The Powerful Character of Nastasya in The Idiot
Few of the principal characters in Dostoyevsky's novels are female. However, in his novel, The Idiot, we find one of his strongest female characters. Nastasya Filippovna, a proud, yet exploited woman, is by far one of Dostoyevsky's most intriguing characters. She has an instantaneous and dramatic affect on the characters surrounding her. Nastasya Filippovna has been systematically destroyed by her surroundings. She finds she is unable to survive in the society of her time. Valued by men only for her beauty or her possessions, feared by jealous women, Nastasya Filippovna succumbs to insanity and finally, her own murder. Believing herself to be guilty and in need of punishment and purification, Nastasya Filippovna fights yet, finally, submits herself to destructive forces that surround her.
Nastasya Filippovna, defined by her sensual beauty and remarkable looks, is already mentioned by page ten. Her presence remains strong throughout Book One and we may learn a great deal from this section about the proud Nastasya Filippovna. The most dominant feature of Nastasya Filippovna is her beauty. Even the Prince, who at first we may believe is not inclined to notice sensuality of women, is overwhelmed by her great beauty. Looking at her picture he calls her"astonishingly pretty"; he notes her"exquisite simplicity", her "dark, deep eyes" (31). Even from her youth Nastasya Filippovna's beauty has caused her to become the object of men's sexual desires. There are three men who are particularly dominant in Nastasya Filippovna's life prior to the arrival of the Prince: Afansy Ivanovich Totsky, Gavrila Ardalionovich (Ganya), and Parfion Semyyonovich Rogozhin.
Totsky is the fi...
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... it" (480). Nastasya Filippovna must die to escape the tragic and unjust plight of a woman scorned.
Works Cited
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot, Middlesex, Penguin Books Ltd., 1955.
Roger B. Anderson, Dostoyevsky - Myths of Duality, Florida: University of Florida Press, 1986.
Michael Holquist, Dostoyevsky and the Novel, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1977.
Robert Louis Jackson, Dostoyevsky's Quest for Form - A Study of his Philosophy of Art, New Haven: Yale University, 1966.
Gary Soul Morson, The Boundaries of Genre - Dostoyevsky's Diary of a Writer and the Traditions of Literary Utopia.
Joseph Frank, Dostoyevsky - The Miraculous Years 1865 - 1871, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995.
Robert Louis Jackson, Dostoyevsky's Quest for Form - A Study of his Philosophy of Art, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1966, p. 40.
Light, James. "Violence, Dreams, and Dostoevsky: The Art of Nathanael West." College English 19.5 (1958): 208-213. Print.
Dostoyevsky's writing in this book is such that the characters and setting around the main subject, Raskolnikov, are used with powerful consequences. The setting is both symbolic and has a power that affects all whom reside there, most notably Raskolnikov. An effective Structure is also used to show changes to the plot's direction and Raskolnikov's character. To add to this, the author's word choice and imagery are often extremely descriptive, and enhance the impact at every stage of Raskolnikov's changing fortunes and character. All of these features aid in the portrayal of Raskolnikov's downfall and subsequent rise.
First, Dostoevsky gives the reader the character, Raskolnokov. He is the main character, whom Fyodor uses to show two sides of people their admirable side and their disgusting side. He loves Raskolnokov, which is why Fyodor uses Raskolnokov’s point of view throughout the whole novel. Personally, Fyodor dislikes some of his qualities but understands that all people are plagued with some bad traits, and that Raskolnokv is trying to make emends for some of his wrong doings, i.e. the murder of the pawnbroker and her sister. He knows that what he did was wrong and is willing to suffer for his crime, and he does throughout the whole book with his constant depression. Dostoesky believes in punishment for your crimes, this is why he shows Raskolnokov suffering through most of the novel, to show his great love for penance. Dostoevsky likes the kind giving nature of people; this is why he portrays the main character as a kind, gentle, and giving, person. Often, Raskolnokov thinks only of others benefits such as when he helped Katerina by giving her all his money for Marmelodov, as well as his caring about what happens to his sister with her marriage to Luzhin. Raskolnokov hates Luzhin’s arrogant and pompous attitude, which reflects Dostoevsky’s animosity of the same qualities in people in the real world.
all hyped up about the fact that the word ?nigger? appears in the book over two hundred
Often times in literature, we are presented with quintessential characters that are all placed into the conventional categories of either good or bad. In these pieces, we are usually able to differentiate the characters and discover their true intentions from reading only a few chapters. However, in some remarkable pieces of work, authors create characters that are so realistic and so complex that we are unable to distinguish them as purely good or evil. In the novel Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky develops the morally ambiguous characters of Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov to provide us with an interesting read and to give us a chance to evaluate each character.
these scenes out to allow that age group to see it, it should be left
In old times, censorships’ definition was to suppress or restrict any kind of books, articles, journals, art, even speeches and any other forms of expression that were believed to go against religious, political, moral and social beliefs usually held by powerful leading groups, such as governments, businesses and churches. Our society has thankfully evolved since those times and censorship now is used not to prohibit, but to supervise and narrow specific contents that may not be necessary or appropriate to some groups or places, within the guidelines of our law. Censorship in a way is necessary mostly in our schools, not to control and restrict the learning environment, but to make the information and ideas delivered to children more focused on important material that will give them knowledge for their future and shape their personalities and opinions.
Growing up in a place where free speech is strongly pressed, why is censorship no stranger? We live in a world where television, video games, music and even literary documents have all been censored. Literature can be defined as the body of written works of a language, period, or culture. This is everything from newspapers and magazines to textbooks and novels. Literary censorship has been around for a long time. These books are challenged and banned.
When regulating the content that someone sees or hears, it is the sole responsibility of the individual to block harmful or offensive content from themselves or their children. In an article by Dan Gutman, a children’s book author, he states that if a piece of literature is banned from a school library, it is not only blocke...
Shen, F. (2002 September 24). Off the shelf; Who should decide what books you read? The Washington Post, pp.2. Retrieved December 2, 2002 from Lexis-Nexis/Academic database.
Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Linda Pavlovski. Vol.
In his novel Crime and Punishment Fyodor Dostoevsky uses Raskolnikov as a vessel for several different philosophies that were particularly prominent at the time in order to obliquely express his opinions concerning those schools of thought. Raskolnikov begins his journey in Crime and Punishment with a nihilistic worldview and eventually transitions to a more optimistic one strongly resembling Christian existentialism, the philosophy Dostoevsky preferred, although it could be argued that it is not a complete conversion. Nonetheless, by the end of his journey Raskolnikov has undergone a fundamental shift in character. This transformation is due in large part to the influence other characters have on him, particularly Sonia. Raskolnikov’s relationship with Sonia plays a significant role in furthering his character development and shaping the philosophical themes of the novel.
The United States Constitution says in the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech” (qtd. in Murphy) which means that any material in any medium; art, music, literature, spoken, cannot be altered by the government in any way. The people of the United States of America are free to express their opinion in any way, shape, or form without fear of repercussions from the government or others. Therefore, censorship is a violation of an American’s First Amendment rights.
This essay aims to explore the necessities of censorship and the roles it plays in society. It will start by defining the term ‘censorship’ and an introduction to what is and has been censored through different periods of history. Finally, this essay will explore if there is a need for censorship in society with a focus on undesirable material and its effects on children and why.
Censorship of all kinds has existed since recorded history, whether in literature, speech, music, or visual entertainments. Censorship stems from fear of ideas spreading that are contrary to what has been established as "correct", "moral", "normal", or "suitable"; essentially, censorship stems from a fear of change. For change to progress, or to even exist at all, "the norm" needs to be challenged, and those most capable of grasping and embracing change are the young people of a society. Young adults (of this century and the 20th century especially) use music to express themselves, distinguish themselves from their parents, and convey new ideas. Music can aid in new movements, a new "norm", provide a voice to those who feel they cannot be heard otherwise, and give identity to those who feel they have none. Music can change things, it scares people, but it should not receive censorship because of the change it can create.