping to further promote this ideal with the artistic image of Duke myshkin.

Finally, I want to talk about Razumikhin. According to the author, Razumikhin should be a positive figure in the book and occupy a more important position in the novel. He has a localist view, opposes the influence of western revolutionary thought, and thinks that socialism is a western gadget and is incompatible with Russia. He opposed "environmental determinism" and Fourier's utopian socialism and materialism. On a series of issues, he can be said to be the spokesman of the author. The author cherishes him very much, but as far as the character we see in the novel is concerned, it is hard to say that he successfully fulfilled the mission that the author wanted to entrust him with.

This book is translated according to the fifth volume of Dostoevsky's Collected Works (ten volumes) published by the Soviet National Literature and Art Book Publishing House 1957, and refers to Crime and Punishment published by Russian Publishing House 1984. Make necessary comments on the background of the book and some incomprehensible places in the book.