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Crime And Punishment: Characterization - School Essays

Crime And Punishment: Characterization

In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov's dream about the
mare can be used as a vehicle to probe deep into his mentality to discover
how he really feels inside. The dream suggests that Raskolnikov is a
"split" man; after all, his name in Russian means "split". He has a cruel
and thoughtless side as well as a caring, compassionate side to his
personality. Through the dream and the symbols therein, a reader can cast
Raskolnikov, as well as other characters from Crime And Punishment, into
any of the various parts in the dream. Each part that a character takes on
leads to a different conclusion about that character. Raskolnikov himself
"fits" into the positions of Mikolka, the ...

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way.

On the same token, Raskolnikov's compassionate side could be
represented by the little boy. The child, watching the beating, realizes
the absurdity of it. He even rushes to Mikolka, ready to punish him for
killing the mare. This illustrates Rodion's internal struggle while
contemplating the murder of Alyona. His humane side, the child, tells him
to live and let live. And his "extraordinary" side, according to his
definition, tells him that he should eliminate Alyona altogether, for the
good of man kind.

On the other side of the coin, Raskolnikov could be represented by the
mare itself. However, the burden which the mare must carry (the cart, the
people, etc.) could represent two separate things, depending on if it is
viewed in context before or after the actual murder. Before the murder,
the burden could represent the moral question that is plaguing Rodion.
Should he kill Alyona? Or should he leave her be? Because of the
importance of this question to ...

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Crime And Punishment: Characterization. (2004, December 16). Retrieved January 1, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Crime-And-Punishment-Characterization/19089

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 12/16/2004 07:04:36 PM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 606
Pages: 3

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