Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s classic novel, Crime and Punishment, displays an immense depth of literary devices and elements that function to contribute greatly to the development of the plot of the story. Crime and Punishment is a tale of a prideful, yet disgruntled “scholar” who through his own perceived superiority commits the capital crime of murder in order for a believed greater good. Through the examination of one of the essential passages of the story, we are witness to Dostoyevsky’s incorporation of literary elements like hyperbole, foreshadowing, and the central theme of crime and punishment, and these devices subsequent roles in advancing and emphasizing the themes and plot of the story. The scene depicted by Dostoyevsky involves …show more content…
“I was joking of course, but look here; on one side we have a stupid, senseless, worthless, spiteful, ailing, horrid old woman, not simply useless but doing actual mischief, who has not an idea what she is living for herself, and who will die in a day or two in any case. You understand? You understand?” (Dostoyevsky, 2001, p. 53) This grotesque depiction of the woman on behalf of the two students uses immense hyperbole in portraying the old woman as despicable and capable of contributing nothing positive to the world. These words additionally peak the interest of a nearby Raskolnikov, who assuredly has had the same thoughts present in his mind. The passage then continues on to say: “Yes, yes, I understand,” answered the officer, watching his excited companion attentively. “Well, listen then. On the other side, fresh young lives thrown away for want of help and by thousands, on every side! A hundred thousand good deeds could be done and helped, on that old woman’s money which will be buried in a monastery! Hundreds, thousands perhaps, might be set on the right path; dozens of families saved from destitution, from ruin, from vice, from the Lock hospitals-and all with her money.” (Dostoyevsky, 2001, p.
Gerda Weissmann Klein had such a passionate spirit that it gave life to others who had already given up. Abek, a man who had deep feelings for the young women, once told Weissmann “Life does not have much value these days, and mine has nothing at all, but having you makes me want to live.” (page 60). He had never stopped loving Gerda but because she couldn’t return his love, she hurt him. She also gave him hope.
Lenina, a character in Brave New World, helps portray the author’s message of a dystopia by being used as a hidden outsider. Lenina has many similar habbits and traits as her friend Franny, however Lenina helps highlight the unorthodox of many situations and opinions that Franny and the society think are
Tolstoy’s ability to interweave the environment with themes of materialism and death makes The Death of Ivan Ilych stand out as a piece that criticizes societal values. In his article “Tolstoy and the Moran Instructions of Death,” Dennis Sansom focuses on the influence of fighting chaos in Ivan’s eventual acceptance of his own death. Socrates wrote, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” and Ivan’s life mirrored this until the end (qtd. in Sansom 417) .
In both Crime and Punishment and Pride and Prejudice, the reader is afforded a glimpse of the darker side of human nature. Raskolnikov’s shocking coldblooded murder of Alyona Ivanovna, an elderly pawnbroker, and her sister Lizeveta, reflect a degree of brutality almost unimaginable in a human being. Likewise, Miss Caroline Bingley, while certainly not guilty of crimes as grievous or horrific as Raskolnikov’s, betrays a similar sentiment of heartlessness in her treatment of the Bennet sisters throughout the plot of Pride and Prejudice. However, the nature of each character’s cruel actions remain remarkably different. Raskolnikov seeks to transcend the ethical conventions binding society and act as a conscience-free moral agent, whereas Caroline Bingley’s behavior is very much a product of institutionalized classism, and she acts wholly within the parameters which Victorian England’s strict
“"Listen, Razumihin," began Raskolnikov, "I want to tell you plainly: I 've just been at a death-bed, a clerk who died... I gave them all my money... and besides I 've just been kissed by someone who, if I had killed anyone, would just the same... in fact I saw someone else there... with a flame-coloured feather... but I am talking nonsense; I am very weak, support me... we shall be at the stairs directly…’”[Dostoyevsky, Part 2 Chapter 7] Raskolnikov gift of money to the family gave them the boost they needed to continue.
Although both Katerina and Pulcheria are plagued by financial problems, each has a unique method of coping with her poverty. The foil pair of Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov emphasizes the imperativeness of attaining forgiveness. Additionally, Raskolnikov's and Razhumin's lack of monetary funds force both to drop out of university, however the two men's fundamental differences result in very unique approaches to attempt to overcome their poverty. The use of foils in Crime and Punishment helps add to the overall meaning of the novel by supplying additional information that would otherwise be unknown.
Sergei didn’t even know the young boy so he was thinking to himself why should he use his last wish on someone he barely knew. I had 20 dollars with me because I was going to use it to go to the movies. But instead I saw a old lady sitting on the curb. I decided to give it to her because it seemed like she needed it more than I did.
Crime and Punishment used great use of the Marxist Theory. While the bourgeois earned value through overpowering the lower class. This novel best embodies the Marxist Theory because it is a proclamation of a proletariat, being Raskolnikov is not is the right place in society, struggling from deep poverty and craves the fighting against the common good in society. Johnson 2 As Alyona in Crime and Punishment
Raskolnikov confronts reality and can never again legitimize his activities in light of political perspectives. The writer of Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky composed this book uncovering some of his own perspectives on legislative issues and consolidating them all through the story. Like Raskolnikov, Dostoyevsky was captured by the administration and punished for his offense. He was rebuffed for his radical communist positions, just to later reject these thoughts. Through the story, the creator fuses a solid message of exactly how intense the legislature is and the solid impact of governmental issues.
In his short story, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, Fyodor Dostoevsky illustrates a perfect society using several diverse teachings about love. Firstly, Dostoevsky fills the ridiculous man’s dream with Mahayana Buddhism’s compassionate philosophy. Further, the dream society follows Christianity’s rule of neighborly love. Dostoevsky also infuses the dream with Søren Kierkegaard’s philosophies about the dichotomy of love. Each philosophy provides an explanation for the dream society’s downfall and also an allegorical connection between Petersburg and the possible corruption of traditional Russia.
There Is More Than One Type of Hero In “Notes from the Underground”, a fiction book by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the Underground Man is not like the traditional main character in most other fiction books. Often books have a tragic hero where he or she either saves the days or unfortunately is killed. But that is not the case for this book, the main character shows characteristics that do not fit along the lines of a tragic hero at all. This paper argues that the Underground Man is most definitely not the tragic hero, but instead an anti-hero.
‘“Let him come, if he wants to so much, “But we have our own circle, we’re friends,”. . . Maybe we don’t want you at all”’ (Dostoevsky 65). The Underground Man invites himself to an expensive dinner with his peers who do not want him present, rather than anticipating a nice evening, he torments himself about it. “I dreamed of getting the best of them, winning them over, carrying them away, making them love me” (Dostoevsky 70).
Ultimately, Dostoevsky’s critique of society attempts to explain the societal problems of individuals alienating themselves from each other by living in the
The overcrowded apartments and rooms foster poverty. Eviction from his greedy landlord is an ever-looming fear for Raskolnikov. He becomes trapped within the vicious cycle of poverty and place. For example, he pawns a watch to his landlady who offers him a meager amount for the watch. Raskolnikov, Raskolnikov cannot accept anything lower due to his debt to her.
Akhmatova’s melancholic diction initially reveals her sorrow, but the tone transitions to serious and introspective when she uses allusions to religious martyrdom and imagery of fixed objects. These contemplations are later resolved when she integrates imagery of liberation to portray an ultimately triumphant and optimistic outlook towards the future. Within the first sections, Akhmatova employs melancholic diction to convey her grief. In “Prologue,” she writes “that [Stalin’s Great Purge] was a time when only the dead could smile” (Prologue, Line 1), which suggests it was preferable to die than to live and emphasizes her despondency.