Role and Symbolism of Dreams in Crime and Punishment Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment is often heralded as an insightful, philosophical and psychological story. Not only does the novel contain a motley slew of characters to show the human faults, but it also provides deep insight into the mind of a delusional murderer. Raskolnikov is an extremely intellectual character, which only serves as his undoing when he tries to prove himself superior by killing Alyona. He will not admit it, but, as is evident in his dreams, Raskolnikov knows he is not a superman: able to murder without a heavy conscience. The terrifying dreams he has show his subconscious struggle with the murder. The dream with the mare shows how Raskolnikov abhors cruel humanity and does not, in fact, condone ‘justified’ murder. The fact that he is a small boy in his dream symbolizes the innocent part of his mind which has not yet been taken over by delusion. The watching, drunk crowd is a representation of cruel humanity that Mikolka is trying to please. The senseless beating- murder- of the mare is ‘justified’ …show more content…
The plague came from Asia, where Raskolnikov is. The plague is an embodiment of his philosophy which led him to such great turmoil. Those who had it “considered themselves so intellectual and so completely in possession of the truth… never had they considered their decisions, their scientific conclusions, their moral convictions so infallible” (502). In essence, they turned into a form of the delusional Raskolnikov. This mindset led to their demise, as it did to Raskolnikov’s. All but a chosen few have the disease and die from it. They are described as “a pure and chosen people, destined to found a new race and a new life, to renew and purify the earth” (502). Those few represent the rebirth of a renewed and pure Raskolnikov. Here he finally accepts his