While of course I sympathized with Sonya, I was also very frustrated by the way that she let herself be a 'doormat' for her family on many occasions. Instead of standing up for herself, the book seemed to validate her passivity, and also suggested that Raskolnikov emulate it in his own behavior. While of course murder is never justified, the novel seemed to suggest no middle ground between denying the need for any moral laws at all and utter subjugation.
Q4. Parts of the book, like the portrait of the drunkard Marmeladov, made me laugh, while the scene in which Raskolnikov confessed his crime before the saintly Sonya made me cringe. Even though Sonya is so pious it is almost unbelievable, it is hard not to feel sympathy for her, given the contrast between her ideals and the life she is forced to live.
Q5. It is frightening to contemplate that there are many Raskolnikov-like characters today, in the form of students who are graduating and entering into an uncertain job market. They are educated, but have no clear direction in life. They often have high student loans and no jobs. They may even be filled with a sense of entitlement, but without any real accomplishments to prove their worthiness. Even Raskolnikov's existence -- living in a poor and miserable flat, entirely occupied with his books and his own imagination -- could be said to be paralleled in the instance of someone who sits online all day, reading the Internet and becoming angry about the world he sees around him. When regarding our contemporary situation...
Razumikhin Serves as Raskolonikov's Foil In Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime And Punishment; However, There Are Other Foils Present In The Book Differences between seeing life Raskolinokov's view Razmumikhin's view How each man describes each other Similarities between Razumihin and Raskolonikov Differences between treatment of friendship Differences in the symbolism of the names Other foils to Raskolonikov Svidrigailov Raskolonikov's conscience and intellect All other characters Razumikhin and Raskolonikov Razumikhin serves as Raskolonikov's foil in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment; however there are other foils present
Crime and Punishment Space and Place in Crime and Punishment Petersburg had been the capital of Russia for more than a century and a half when Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote Crime and Punishment. The capital had been established in the early part of the 18th century by Tsar Peter the Great, who, like his descendents (Catherine the Great especially), was influenced by trends in European style and philosophical thought. With the liberation of
First, the old pawnbroker may be viewed an evil person who is actually harming society by her vile and cynical grasp on the poor citizens who come to her for pawning. According to Hegel, any harmful segment of society should be removed. Therefore, Raskolnikov reasoned that by murdering the old pawnbroker, he would be removing a harmful thing from society. Next, Hegel believed that the ends justified the means, i.e., if
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Miller's Crossing gives the best example of the "ethics" of the crime film genre -- beginning as it does with the classic speech delivered by Giovanni Gasparo: "I'm talkin' about friendship -- I'm talkin' about character -- I'm talkin' about -- hell, Leo, I ain't embarrassed to use the word: I'm talkin' about ethics…" The film, of course, is full of characters whose actions are shady and unethical -- but
Daughters in literature requires a thorough analysis of gender roles and norms. The concept of daughter is directly linked to gender roles, as being a daughter entails specific social and familial responsibilities. Daughters' rights, roles, and responsibilities vis-a-vis their male siblings can therefore become a gendered lens, which is used to read literature. This is true even when the daughters in question are not protagonists. For example, Sonya in Fyodor
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