The term 'polyphony' was introduced into literary theory by Mikhail Bakhtin in his Ïðîáëåìû ïîýòèêè Äîñòîåâñêîãî. The polyphonic novel is dialogic rather than monologic; this means that multiple voices can be heard, and each voice represents an alternative version of 'the truth'. (NB. The use of dialogue as a formal device does not make a novel polyphonic in the Bakhtinian sense; genuine polyphony entails a sense of ambivalence, a situation where the different voices compete with one another and represent alternative viewpoints between which the reader cannot make a straightforward choice.)
In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov is the main focalizer: his point of view is adopted by the third-person narrator almost throughout (exceptions include a small number of episodes involving Svidrigaylov, and the relatively impersonal first chapter of the the Epilogue). The reader is thus allowed access into Raskolnikov's inner world, and although third-person narration is used, the novel as a whole comes close to being the central character's interior monologue. Nevertheless, there is also a strong tendency towards dialogue. This has several manifestations:
(1) Actual dialogues between characters are of central importance in shaping not only the events but also Raskolnikov's mental processes; in relation to Raskolnikov, the other characters with their distinctive voices all represent alternative truths and alternative points of view. The other characters, and their ideas and values, are perceived through the prism of Raskolnikov's consciousness: their voices echo in his mind, and he reacts to the ideas put forward by these external voices, often entering into a mental dialogue with them.
(2) Raskolnikov also conducts an endless dialogue with himself (frequently addressing himself in the second person); the voice of his shrewd intellect alternates with the voice of conscience, and a lucid understanding of his situation coexists with unaccountable (even contradictory) emotional reactions.
(3) The reader also has access to Raskolnikov's subconscious mind (the voice of the subconscious) in the context of his nightmarish visions (see especially chapters I:5 and III:6)
In all, Raskolnikov's mind becomes a battlefield where a number of different internal and external voices (representing different ideas and world-views, or different facets of Raskolnikov's personality) keep vying for supremacy.
Rodion Raskolnikov is a murderer, a damning criminal. Yet, he also has a warm heart that no one can equal. This character of paradox, of contradictions, of irony, is the true Raskolnikov. He is the Jekyll, and he is the Hyde; the zenith and the nadir. This hallowed literature of human nature provides us with important moral lessons, and at the same time helps the reader understand Dostoevsky’s philosophy on society better. Raskolnikov is not entirely a cold-blooded murderer, since he still has a feeling of love: The love towards Sofya Marmeladov. In this paper, we will go in-depth of how Sofya has an impact on Raskolnikov, by discussing their similarities and differences.
As the story unfolds, Dostoevsky introduces the reader to Raskolnikov, a troubled young man who is extremely isolated from those who surround him. He lives in a small, dingy, dusty, and dirty room in a small unattractive house. He lives in an abstract world neglecting the real. He is quite separate from all the people with whom he has contact. In the opening chapter, Raskolnikov is said to be, "so completely absorbed in himself, and isolated from his fellows that he dreaded meeting, not only his landlady, but any one at all" (1). People come physically close to him, but everyone is forced to remain distant mentally. He walks through the crowded, noisy, dirty streets of St. Petersburg physically but somehow he never does so mentally, moving through the streets like a zombie, not a man. He is not aware of his location and often jostles bewildered pedestrians. Therefore, at the outset of the novel Dostoevsky illustrates the apparent schism between the mind and body of Raskolnikov.
However, it soon emerges that he, despite the physical nature of his situation, has a very active mind. To reveal whether he is of a special "breed" of humans, he finds it necessary to kill, and the unfortunate subjects of his experiment are an old pawnbroker and her sister. After the murders, Raskolnikov is subject to a series of mental and emotional changes, eventually leading to his confession and, later, his arrest, trial and eight-year prison sentence.
In our modern era and by our modern standards, the Otavalo people of Ecuador shine with scintillating success in the global arena. A myriad of factors have contributed to Otavalo prosperity and wealth, factors both outside and within their control, but factors nonetheless dependent upon the fluidity and ever-changing construct of indigenous identity. Tracing the saga of this indigenous people’s rise to textile, musical and cultural capital, the opportunistic attitude of the Otavalo remains the foundation for modern wealth and commerce. The true question of Otavalo success, however, rests not in economic prosperity alone, but in their inherent ability to adopt socially befitting “modern traditions” and retain the right to define the meaning of being Otavalo.
In Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov's initial crime, failure, and acceptance of mistakes are his road to overcoming his ego, as well as self discovery.
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.
Although the novel begins by focusing on the crime itself, the majority of the book discusses Raskolnikov's struggle through denial and redemption after the murder has been committed. His own "greatness" leads to his denial of God, and his attempt to suppress his conscience causes insanity and sickness. However these negative consequences force him to acknowledge his rectitude and realize his need for confession.
In his dream about the gray nag, Raskolnikov as an unshaped child is innately compassionate; he weeps for horses being cruelly beaten, but already society, in the form of his parents, begins to shape him, to train him, to numb his compassionate feelings for those in pain. His mother draws him away from the window when he sees such a horse pass and his father tells him when the men kill the nag "They're drunk, they're playing pranks, it's none of our business, come along" (59). Already Raskolnikov is being taught to rationalize murder, for all those people who watched and did not interfere are partly to blame as they rationalize that "it's none of our business."
The moral side of Raskolnikov's mind requires absolution in a Christian manner. This need obliviates his claim to be a Nietzchean superman, and illustrates that all humans have a desire for morality. Throughout the book, he constantly desires to confess, even when visiting the police station. "I'll go in, fall on my knees, and confess everything" (p.84), he thought; later, he considered if it was "better to cast off the burd...
Nabokov presents the reader with three touching characters of the mother, father, and son. The characters of the story arouse a sense of compassion and sympathy from the reader due to the helpless situation they are in. For example, the son in the story suffers from a condition called “referential mania.” Referential mania is a case where “the patient imagines that everything happening around him is a veiled reference to his personality and existence” (1166). In other words, the son has this perception where he is in a state of paranoia where he feels as if the objects around him are evil and plotting against him. He feels as if “clouds in the staring sky transmit signs detailing information about him, coats in window stores have a distort opinion of him and misinterpret his actions….he must always be on guard every minute and module of life to decoding of the undulation of things” (1167). The son is always on this mission with the objects trying to decipher the meaning behind why these objects are...
In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Raskalnikov undergoes a period of extreme psychological upheaval. By comparing this death and rebirth of Raskalnikov's psyche to the story of the resurrection of Lazarus, Dostoevsky emphasizes not only the gravity of his crimes, but also the importance of acceptance of guilt.
In Crime and Punishment, we see Raskolnikov caught between reason and will, the human needs for personal freedom and the need to submit to authority. He spends most of the first two parts stuck between wanting to act and wanting to observe. After he acts and murders the old woman, he spends much time contemplating confession. Raskolnikov seems trapped in his world although there is really nothing holding him back; he chooses not to flee and not to confess, but still acts as though he's suffocation (perhaps guilt?)In both novels defeat seems inevitable. Both characters believe that normal man is stupid, unsatisfied and confused. Perhaps they are right, but both characters fail to see the positive aspects of humans; the closest was the scene between the narrator of Notes from the Underground and Liza. In this scene he almost lets the human side show, rather than the insecure, closed off person he normally is.
One of the most profound and obvious changes in Raskolnikov’s character can be seen in the newfound appreciation for other people and human relationships he discovers at the end of the novel. When the reader is first introduced to Raskolnikov, Dostoevsky quickly makes it apparent that he has little to no regard for others, writing on the very first page that Raskolnikov was “so completely absorbed in himself, and isolated from his fellows that he dreaded meeting, not only his landlady, but anyone at all” (1). Indeed, in Raskolnikov’s mind, “to be forced to listen to [the landlady’s] trivial, irrelevant gossip […] and to rack his brains for excuses, to prevaricate, to lie” is the most loathsome thing imaginable (1). His disdain toward other people is so great that the mere thought of interacting with anyone for any length of time repulses him. On some occasions...
Raskolnikov's article, "On Crime," is vital to the understanding of his beliefs. This article also has a profound effect on Crime and Punishment as a whole, the subject matter being one of the main themes of the novel. The idea of the "extraordinary man" is referred to literally throughout the book, but also notable is the subconscious effect the idea has on Raskolnikov. Sometimes Raskolnikov is not even aware of this influence. It is important to note originality, or the ability to "utter a new word," as a defining characteristic of the extraordinary man. Therefore, we must take into account the presence of similar ideas, those of Pisarev, Nietzsche, and nihilism, as these might bring to light the possibility that Raskolnikov is not original, a possibility that haunts him throughout the novel.
Raskolinkov’s beliefs transform from the beginning of the novel to the ending. His theory was never complete and to test his theory he commits the murder of an evil soul. The irony of this novel is Raskolinkov who though he was an extraordinary men, have the will to commit murder but not the power to live with the crime on his hands.