We constantly look at our world and look for ways to remodel it. We want change and we want it now. Think about the book Crime and Punishment. What are some of the changes the characters in this novel would want to make to remodel their world?
Choose one character and explain how they would remodel their world. Provide examples from the text to help reinforce your argument. What would they remodel, why would they remodel, and what result do you think they would want to achieve?
The character from Crime and Punishment whom I feel is very prevalent to this topic is Dunia, Raskolnikov’s sister. The entire book, Dunia is always seen helping others. Raskolnikov finds out towards the beginning that his sister is marrying Peter Petrovich Luzhin, a very rich and older man. Dunia and her mother admit that she is only marrying him for his wealth, which will help supply for their family. When Raskolnikov is ill and emotional over his crime, Dunia is always there beside him, no matter how he was treating her that day. Dostoevsky writes Dunia speaking to her brother: ‘“Dunia, goodbye,” called Raskolnikov, in the passage. “Give me your hand.” “Why, I did give it to you. Have you forgotten?”’ (229). Dunia is always kind, and always looking out for her family and friends even when Raskolnikov does not deserve it, such as in this circumstance.
ReplyDeleteAnd so, I believe that if Dunia had control of the world, she would give all men and women enough money to survive, and enough food to eat. She would remodel the world into a loving place filled with giving and sacrifice, just as she has done for her family. Her hard work means a lot to her, and is part of the reason her family of three is still standing. She would want stability for all families worldwide, and would not want anyone to go through what she and her family had to.
After our picture analysis about Svidrigaïlov in class for the Crime and Punishment quiz, I noticed his character fits this remodeling idea. Svidrigaïlov is an evil man only looking to please himself at the expense of others. He craves power, and is always greedy for more control. These characteristics are evident throughout the novel, as Svidrigaïlov commits many acts (both positive and negative) only to please himself. He often gives charity to the poor, which may seem like a generous act, but Svidrigaïlov’s true motive is for more control and the feeling of satisfaction. "I will put those two little ones and Polenka into some good orphan asylum, and I will settle fifteen hundred roubles to be paid to each on coming of age, so that Sofya Semyonovna need have no anxiety about them." (5.5.93) In addition to these “caring” acts rooted in his evil, Svidrigaïlov also does straight up evil acts. He is commonly known for having various affairs, especially with young women. "I can never remember without laughter how I once seduced a lady who was devoted to her husband, her children, and her principles. What fun it was and how little trouble!" (6.3.8). He feels absolutely no remorse about cheating, as he only does it for power and to satisfy his desires. Svidrigaïlov also makes passes at Dounia while he was married, which we learned at the beginning of the novel. Later in the story, he traps her in a room, blackmails her with the news he has on Raskolnikov's murder, and possibly attempted to rape her. After Dounia declares she will “Never!” love him (6.5.102), Svidrigaïlov cannot live anymore, and kills himself.
ReplyDeleteAll of this backstory, especially his suicide, proves Svidrigaïlov’s unhappiness in the world he lives in. If he could remodel his world, he would ensure that everyone is under his control. He obsesses over power and the need to please himself, so with all the power, he’s able to satisfy every need. Once he lost Dounia and the chance for love and control, he felt no purpose to live anymore. If the world was remodeled to the place Svidrigaïlov desires, we would live amongst selfish, evil people in a huge competition for control.
I believe that Sonya is a character that would shape her world drastically for the positive, and she even begins to as the book comes to a close. Her deep desire to help others, even family that she has no ties to, has propelled her to take drastic action in becoming a prostitute. She tried to provide a chance for her family to feel joy, even if it meant she had to sacrifice herself. She also moves to Siberia to care for a man who has little understanding of relationships and emotions. Her impact can be seen as Raskolnikov turns himself in, “There was a look of poignant agony, of despair, in her face. She clasped her hands… He stood still a minute, grinned and went back to the police office”(Dostoyevsky 417). This impact that she has on Raskolnikov is possibly her most influential relationship throughout the whole book. When she tries to help her family it goes to nothing and her family still suffers. On the contrary her investment into Raskolnikov is paying off and he is becoming slowly a better man, no longer trying to destroy the world but at very least exist in it in peace.
ReplyDeleteThe character that I immediately thought of when I read this prompt is Sonia, the daughter of Marmadelov and Katerina. In the text, Sonia is constantly forced to make sacrifices for the sake of her family. One of the major reasons for this stems from the instability of her family. Her father, Marmeladov, is a drunken mess who is unable to support their family because of his alcoholism. In addition to him not being able to provide their family with money, he also incessantly takes money from them to feed his addiction: “And here I, her own father, here I took thirty copeks of that money for a drink” (Dostoevsky 17). As a result, this causes the rest of his family to go through even more severe financial hardships. And, at the beginning of the novel, Sonia is forced into prostitution by Katerina in order to support and stay with her family: “My daughter Sofya Semyonovna has been forced to take a yellow ticket” (Dostoevsky 14) . In addition, she is also faced with an abundance of responsibility. It is up to her and her profession to ensure that her brothers’ and sisters; futures are being considered, since her parents are unable to give them this type of consideration. In this way, I think Sonia, if given the chance, would choose to remodel her world by aspiring towards obtaining more stability in her family. I believe that this would occur by reversing Marmeladov's drunkenness. I think Sonia would chose to complete this action because if Marmeladov was no longer negatively influenced by alcohol, he would be able to provide his family with enough financial support that Sonia would not have to go into prostitution. Prior to his severe alcoholism, he was given the position of a public official. This position, because of how other characters in the novel referred to it, seems as if it would provide them with enough financial support that they would be more stable as a family. Through this action, I think she would desire to achieve a more stable family, not only for herself, but for her siblings as well. Sonia had to grow up way before it was her time to do so, and I believe that, given the chance, she would reverse Marmeladov's alcoholism in order to obtain a more stable family, so she would not have to grow up as fast.
ReplyDeleteWhen I thought about this prompt, I immediately referred to Svidrigailov because he wanted to remodeled the world for his own desires. In Raskolnikov’s theory of the extraordinary man being able to do whatever he wants because he is above all and he doesn’t care what the rest of humanity thinks of him. Svidrigailov is truly an evil with his immense greediness and selfishness. He always wants to quench is thirst for taking advantage of others and bringing everyone else down but himself. However, he “acts” with goodness a few times to trick others characters in the novel into falling into his trap. For example, he says, “"I will put those two little ones and Polenka into some good orphan asylum, and I will settle fifteen hundred roubles to be paid to each on coming of age” (Dostoyevsky 391). He wants to have the good hand with Sonia and the others, since this is one of the few good things he has done. He wants that instant gratification and pleasure from everything he does and this act was not out of his art but the desire to feel that small moment of pleasure. That feeling of pleasure is necessary for Svidrigailov and he believes he cannot live without it and must gain it through any means necessary. In fact, he states, “and therefore why not be vulgar at times when vulgarity is such a convenient cloak for our climate... and especially if one has a natural propensity that way” (Dostoyevsky 240). He looks at the world as evil and thinks that the best way to survive in it and get what you want is to be the same, evil. He even trapped Dunya in a room with him to try to take advantage of her while she was still engaged. Therefore, he enjoys the vulgarity and wishes to act upon it for his own satisfaction, whether by seducing a young woman like Dunya or tricking people into thinking he is done with evil acts.
ReplyDeleteIn the end, Svidrigailov would change the world so that he was the controller and sole dictator of everyone else. His selfishness and greed drive his hunger for power and for satisfaction for himself. His suicide shows that he was an unhappy soul because he thought he lived in an unhappy world and just escaped from it. If it was his decision to remodel, everything would revolve around him and his desires.
ReplyDeleteI think that if any character were to change the world it would be Raskolnikov. I believe that in his world there would be more of a class system, and that some people could get away with crimes like murder. In his mind, something like that are just and it is ok for the more intelligent and higher class members of society to commit them. Dostoyevsky writes, “... men are divided into ‘ordinary’ and extraordinary...extraordinary men have a right to commit any crime and to transgress the law in any way just because they are extraordinary” (205). Raskolnikov wants to remodel his society because he feels that he is an extraordinary member of society. He is trying to justify his murder, and show to the world that crimes like this are ok. I think that he wants to reach a place where things become more black and white. It's a simple matter of one person being better than the other. He says that “...men are in general divided by a law of nature...inferior… that serves only to reproduce its kind, and men who have the gift or the talent to utter a new word” (Dostoyevsky 206). He would remodel his world around these ideals, in order to create a society that has definitive leaders and followers.
Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladov does not play an entirely large role in the book, but she serves an important purpose in representing conflict within the Russian classes. Katerina is a character plagued by bad luck, as she witnesses her husband throwing away the family earning for alcohol and ultimately watches him die due to it. She resents the pitied life they live and even as she spirals into insanity due to her consumption and grief, she still searches for pride for her family name. Katerina wants to be seen as a family of high status and she is always striving to be seen as more than a poor mother and widow. Sonia describes her as having “such faith, such faith in her fancies,” because it is clear that Katerina wishes to change her world so that she and her children may be seen as more that their class position. Katerina is not contempt with living in a world in which she is pitied as the drunkard's wife and while she may not take much action in raising her status, she speaks widely about it and her aristocratic descent. She even resorts to begging through her children in an attempt to gain pity and wealth, but ultimately she fails to change her life and world, as she dies a peasant's death of consumption.
ReplyDeleteThe character I first thought of was Svidrigailov. As a major antagonist in the novel, Svidrigailov is very selfish and only truly cares about himself. Though he appears to be generous with his money, such as when he leaves money to Dounia and his fiance, but it is all done so that he can make himself feel better, higher, and more powerful. Towards the end of the novel, during the events leading up to his suicide, Svidrigailov threatens to rape Dounia, lets her go, books a hotel room where he dreams of a little girl seducing him, and then commits suicide in the morning. With all of these events happening so close together, it is easy to see that Svidrigailov has very little control over his emotions and actions: “He stood facing her, two paces away, waiting and gazing at her with wild determination, with feverishly passionate, stubborn, set eyes. Dounia saw that he would sooner die than let her go” (Dostoyevsky 390). This quote showcases Svidrigailov’s state of mind and the evil inside of him. If Svidrigailov were to remodel the world he would give himself a lot of power and control over everyone and everything.
ReplyDeleteOne character from Crime and Punishment that I believe would remodel the world is Sonia. Due to Marmeladov’s alcoholism and neglect of his family, Sonia is forced into prostitution to earn money. Throughout the book Sonia makes sacrifices for her family and always keeps in mind the future of her siblings. Along with looking after her family, Sonia also seeks to help Raskolnikov. After Sonia realizes that it was Raskolnikov that was responsible for the murders she embraces him and vows to never leave him. Raskolnikov says to her, “You are a strange girl, Sonia- you kiss me and hug me when I tell you about that… You’re not thinking about what you are doing” (Dostoevsky 391). Raskolnikov shock at her response to his confession shows how her caring nature was more than he ever expected from anyone. Sonia shows that she is not willing to give up on Raskolnikov and believes that he could still be saved when she follows him to Siberia. Her compassion and forgiveness of others proves that she would remodel the world into a better place. I believe that Sonia would remodel the world into a place with financially stable families and strong relationships. Sonia would encourage people to see the good in everyone and to make sacrifices for the ones that they love.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Porfiry is a character that would remodel his world. He is the man who brings to light Raskolnikov’s theory of Extraordinary Man. After reading Raskolnikov’s paper, Porfiry begins to suspect him to have participated in the crimes. “And, if so, could you bring yourself in case of worldly difficulties and hardship or for some service to humanity-to overstep obstacles?...For instance, to rob and murder?” ( Dostoyevsky 210). Porfiry believes that Raskolnikov has potential to be a great man and serve Russia. Also, supporting The Extraordinary Man Theory, Porfiry gives Raskolnikov more time to decide to confess because a confession will reduce the sentence he would receive. In saying this, Raskolnikov reevaluates the benefits of confessing to the murders. Porfiry embodies the physical weight of the guilt Raskolnikov feels for committing the murders, pushing him closer and closer to confession. Porfiry would want to remodel the citizens of Russia to be potential servers to better the country. This one act is one that moves towards improving the men of Russia, therefore making Russia seem as if it is superior to the other countries.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky I believe the character who would want to remodel their world the most is Sonia. Sonia is a girl who has always helped support her family as her father, Marmeladov, is a drunk who cannot hold a job long enough to do so. She is portrayed by many other characters in the novel to be a young lady who would go to great lengths in order to help those she cares about. When Sonia was wrongfully accused of stealing Katerina spoke on her behalf saying, “She’d sell her last rag, she’d go barefoot to help you if you needed it, that’s what she is! She has the yellow passport because my children were starving, she sold herself for us!” (Dostoyevsky 311). I believe that if Sonia had the chance to, she would make her world one where the people she cared for did not have to suffer because of how poor they are. She would make it so that she did not have to sell herself in order to provide food and pay bills and she may even make it so that her father was not a drunkard who spent all her earnings on his next drink. If her father was able to remain sober and keep his job her family would not be so unstable and desperate for money and her world would be a much happier place. In this remodeled world of Sonia’s she would no longer be looked down upon for how she earned her money and she could get a better job that no longer required her to sell herself to others.
ReplyDeleteThe man who enters my mind would certainly be the nihilistic Raskolnikov. Is it not a remodeling of the world to strike out and challenge the morality of the Christian religion, for centuries the dominant, underlying foundation of Western thought? Before men such as Nietzche, and the overall rise of nihilism and atheism, Raskolnikov, the creation of a far right thinker such as Fyodor Dostoevsky, challenged whether such a morality was applicable to those of a higher enlightenment or nature. Dostoevsky, in Raskolnikov, demonstrated before the world the dangers he had foreseen in democracy and lack of religion. Throughout the book, Dostoevsky seems to show an outright distrust of men who are convinced of their own freedom. This is evident in the use of America as a manifestation of nihilism and lawlessness, as Raskolnikov imagines a way to escape persecution for his heinous murder. Yet all must yield, in Dostoevsky’s view, even in America, to some oppression. Raskolnikov, to his torment, must yield -as the slave to the master, a Lett to a German (43),Lizaveta to Alyanova(62), Alyanova and Lizaveta to death, Svidrailigov to damnation(“‘ To America”’)(481) - to God and the morality he had looked upon in disdain.
ReplyDeleteIn a dream, a man (though Mikolka in name, he is Raskolnikov in truth)kills a horse merely because “It’s my[his] property”(56), he is superior to the horse in his eyes, he being man and owner, the horse being a dumb, old beast whose purpose is merely to escort he and whoever else he may wish. The people denounce him as other than a true Christian. Raskolnikov, in his murder, seeks to undermine the old Western world, and create a new foundation:” to utter a new word” as he puts it to Porfiry(245).In this way, Raskolnikov would remodel the world. He would play a godless Moses in his world, or Mahomet and Napoleon to use his own examples (245). He would wash out the Egyptians in a flood, and kill the first born, to the great benefit of those he wished to save and help. Nonetheless, his world would be godless, as before stated. Raskolnikov may claim to believe in God (246), yet do we believe him? Does Raskolnikov even believe this (He violates the doctrines of Christ himself :in St.Matthew 5, it seems doubtful the He whose ideas are the grounding of the concept of a Christian God makes an exception for extroadinary men when he warns even against malevolent thoughts towards another as warranting “danger of hell fire”)? He would need no such thing as a conscience to shackle his ankles. For in his world, a man like he( in his mind Newton) has the right to kill unpunished. In order to carry out his theory in a world such as he lived in, out would go Christianity, morality, laws, mores, etc. His dream tells all. Raskolnikov rebelled against the religion, and his theory is one of utter nihilism and free will unhinged. So his remodeling would be quite close to a world run on progress, with little consideration to whoever shall be left behind trampled.
*error-Nietzsche
DeleteI believe that Katerina Ivanovna, Marmeladov's wife, is a woman of longing. She was introduced to the reader by her husband in terms of her past achievements, "Know then that my wife was educated in a high-class school for the daughters of noblemen ... she was presented with a gold medal and a certificate of merit" (Dostoyevsky 12). In her past she had money and nobility, while now she has a drunk husband and constant sickness, on account of their poverty. She seems to cling to the past, "... the certificate of merit is in her trunk still and not long ago she showed it to our landlady ... she wanted to tell someone or other of her past honours and of the happy days that are gone" (Dostoyevsky 12). I believe that Katerina would want to remodel the her status. She is not displayed as an emotional woman, as she tends to be violent towards her children and husband, and exploited Sonya for her own financial aid, it seems as if money and standing matter most to her. She would like to retrieve the stability and power that she had in her past, in order to rid herself of a drunk that she does not love and her violent tendencies associated with her anger of a lowly, peasant life.
ReplyDeleteThe character I immediately think of from Crime and Punishment is Sonia, a young woman attempting to provide for her sick family. Of all the characters in the book that come to unfortunate circumstances, including Raskolnikov, Svidrgailov, and Marmelodov, Sonia is the most morally conscious. She is forced into an immoral situation, not by choice, but by her father’s alcoholism. I believe that Sonia’s morality and christian values make her the most repentant of her extremely wretched lifestyle. If given the chance, Sonia would reshape her world by giving her family health: health to cure the alcoholism of her father, and health to cure the sickness of her mother. It is obvious that Sonia loves her family; she deprives herself for them. She even despairs over the idea that her siblings may be left to the world all alone after her mother dies.
ReplyDelete“‘Haven’t you seen children here at the street corners sent out by their mothers to beg?’...‘What’s to be done, what’s to be done?’ repeated Sonia, weeping hysterically and wringing her hands”
With the health of both of her parents, Sonia would not have to worry about providing for her family through prostitution. Sonia also would not have to worry about her young siblings being left alone in the streets. The ability of both of her parents to take a job would provide happiness to her family, which is all Sonia ever wanted.
I feel like a character who would want to remodel their world would be Sonia Marmeladov. Her father is constantly drunk and even though he is aware that he’s drunk, he doesn’t do anything to stop it. His alcoholism drains the family’s funds, driving Sonia turn to prostitution to support her family. With her job comes heavy criticism from society because when this book was written, prostitution was one of the most terrible things a person could do. Sonia is a kind, caring individual who wants to see good in the world. From her experiences, she does something she does not enjoy to provide for her family, but she would not want another person to experience that, nor the criticism from society. Her character is well described when Dostoevsky writes, “Her pale cheeks flushed, there was a look of anguish in her eyes. It was clear that she was stirred to the very depths, that she was longing to speak, to champion, to express something. A sort of insatiable compassion, if one may so express it, was reflected in every feature of her face” (4.4.48). In addition to the changes made in her family, I think she would wish for the world to stop judging others; she is able to see past Raskolnikov’s flaws and goes to Siberia to help him because she believes there is good in every single person no matter who they are.
ReplyDeleteSonia is easily the strongest and most inspiring character in Crime and Punishment. She faces the most adversity and obstacles in her life, yet seems to be the least outwardly upset with her circumstances. Sonia is also one of the most accepting and forgiving characters. She offers her guidance to Raskolnikov, even after finding out that he is a murderer. Being faced with unfavorable circumstances herself, she becomes the most comforting and helpful character to Raskolnikov, helping him to find peace with his actions. All of this leads me to believe that Sonia would like to see a more accepting and forgiving world, where people are not demonized for unfavorable actions or lifestyles. Ideally, she would like to live in a world where young women are not forced into prostitution as their only sufficient means to support themselves and their families, but on a larger scale, her role in the novel supports the value of empathy.
ReplyDelete