I beleive in the power of letter writing. Writing to a specific person is about trying to say something specifically to that person: an audience is given, a purpose for writing is given, and a common conversation is created.
So, this week, I want you to write a letter to a character in Crime and Punishment. In your letter, I want you to give them advice. Explain to them what they have done and what you think they should do to fix the problem. Be sure to examine not just the short term effects of the solution, but also the long term effects. Look at the novel as a whole.
Dear Sonia,
ReplyDeleteI’ve been meaning to write to you for quite some time. After observing your actions, I want to give you some advice!
Confidence is a very important aspect in delegating, relationships, and life in general. Unfortunately, though you are intelligent, faithful, and generous, confidence is something I believe I can help you with. I see you offering support and companionship to Raskolnikov. For this, I applaud you. He is difficult to handle, and someone I do not know if I could be with for extended periods of time. Additionally, your advice for Raskolnikov to firstly, confess to the law that he is a murderer and second, to repent his sins to the Lord was wonderful and just what a guy like him needs. However, when you speak to him, say it with confidence. I often find you shaking, speaking meekly, and avoiding eye contact with Raskolnikov. With the mind and faith you have, this is not necessary. You have what it takes to truly be helpful to Raskolnikov, so own it. When you speak to him, look him in the eye, stand up, and say it loudly. Remain steady and speak compassionately, but firmly. This way, Raskolnikov will treat you with nothing but respect, and he will likely carry out the desired task in a more rapid, appropriate manner. Do not be afraid to not only encourage Raskolnikov to confess, but make him. This is a very serious matter, and you and I both know that repenting as soon as possible is in Raskolnikov’s best interest; therefore, make sure the advice you give him is executed with confidence.
Not only will confidence in your voice, stance, and mindset as a whole aid your relationship with Raskolnikov, but it will guarantee a higher social status and even a change in the occupation you currently have. For example, you know Raskolnikov’s sister, Dounia? Look at her “rank” in society simply because she speaks with confidence and direction. She knows what she wants, trusts herself, and speaks like she is aware of these qualities. Dounia does not see herself as inferior to others, so she is not. The same can happen with you Sonia! Think about the relationship you have with God, the wisdom you have inside, and your ability to advise others appropriately. You are intelligent, powerful, and have the potential to be equal to those around you. Do not continue to act as if you are inferior to others, act as an independent, strong, and decisive woman. With this newfound strength, you can finally have that conversation with your family about getting out of prostitution and into a job you truly want. With confidence, do not ask for permission, ask for forgiveness. You have been waiting on others for far too long. You are your own person, and a beautiful-minded one must I say, so take it and run! Speak up for what you believe in and, always do it in a powerful manner; the time is now!
Sonia-- I want you to remember, I do not think badly of you. I believe that all you need is a little confidence, mental strength, and independence in order to live the life you have always wanted.
IF you take my advice, a new job, more respectful relationships, a higher social status, and a more directed, confident life awaits you!
Sincerely,
Felicia Pasadyn
Dear Raskolnikov,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Morgan and I would like to give you some advice on the troubles you have dealt with recently. My intent of this letter is to help you, and I hope this will motivate you to consider some possible solutions to your troubles.
First of all, I want to address the murder and your viewpoints in committing the action. From what I have read in the novel in which you are featured, Crime and Punishment, you have murdered an old pawnbroker by the name of Alyona Ivanovna and her younger sister Lizaveta, despite having only the intentions to murder Alyona, as you had described her life as “sickly, stupid, and ill-natured” (1.6.14). As I do not personally know Alyona, I can not say whether or not she is kind-hearted or not, but I can say that I do not believe either were needed to be killed with such a lack of emotion. This concerns me, as it is apparent that your mental health is in dire need of assistance. I might not be a medical professional, but I have some advice that should be helpful, regardless of the severity of your mental state.
To start, I believe you need to look at the bigger picture and be the better person. Is Alyona Ivanovna that much of a disruption to society that you feel the need to inflict harm upon her? Personally, despite how terrible a human might be, there is never a need to treat them with less respect than any other. I feel that you had these emotions towards her because of her occupation as a pawnbroker. Although this might not be an entirely ethical job to others around her, this is how she survives.
I am aware that she had cheated poor people with her actions and had beaten her younger slave-like sister, which has caused you extreme dislike towards her. Despite these awful decisions and actions that Alyona has performed, you need to accept that she is only adding to her own fate, in which you should not have affected. For example, I might not someone because of their hateful words towards others, yet I understand they have the choice and it will catch up to the them in the long run. Although I may be deeply frustrated with the individual, causing them any harm would put me in a position just as bad as their own.
Instead of physically taking out your frustration, I suggest that you talk to someone about the circumstance, in order to view the possible outcomes that can result. Not only does discussing your feelings with another individual relieving for your stress, yet it also helps prevent any additional actions that can cause negative outcomes on one’s life, whether it be your own or someone else's. I know this might not seem convincing by my explanations, but it is a much better way of showing your emotions than committing a murder.
Consider the long-term and short-term effects of having a therapeutic conversation. In the short-term, your emotions should subside rather quickly, and you can learn how to deal with the anger you feel towards others in non-harmful ways. In the long-term, there would no longer be any lives lost, due to your inability to control your decisions. In general, you should be much happier from talking with others about your issues, rather than having your feelings built up inside of you, causing an outburst like such with Alyona Ivanovna.
Once again, I am no medical professional, but I am positive that talking to someone will benefit you in the long run, whether you believe it or not. Maybe you would be able to accept others more and have a greater outlook on life!
Sincerely,
Morgan Senyitko
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ReplyDeleteDear Peter Petrovich Luzhin,
ReplyDeleteFor some time, I have been noticing some of your actions when interacting with Raskolnikov's. I would like to give you some advice for the future so you do not make the same mistakes as you did with Dounia Raskolnikov and her family.
First of all, I would just like to state that your dreams of an ideal wife and life are a bit selfish and condescending. If all you want to do is be able to have control over your wife, another person with a mind and soul of her own, you may want to reconsider having a committed relationship. In Dounia’s case, you were too uninvolved and did not respect her and her family enough. In order to have a working, healthy relationship, the power must be shared between the two individuals, rather than just the male figure in the relationship. Dounia, an independent and strong woman, recognized this fact and realized that you were just using her for your own selfish desires. I would highly recommend to reshape your morals and values based off of this experience and maybe try to love someone for who they are and not just for yourself.
A second piece of advice for you is to not judge people too quickly. As seen with Rodion Raskolnikov, Dounia’s brother, you were to quick to judge him even before you met him. Yes, he did make some rude comments to you when you first came to his apartment, but he was going through a rough time when you came and did not like the way his mother wrote about you in her letter to him. Going along with your selfish desires, you should not just assume to take advantage of people right from the start. Your methods failed you when meeting Dounia’s brother because Raskolnikov is quite intelligent and is too smart to fall into your trap so you could have the upper hand in your relationship. If you were to accept Dounia’s family as they are rather than following your twisted dream life, you would have had a wonderful experience and maybe ended up enjoying the Raskolnikov's.
Now, this event is now in the past and you must move forward. However, I do recommend that you try to be more accepting and less judgemental of others when trying to find a nice partner. These methods of sharing the power in the relationship and respecting their family will help you find your ideal wife and you will be much happier because of this.
Sincerely,
Alana Melvin
Dear Raskolnikov,
ReplyDeleteI am writing this letter to you to address the some issues that you have been dealing with. When you first killed the pawnbroker, you described it in a way that sounded emotionless, like killing this person meant nothing to you. The only thing that you were afraid of the whole time was getting caught and ruining your reputation. I guess it can be a good thing that you at least care about that, but I don't think you've realized fully what you have done. You took someone's life, you know that. However, you may have not realized that you took someone's daughter, someones friend. You took away a contributing member to this world, a being trying to survive just like everyone else.
A life on the run is no life at all. There is a difference between surviving and living. You are surviving. The only way to get out of this is to try and do better. You are living with anxiety right now not because of the fear of getting caught, but because of the guilt you carry inside you. You need to start forgiving yourself and doing what is right for others.
Sincerely,
Victoria Petrencsik
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Marmeladov,
ReplyDeleteI am writing to you both today in hopes of relieving some stress and alleviating the pain of Semyons’ alcoholism. It is very apparent in the observations I have made that you are both enduring an immense struggle.
Katerina - you are struggling with coming up with money to keep your home, raise three children, face the fact that Sonia, your sweet daughter has gone to prostitution to help bring money into the home, and to top it all off, you are doing this all alone with an alcoholic husband that disappears for weeks on end and steals the money you and Sonia worked so hard to earn.
Semyon - you are struggling with a very demanding addiction that numbs your pain. You are aware of your addiction and have even fought to diminish the attraction to alcohol but you always resort back to it. Do you know why this happens? I do. You have even admitted drunk to Raskolnikov that “(you) drink because (you) want to suffer!” (1.2.21). You need to fight this addiction for not only your family, but most importantly for yourself. You need to want to be happy and to improve your situation for yourself first otherwise you will not succeed. That is a promise.
Katerina, I know how frustrated you are with Semyon but you need to be patient and love him how you once loved him. Your support and patience with this process of beating his addiction will go a long way. When times get tough, you need to remind yourself of who he once was and who he can be, and how much love you two will share once Semyon beats this addiction.
I wish you both the best of luck and if at any time you need help or more advice, do not hesitate to write me.
Sincerely,
Allison Krueger
Mr. Svidrigailov,
ReplyDeleteOr can I call you Arkady? It seems that though I know you only from your words, from watching your actions through the lens of my imagination, I know you better than I know some of my own friends. And yet, I still seem to know absolutely nothing at all.
You are the essential man of mystery, perfectly unpredictable and cloaked in a hilarious shroud of indifference for the feelings of those around you. You seem to think that you can do no wrong, and yet at your one moment of weakness you elect take your own life. You laugh at tragedies and have a knack for appearing at just the right moment - especially if that moment revolves around the confession of a murderer to his soon-to-be lover. You are pure evil yet I find humor in the mischief you inevitably create. You are the perfect contradiction; you are a villain that we all love to hate.
However, despite the absurdity in your evil, your major flaw is unforgivable. In your mind, you are the owner of your environment. The place is yours. But more importantly, you think that the people are yours - and what poor people they are indeed. There was Philip, for whom it is rumored that your “constant and systematic persecution...that forced, or better to say, inclined him to a violent death” (4.2.42), and there was Martha, whose untimely death may be due to your hands. Now, for them, all there ever can be is was. For Dunia, considering your unsavory advances, she is lucky that she still is. But for all of the other women you have yet to come across, their is may quickly turn into was. You admit that you came to St. Petersburg “mostly on account of the women,” (6.3.53) and question “Why should [you] give up women, if that’s the way I’m inclined? At least it’s an occupation” (6.3.57) Rape is not an occupation. You are not a good man. To you, people are not flesh and bone, but they are porcelain. They are beautiful dolls for you to play with, and you cannot find it within your heart to care when they break.
But Dunia. She broke you.
As soon as “she shook her head in the negative” (6.5.99) and you realized she “could...never…” (6.5.100) love you, your facade fell away. For you, this may have been the only hope you had left. For you to understand your wrongdoings, it took the one person who you may have truly cared about to reject you. Dunia said no, and through the pain you felt in that moment, you seemed to finally understand the pain that you inflicted upon so many other souls. In Dunia’s angry sorrow, you saw Martha, and you saw Philip. And if the woman who you claimed to love was willing to kill you - and worse, you were willing to kill her - then what was there for you here?
Truth. That’s what there was. You should have faced your wrongs, and done your best to make them right. You should have left the tavern and the amnesiac powers of the bottle behind you, and set out to make the most of the honest life you could have made for yourself. You should have left St. Petersburg for the same reason you came; you may have come on the account of the women, but upon realizing your fatal flaw, you should have left on account of protecting those women. Through leaving your vices behind, you could have been free.
Instead, you chose oblivion as your freedom. You chose death over life, and the unknown over the work of rebuilding a life. Dunia helped you realize your wrongs, and you could have had a chance to make them right. Now, your death is as much of a mystery of the life you led, and you have lost all hope of solving those mysteries for yourself and others.
Are you free, now? Perhaps. Perhaps it is better you are dead. But I cannot help but think how wonderful your life could have been if you chose to truly live it.
Regards,
Audrey
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ReplyDeleteDear Mister Rodion Raskolnikov,
ReplyDeleteI am writing to you today to try and help you out. I have been briefed of your situation, and it seems that finally you are coming to some closure. However, if that closure is ever reopened again, I, as a friend, want to make sure that you are feeling well at the end of your problem.
I understand that before your term in Siberia, that you kept many of your inner thoughts to yourself, and thusly this lead to your murder of the pawnbroker and her sister, and much inner suffering. I do not wish to bring up past dirt, but if these fiery, misleading feelings ever rose again, then I believe there is a way for you to put them out. I have seen that you have people around you that care for you, Your mother Pulcheria, your sister, Dunia, Razumikhin, and the lovely Sonia. These people are with you, and still are even now. If you have a problem, share it with them. I always say, “Ni imay sto ruble, imay sto druzei,” which means to not have 100 rubles, but 100 friends. That is because friends help more than money, and more than anything else. Friends are always there for each other, and are understanding of your feelings. I guarantee, they will listen, and will give you advice as to advance, as I am trying to do right now. I often have talks with my friend Soda Popinsky over some drinks when we are down and out. I talk of my school, and he talks of his boksom. We get a lot off of our chest. So when you are feeling negative, sad, depressed, or any emotion at all, tell your friends. They will support you. Even before, when you were acting strangely and passing out in your room, Razumikhin was trying to help you. He would talk to you, and try to figure out the problem you had, even if you were driving him up the stena(wall). Still, he tried to be there for you. Our friend, Ms. Sonia Marmeladov is there for you. She was scared at first, but helped you the best she could. She even went to that priton Siberia to be with you, even when she didn’t have to. The thing I am saying to trust and talk to your friends, they will help you with anything you need, and may relieve you of any anguish you feel. It just may set you completely free of negative thought. If you feel a need to talk, always send the parchment. That is the advice I give to you my dear friend, and I hope you take it well. Be strong Rodion. Udachi.
Sincerely,
Mikhail Greggovksy( Michael Gregg)
Dear Mr. Razumikhin,
ReplyDeleteIt has come to my recent attention that you have put yourself in some very severe situations concerning your good friend Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov. Although I appreciate your tenderness and compassion towards your good friend, I must warn you of the consequences of pursuing a friendship such like this one. I have insight that your good friend is not who he may seem, and both his actions and ideas are harmful and destructive towards society. I do not bring up this destruction to hurt you, but rather I hope that news like this will push you towards a much brighter future. You have a very radiant personality Razumikhin, and I believe that you have the ability to make your life a very successful one.
In order to live the best life possible for yourself, I believe it is time to cut off all relationships with Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov. You have done what you needed to; you helped him get on his feet after he was unwell, and you even bought him clothes hoping that they would clean up both his appearance and his actions. He no longer needs your help, and it’s time that you move on towards helping your own career. You are a very intelligent man. You graduated from the University and work now at a publishers. However, what is even more impressive is your desire. You don’t let the horrid surroundings of St. Petersburg get you down (like Raskolnikov has). My dear Razumikhin, you have the ability to make it in this world, climbing up the social ladder using your dedication and determination for success. You should not let this fire inside of you burn out, but rather use it to its fullest potential. I recall you mentioning once how you have some money that was left for you by a distant relative. I remember you saying that “This uncle has got a thousand rubles, and he lives on his pension and has no need of the money” (4.3.24). This is quite the opportunity, and I also know that you have “...been dreaming of setting up as a publisher” (4.3.25). This is an opportunity that you can not overlook, Razumikhin. Not only will it alleviate you from the current dangerous games you are playing, but it will also help ensure you of a successful future. There is no doubt in my mind that you are capable of achieving these dreams, and with your constant love for others and hard working personality, you will come out the other side as a successful man.
I feel as if I must also address another monumental event occuring in your life: Dunia. Although I have a strong disliking towards her brother, I must say that Dunia is nothing short of spectacular. She is headstrong, and doesn’t allow societal stereotypes to convince her to behave in a certain way. I believe that the two of you together could be something extraordinary. You have proven yourself to the family, especially Pulcheria. After Raskolnikov went momentarily mad, you “...took his place with them as a son and as a brother” (4.3.57). Now that you have gained their love and trust, it is time to become a husband. However, I must warn you of the fragility of Dunia’s heart. In such a short span of time, she has had to go through so much, including Svidrigailov's assault and Luzhin’s evil intentions. Please remember that Dunia’s heart is a precious thing, and you must do your best to protect it and cherish it.
A lot of your recent actions have not been very good, Razumikhin. However, being the person you are, you have the ability to strongly rebound from them and live a very successful life. I hope that you take this advice, Razumikhin. If you don’t, I’m afraid you’ll end up just like that murderer Raskolnikov.
With warm regards,
Erika
{Laura Miles Part 1}
ReplyDeleteDearest Raskolnikov,
Oh hello sir. I am writing to you to express some complaints of mine. I may not know you personally, but I know you well enough to understand that you have all kinds of problems. I don’t really know what your deal is or if you need legitimate mental help, but you need to get on it. I suppose I would consider this a letter of advice from me to you, since you obviously need help when it comes to interacting with other people.
First of all, I don’t know who you think you are, but you are not better than anybody else. I mean really, it boggles me that you think that you are cooler than everybody around you. Like, take a look. You quit school, your apartment is n a s t y, you wear ratty clothes and let’s be honest, your personal hygiene is not the best. But you still have the nerve to say that you have, “‘the inner right to permit [your] conscience to transgress...certain obstacles, but only if the execution of [your] idea-which might involve the salvation of all mankind-demands it’” (3.5.81). I’m sorry, but what is wrong with you, sir? Who are you to say who is extraordinary and who is not? What makes you think that certain individuals who identify themselves as extraordinary have the right to upset everything upon which society is built upon. It is nobody else’s fault that you are oblivious to basic morals that communities of people embrace in order to live actual lives. So, I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I’m not really sorry if I offend you, but that I am sorry that you exist. Maybe you would have been happier living in more primitive days when humans had to kill each other to assert their dominance, but sometimes in life you just don’t get what you want. You need to acclimate yourself to the idea that, generally, everybody respects that you should not kill people because you don’t like them.
{Laura Miles Part 2}
ReplyDeleteSecondly, you need to quit being rude to your mom and your sister. I know that you are trying to play the whole ‘being extraordinary’ role, but obviously you are struggling. One second, you are all protective of your family, telling them about how you think Peter is such a bad match for Dunia. You even say, “Dunia [I] simply needed. She [is] necessary. It [is] unthinkable for [me] to forgo her” (4.3.2). But the next second, you decide that you never want to see them again, “‘Leave me! Leave me alone! That’s the decision I made, I made it a while back. The decision I made...Whatever happens to me, whether I go to wrack and ruin or not, I want to be alone. Just forget me’” (4.3.33.). Even though you say you’ve made a decision, we all know that you don’t really know what you want. Instead of making everybody feel like they are impeding upon your thinking time, maybe take a hot second to actually think about how your actions affect the people you actually care about. I mean, God forbid you actually care about anybody though, you are too extraordinary for that. Speaking of God, what about Sonia? Don’t you love her? Why would you go out of your way to make her feel just as terrible and conflicted as you do? You tell her,”’...I couldn’t bear my burden and have come to throw it on another: you suffer too, and I shall feel better’” (5.4.105)! But then, you decide to throw yourself at her feet once you are in Siberia in prison??? This girl has done nothing but offer you mental support and has tried to help you see God so many times and all you do is act like a crazy maniac that can’t decide whether he wants to love her or hate her. MAKE UP YOUR MIND!!! Maybe once you realize that you are just as messed up as everybody else, you will be able to form real relationships and you will be able to work out your feelings in more productive ways than murdering women.
In conclusion, I think you might want to consider doing some community service or something to help you learn how to interact with other people. If you start to understand that you aren’t as cool as you initially thought, maybe you will be more inclined to speak more kindly to other people. Maybe you won’t feel so isolated and depressed. If you stop trying to prove your superiority, maybe you will be able to have an actual relationship with your family, friends and Sonia. Maybe if you embrace other people rather than push them away, you will not have to think about the river again.
Get a grip,
Laura
Dear Dunya,
ReplyDeleteIt hurts my heart to have to write this letter to you. You have all of the promises in the world to make yourself, your life healthier and happier, but you fell back into looming societal patriarchy. It’s not you that I blame for this. How could I? I write this in a whole different lifetime, and I still face some of the struggles that you do. I must beg you to not marry Luzhin. Do not do this for your brother. He does not deserve your love and admiration.
It may sound harsh and absurd. You are probably cursing me now and calling me a fool, but I urge you to view your brother as the person he is. He is not just your lifelong friend, but he has ideas and values that I can assure you do not match with your own. Do you believe in equality? Your brother does not, and he warrants that these “extraordinary” men can kill because of their power. Is that the kind of world you want to live in?
Yes, you will face rejection if you do not choose your family, but I must encourage you that you can take this rejection and fuel it into your own success. You will surely feel no happiness in a man that sees you as property, and you will be angered more and more by your brother that gives away money you worked for. It is hard to choose yourself. Believe me, I know. However, you cannot go around bending over backward for someone who would not lift a finger for you.
My dear Dunya, you will never be free if you choose to marry a man that finds pleasure in controlling you. He is not as successful as you think, and he does not love you. He loves his money, and your brother loves himself. It is not your job, your responsibility to save someone that has proven his irresponsibility. Leave Russia if you must, but do not let the world drag you down. You have perseverance that is hard to find in this world, but there is no reason to waste it on some brother that never visited and never took the time to thank you for the risks you had to take. He threw your money into the water! He is at a loss of who he is, but he should not be taking down his family with him. Dunya, you have tried to help him, but this bond that Luzhin is trying to form is not necessary. It is only necessary for those who love society more than themselves. Do not try to bond a square peg in a round hole. It won’t last, but most of all, neither will you.
I know that this is a daunting task, but if you decide to fulfill your life, then you can live for yourself. I am not condoning a world that doesn’t help out their own family, but you must see how horrible it is that your brother has asked so much of you and your mother. The two of you do not deserve that. You do not rise at his beck and call. I am asking you to be your own person. The short term may seem miserable. It will not be easy, but in the end, you will be able to find your own happiness and seize the life that you deserve to live. The choice is yours. The choice should always be yours.
My best regards,
Rachel Russo
Dear Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov,
ReplyDeleteI am writing you to share some advice I think could help you with your current situation involving Dunia Raskolnikov. I also wanted to send my condolences for the passing of your wife, Marfa. What a stunning and sudden passing. Many were surprised by her early departure from this earth.
To begin, I wanted to share what I have heard in regards to the relationship between Miss Dunia Raskolnikov and yourself. It was brought to my attention that there was an incident with Miss Raskolnikov and you that was wildly taken out of context resulting in “quite a wrong interpretation of the situation” (1.3.34) being spread throughout the neighborhood. Although later on after Marfa had plenty of time to “slander Dunia and throw dirt at her in every family” (1.3.34) you eventually apologized and cleared up the situation in which any advances that took place were of your own doing, it worried me that this happened in the first place. Imagine my stunned, yet not completely surprised, reaction when I was told the situation Dunia Raskolnikov found herself in after your invitation to your temporary living arrangements to discuss her brother and your plan to “save him” and “send him away at once” (6.5.43). If it had not been for her quick thinking and planning ahead because she knew the man she was dealing with, what would have come of the night? You are one lucky man that the woman you tried to have your way with was none other than Dunia Raskolnikov. Your attempts and poor choices in the past are despicable.
After sharing my disdain for your actions and decisions, I have advice going forward. I was pleased to know that after both of these incidents, you ended up doing the right thing in the end. However, it is best that these situations never occur in the first place. I understand that Dunia is the woman that you love, but the way to show a woman that you love her is not by forcing her into situations that make her uncomfortable. It is also not by manipulating her through the threatening of exposing her family’s secrets or using the position of her employer to sway her decisions. Being kind, helpful, and understanding will provide the best chance at a relationship with the woman that you love. The kind gesture of your donations to your fiance's family, Mrs. Marmeladov, and Dunia show that you are capable of doing the right thing. Continue to listen to your moral compass because it is clear that in both bad cases involving Miss Raskolnikov, you have ultimately done the right thing. Do not give up hope, but do not force reality to fit your fantasy. One last piece of advice I have would be to ask for forgiveness from Dunia and hope that she understands. However, if she does not forgive you with your apology, she is not required to and that must be something you accept and move on in life.
I hope your future is bright and I hope that my advice can be of use to you. You are a man in love that lets your emotions cloud your judgement. If you truly love her, think of what is in Dunia’s best interest and what will ultimately be best for the both of you going forward.
Best of luck,
Abby Rudolph
Dear Raskolnikov,
ReplyDeleteThe letter in front of you today is to help guide you in order to live your life to its fullest. It has come to my attention that your mental state hasn’t been even moderately stable and I would like to help with that.
Your mind has become a prevalent factor in the downfall of your life; let’s be truthful your life isn’t in the best possible condition it could be. You go on phases of either constant alertness having the anxiety of being caught, yet if you wouldn’t have let your ego get to you none of this would’ve happened. You even stated, “He will suffer if he is sorry for his victim. Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth” (3.5.63). Why would you believe such a mentality? Did you not know what the extent of the consequence could be?
You need to attempt to counter all of these horrific effects. First off to counter, do not, I repeat, do not murder someone. As you have seen, it provides you with an exponential amount of anxiety and disrupted your sleep patterns. A numerous amount of scientific studies have shown that by following a regular sleep schedule rather than “getting less than seven hours of sleep every night shortens your telomeres. Artificially shortened telomeres cause the cells to age faster, putting you at higher risk for a variety of problems” (Nichols). This would only make your mental state worse and could decrease your length of life, no time to live your dreams with Sonia. Secondly and finally, go see a psychologist. You will be able to talk to them about your problems and they will not be allowed to tell law enforcement about what you have done. This is also better than talking through it with Sonia. Yes, you will build a closer relationship with her, however, you will be consoled on ways to better your situation and life. This will also teach you methods to counter other harmful events that rest in your future.
I want you to live your life to the fullest and better your mental state for the rest of your life.
Get better,
Nathan Musto
Dear Sonya,
ReplyDeleteI’m writing to you old friend because I worry about you. How is your family? I heard about what happened to your father and I just wanted to see how you were taking it… I know things may seem hard not but I know you’ll be okay. You’ve been strong for your family before working and all, though I worry how you’re dealing with the grief. I just wanted to check up on you and hopefully give you some advice to move through this hard time in your life without destroying yourself.
I am not writing to you to judge you, only out of concern. Word travels fast and I’ve heard that you’re hanging around with a strange man, Raskolnikov. Correct me if I’m wrong but there are rumors circulating he may have been responsible for the murders. This is just my opinion but Sonya my dear, I wouldn’t want to associate myself with someone of his particular manner… Look I don’t want to say anything bad about your man friend I just don’t think this is the right time for you two to be in each other’s presence. Sonya I know you’re a good girl. Believe me I don’t think you need to have such a big heart in this case. You barely know this man and he’s not like you. He isn’t caring and doesn’t share the same beliefs as you. I can’t help but think this isn’t right for you, at least during this point in your life.
In the honest to God truth, and trust me you and me don’t play around when it comes to Him, I don’t think you should be associating yourself with this Raskolnikov character. I’m just not convinced he’s what you need right now. My dear, I think you should focus on yourself. You’re working to support your family, you’re father just passed away, for goodness sake your mother is the one who forced you to be a prostitute. I just think you have so much already to worry about and this random guy just comes along with even more baggage. Your world does not have to revolve around him, believe me he won’t be the only man to ever come into your life. I think you need to take a break and focus on you for once. Take the time to make sure YOU are taken care of. You’re so sweet and considerate and kind and I don’t want anyone to take advantage of that. How do you know this fellow is worth it? Your family needs you more than him and you and your mother clearly have things you need to work out too. Now is not the time to get involved with frivoluous men you’re such a strong woman don’t let him tie you down. He has nothing to offer you: no job, didn’t finish school, I’ve heard he thinks of no one but himself. I really believe you don’t need that in your life right now.
Please just consider what I’m telling you Sonya, you have the chance to do better. Take my advice darling and focus on yourself. Finally work through all your troubles and do something for yourself. You can’t take care of everyone and that’s not a bad thing. I think you’ll be even stronger and be more satisfied with your life if you concentrate on you, at least for a little bit. Then who knows maybe then you can try being in something healthy with that Raskolnikov fellow.
Best of wishes,
Maleia
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ReplyDeleteDear Pyotr Petrovitch Luzhin,
ReplyDeleteI am writing to you today in order to discuss a matter of the utmost importance. Now I may not know you personally, but after witnessing the failure of your marriage with Dunya and being subjected to several grueling chapters of your endlessly condescending and misogynistic thought process I would like to offer some advice on mending your insufferably fragile ego. If you are still reading at this point, good for you! Not immediately burning this letter after I insulted you is a small step in the right direction.
First of all, I would like to address your view on women because you, sir, are a misogynist. Considering you perpetually “exist” in 19th century Russia, this behavior is probably unchecked, unnoticed, or uncared about in most of the social circles you run in, assuming anybody willingly tolerates your sanctimonious attitude at all. Reflecting on your short-lived engagement with Dunya is a good place to start. You perceived both her and her mother as “... poor and defenseless women” who you could not believe got out from under your “power” (Dostoyevsky 4.3.1). I honestly don’t need to tell you this was wrong because even if you won’t admit it you know you were. Dunya beat you. She broke your weird, sexist, childish fantasy and that’s why I believe before anything you need to accept that you’re not above anybody. Not Dunya, not Sonya, not even Raskolnikov. Once you can do this reevaluate what you think marriage is because the “girl who would all her life regard [you] as her salvation, stand in awe of [you], obey [you], and wonder at [you] and [you] alone” (Dostoyevsky 4.3.2) isn’t a wife, she’s a slave. Serfdom has been abolished, that’s gross, move on.
Second of all, you need to address those deep-seated insecurities of yours. Oh and if you’re still reading by this point, awesome job, keep it up! You’re a successful guy. You’re still terrible, but successful and hey if Raskolnikov isn’t a lost cause nobody is. Besides, who doesn’t love a good redemption arc? Anyways I’m just an armchair psychologist, but even I know anybody with an ego as inflated as yours is usually hiding something beneath the surface. You’re older right? About forty-five? You’ve worked most of your life to get where you are and dream of moving up into high society, but do you really think you’ll get there by getting “... offended and unacknowledged to the highest degree” (Dostoyevsky 4.3.1) and planting “stolen” money on Sonya? No. No, you won’t. Now I don’t know where these insecurities come from, or what they are, or even if they really exist, but let me leave you with this: Take a long look at yourself, Pyotr. Look at everything you’ve done, everything you’ve accomplished, everything you said. Then look somewhere else. At the others around you, people in need, people struggling-- that was probably you once, am I right? The struggle is real man. People probably tried to push you down, remember? You weren’t born traditionally wealthy or given the highest degree of education like a lot of the people around you, but you had grit my dude. Perseverance is key so keep at it. Persevere to be a better person, persevere to be more humble, persevere to treat others how you would have wanted to be treated when you were in their position. Money’s great, but do you really want to wake up one day and realize nobody will ever truly love or appreciate you because everyone hates your guts for being a narcissistic snake? Probably not.
My final point is pretty brief; you can do better.
Thank you for reading,
Kaeli
Raskolnikov,
ReplyDeleteI am writing this letter to try and help you. I hope you realize that what you did was wrong and that you no longer believe that "extraordinary men have the right to commit any crime and to transgress the law in any way, just because they are extraordinary" (3.5.89) because you cannot truly feel remorse with this mindset. I hope that your time in Siberia will help you realize that what you did is not acceptable so that you can ask for forgiveness and be freed of guilt. Sonya wants to help you too, and you should let her. She told you to confess your sins so that you will be made right with God and so that you would be forgiven. Although you did a horrible thing, there is still hope of a future for you.
Dear Raskolnikov,
ReplyDeleteBeginnings are funny, are they not? The effort we put into starting the chain reaction of choice and consequence is comparable only the effort used to stop that very same reaction. It is such a struggle to find the correct words and phrases and mannerisms to begin; one could argue that this practice and delicateness is pointlessly frivolous. The rational conclusion, then, it is to skip the introductions, the pleasantries, the smoke and mirrors, and get straight to the point, to the meat of the argument. Despite this, I believe you too see that this a faulty conclusion.
However, I am getting ahead of myself. My name is Zach, and I wish to give some advice. Though you do not nor will ever know me, I know you fairly well. I have seen all your actions and thoughts and words; do not think about this too hard or you'll send yourself into another existential crisis. The point is that I have seen a major flaw in all your actions up to this point.
Time and time again, you seem committed to your ideas and theories, that they must be right, that the world operates logically. You murdered the pawnbroker and her sister because it logically made sense. You hid from everyone, even yourself, your guilt because it was irrational. You grew upset as you walked Moscow and saw all its contradictions. You grew angry with yourself for confessing your crimes and the irrationality of it all. There is a common thread in all these scenarios: your assumption that the world and humanity run logically, according to rational.
It does not.
Sure, the natural laws that govern the universe (eg. chemistry, physics, etc.) may be set in place, but people are extremely different. They have an incalculable variable: emotions. If everyone acted solely in a manner that was logical, the world would be much more predictable. However, this is not the case; people are subject to their beliefs, their perspective, their feelings.
Is this a bad thing? I would say no. It makes us all unique, unpredictable, and special. I believe that irrationality is what makes us human. However, assuming that you still disagree with me, this is at the very least an important note to be aware of.
So what is the point then of all this? In essence, you need to relax. Open up to a more emotional and "irrational" way of thinking. It is okay to not logical all the time. It is okay to have fun. I am glad to see that you appear to have somewhat taken this view after realizing you love Sonia. However, I still believe you need to work on it. I wish you the best of luck in whatever endeavor you choose to follow next.
From, Zachary Wiles
No it does not. The world does not work by simple logic. If it did, things would be much easier. People do have emotions, and then do irrational things, like Raskolnikov himself has emotions, and that leads him to irrational things in our opinion. This irrationality does lead to people being special, and being unique in their own way, and doesn't make them necessarily bad, like you have said Zach, and agree with you on that.
DeleteI think though, that I may have said earlier, Raskolnikov is not rational, at least to me. Killing in any sort of sense, is not rational. It is wrong and immoral, and not rational. They haven't looked at other ways to deal with a problem. They just kill, and that is what Raskolnikov does. He could have talked to others about his feelings, and practiced them in different ways, but didnt', making his choice in this situation, irrational, even though he believes, is rational.
Dear Raskolnikov,
ReplyDeleteI am first writing this letter to tell you that therapy is not a bad thing... at all. Other than that, putting yourself in the mindset of others can help you feel remorse with their lifestyle and with what you've done as a person. In other terms, take your love with Sonya to the next level so that she can help bring you down and make you a better person as she, even though a prostitute herself, brings good values to your bad choices. My big advice to you though would go back to school, you were formerly a student and still wear that (coat?) so better yourself as a member of society by doing so and gain more healthy relationships in the process. Lastly, use your faults to your advantage. Yes, you may be a nihilist, "cleanly", and may have a mood-disorder or two with that flat affect of yours, just let others understand and use cleaning to take your mind off of your problems, nihlism has many advantages, and like I originally said therapy is the best! Therapy #1!
Dear Raskolnikov,
ReplyDeleteI am writing to you today in an attempt to offer you some advice about your current predicament. I have heard that your mind has gotten the best of you and I believe that I can help you get through this.
The mind is a very powerful thing and it can cause you to act out or do things that you would not normally do. Other people and your own thoughts or emotions can tear you apart. You have done a terrible thing. Homicide is never justified and on top of that, your mind itself has betrayed you. The guilt alone seemed enough to make you want to turn yourself in. I know you believe that you have to “Break what must be broken, once for all, that's all, and take the suffering on oneself” (4.4.216). However, that is not the case. You cannot reverse the crime, but you can take steps toward the future that will lead to a betterment of your mental state. I want to offer some advice that will help you through this journey.
You already confessed to your crime and are currently awaiting the end of your prison sentence, which is a good first step forward. However, there is still more that needs to be done. You now need to confess spiritually and ask for forgiveness from God. Your guilt will continue to haunt you even after your sentence has expired if you do not ask for forgiveness. Even if God does not hear you, you will hear yourself and you will finally be able to come to terms with your actions. If you can at least ask yourself for forgiveness, you will be able to move forward. You also have to be able to accept your crime and find ways to move on. Once you get out of prison, do things to distract yourself and try new things as a way to leave your old life behind you. Learning to accept and move on will allow you to rid your mind ofthe pain for any leftover suffering you may experience. However, acceptance is different than denial. Never forget what you have done, for it is now a part of you and our past truly shapes our future. Instead, acknowledge the mistakes that you have made and use those to help you learn in the future. If you follow this advice, it should make what is to come just a little bit easier.
Getting through this may be difficult, but just remember: Ask for forgiveness and try to move on to a new life, but never forget your past.
Sincerely,
Blake McClain
I really do like how you advise Raskolnikov to ask forgiveness from God. It is like fully breaking Raskolnikov's attempts to be existentialist. And saying that even if God doesn't listen, yourself will is really interesting as well, because that is something I do in my inner self, and gets something off of my chest without have to actually physically saying something. Also, never forgetting, but accepting, is a really good way of moving on. He should know that he screwed up, but move on from it, and realize what he did was wrong, and start anew.
DeleteI think another way he could move forward is if he wrote to the family, if there is any, of the people he murdered, and apologize, officially telling both them, and himself, that he is sorry. This way of moving forward allows for everyone involved with the situation to move forward as well from the loss, and now Raskolnikov can gain from the experience, and become a better person, and hopefully the relatives can understand in a sense what he did, and somewhat accept his apology.
Dear Marmeladov,
ReplyDeleteYou could not save your wife from hunger or beatings. You could not save your daughter from your wife or the cold. You could not save your family from your drunken state. And you cried, Marmeladov, about being a failure. Poverty, you say, doesn’t kill a man, but destitute does. The drinking kills you, yet you cannot stop. You talk with gusto about how you need it though it makes you suffer. How you need it because it makes you suffer more.
Was the suffering worth it? Was it worth it to watch a man beat your wife? To see her cry, not from the beating but her broken pride? Was it worth it to see your daughter sold into prostitution? To see her and your wife try to take comfort in one another as you watch in the distance, drunk?
Maybe you think your suffering is over, but I ask you to look up. Watch as your wife--now a widow--throws away money on a funeral you did not deserve. Katerina Ivanovna, the woman so concerned with impressing others that she could not look out for her children. You never did anything to help her; you just accepted these flaws as a part of her character. Now watch her get consumed with illness--a real illness as compared to yours.
Look up. Watch your daughter fall for a murderer. You cannot judge or be sad. You lost the right to protect her long ago, and this might be her one chance of happiness in the sad life you left for her to live.
Look up. Follow the student you met that day through the streets of St. Petersburg. See him through fits of delirium and reality. See him push his friend away everytime he’s shown kindness. Watch how this makes him suffer more and think how similar the two of you are. You admitted to seeing some kind of sorrow in his face, but what else did you see? Were you afraid of him taking a path like your own, and if so, why did you not warn yourself?
In life, you were dealt a bad hand. There is no rhyme or reason to poverty, I believe. However, Marmeladov...I think things could have been a little different. If on one of those nights, that you lay drunk on a bar table, you had just looked up and seen yourself in the mirror. Instead of simply accepting this state, instead of believing you deserve to suffer, if you had decided your family did not need to suffer as well, maybe you could have walked home with a little more pride one night. That night you could have fallen asleep drunk, like usual, but that could have been the last time.
Maybe it would not have been the last time, but you could have taken a note from your daughter’s book. She clung so tightly to confession in order to save a soul many may believe lost. She has no choice to continue doing what she does, and perhaps you had no choice when tempted by alcohol. Yet I think you took too much comfort in the fact that you believed you were lost. I think if you had not been so quick to accept things as they were, you would not have seen your family’s need for you and remained in the distance, watching in your drunken state.
Your actions could be seen as selfish. However, I just think they were incredibly sad. You spoke well and could have lived well if you were not so influenced by this idea of helplessness.
Best regards,
Abby Pizon
Dear Arkady,
ReplyDeleteZdravstvuyte! I apologize for being so late in writing you, Sviddy. I sure hope you haven’t done anything irrational lately! I wanted to write you this in hopes to help you out in your love situation with Dunia. I know you’ve had it tough. You have “‘persecuted a defenceless girl and ‘insulted her with [your] infamous proposals’’”(4.1.11) and in regards to your ex-wife, you “struck her just twice with a switch’”(4.1.21), and many believe you may have been the man who killed her. But, I digress, none of my business, boss man. I’m here to help you out. I have seen your actions through your light, and some through the light of others as well, but I can tell you, with absolute certainty, that no matter how terrible you feel about you or how they feel about you, you can change. I know, I did. It’s not worth taking your own life or any thing of the sort. You possess the ability of your own fate, and you shouldn’t allow that fate to be giving up. You’ve been through a lot, again, you have the ability to move past that and be stronger because of it. This… “Dounia mess” … I suppose I’ll call it, is nothing but a bump in your road. And what do we do with bumpy roads? We smooth them out! I believe you can do that. You are a “man with a firm purpose in his mind and able to keep it to himself”(4.1.26), and that’s exactly what it takes to be able to move on. Just because Dounia may never love you, doesn’t mean you have to act in haste. And assuredly do not put it upon her to take your life, that’s just silly. Part of moving on is accepting the things you can’t change. I surely hope you find it within yourself to do that, Svidrigailov.
Write back as soon as you get this, I infer you are located in St. Petersburg still, hopefully you haven’t move on to the land of the free just yet.
Sincerely and Dearly,
Anthony Saxton
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ReplyDeleteDear Raskolnikov,
ReplyDeleteLet me just tell you that there are enough issues in your way of living, that someone could write a 500 page book commenting and correcting your flaws. I mean to focus on one concern at the time to keep us from being overwhelmed. In your experiment of living, you recognize yourself as an exceptional individual. From personal experience, I know failing to meet these exceptionally high expectations, self-inflicts an even more exceptional pain. To live a truly free - existential - life, you must fully accept your existence as it is and relinquish this destiny you desire to achieve.
When we first met, I learned your mentality that not only were exceptional people above the law, but that they had a duty to transgress the law for the greater good. You, yourself, were projected to be among this aleate group. Therefore, it was your responsibility to work against the laws without remorse, according to your own doctrine. Considering yourself and your fellow tenants, you committed the crime of murder, so that those indebted to her could be lightened of a burden. As people became suspicious of you and your own mind continuously cycled back to the matter, you become physically ill. Even more distressing was the realization that you were not above the law, for the crime affected your own image of yourself and the perception of you to others.
Further disappointment changed the way you viewed the people entering your life. An exceptional individual does not accept funding of their family for support, but you do. An exceptional person does not hover over their lack of education, but you do. They would be able to navigate around the interceptions of their education, or even lack the need for higher education. You became hyper analytical of the people possessing roles, power, and stability that you supposedly should have had yourself. Overly suspicious of Luzhin, immensely disturbed by Svidergalaud, and easily irritated by Razumikhin for those reasons, respectfully.
All of this hurting and loss of time could have been prevented if you lived a truly existential life. Instead, you burdened yourself with this idea of who you should be. You will always be deeply disappointed, my friend, pretending to be someone that you are not, and failing to be that person. You need to accept your actions as your definition instead of your projected achievements. Time and time again, you will fail, and it will distance you from reality even further. By finding and owning your true existence, you can morph an essence in reach and discover contemptment in real situations and relationships.
I agree with you Alex. I actually wrote about this in my letter to Mr. Raskolnikov. He really should talk to people about his probelems, because there are people who will listen and try to help you with your problems, people including Pulcheria, Dunia, Sonia, and Razumikhin.
ReplyDeleteAnother way Rodion can solve his problems is by writing them down. This way, he can look and acknowledge them, and see if he is getting better. He should show this to others and have them examine in order to truly determine his state at any given moment. If he does this though, he may not always need someone with, and can successfully self check himself for issues and problems.