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Raskolnikov's Inner Conflict In Crime And Punishment

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Crime and Punishment exposes us to a character who is engrossed by his dueling personalities. Raskolnikov, throughout the novel, is shown as one of two people; a sensitive, caring, and compassionate person, or a dark and indifferent psychopath. His “dark side” is what leads to committing the murders of Alyona Ivanova and her sister. The personality battle presented in Raskolnikov after the murders show that it creates an inner conflict. This inner conflict grows and grows, becoming worse and worse until it drives him insane with guilt and forces him to confess to his act. Throughout the novel Raskolnikov is presented as a two faced killer who is incapable making decisions on his own and relying on fate to make them for him, similar to Macbeth. …show more content…

He is currently contemplating some mysterious deed and will not reveal what that mysterious deed is, due to his indecisiveness of what he thinks it is to him. Raskolnikov wonders if this is merely just a thought or if he is seriously considering following through with the deed, and as he is finishing he attempts to shake it off by telling himself, “It is not that serious. It’s simply a fantasy to amuse myself; a plaything.” However, his tone immediately changes, “Yes, maybe it is a plaything.” (Dostoevsky,Pg.4)” Maybe”, that word just screams suspense, is he going to go through with the deed or is he going to suppress it under the pretext that it is just a thought. Raskolnikov’s conversation within his conscience points out confliction, he isn’t sure of what he is thinking about. The thought, the deed, has not even been mentioned yet, but we can see that he does not know what action to take. Raskolnikov’s struggle with inner conflict is shown throughout the entirety of the novel and nearly consumes him. We come to know why he is struggling with his inner conflict when we learn of the deed that is going through his …show more content…

When acting on instinct Raskolnikov is kind, sympathetic, and has pity for others, but his feeling of superiority can lead him to mistreat those people. When he shows compassion for other people he counteracts it by feeling upset for doing a good deed. When he leaves money for a friend and his poor family, he says, “What a stupid thing I’ve done, they have Sonia and I want it myself.” ( Dostoevsky 27) or when protects a drunken girl from older man. The fact that Raskolnikov cannot make an instinctual action points to the confusion consuming his mind. The idea that he is superior goes to the trash can because he shows regret for making decisions that seem to be

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After committing his crime, Raskolnikov instantly feels “horror and loathing of what he had done… He … [does not go] to the box or even into the room for anything,” (Dostoevsky, 108) instead Raskolnikov immediately begins to, “[wash] his hands and the axe” (109). This presents his mental suffering through his immediate reaction of guilt. As Raskolnikov physically washes his “axe with the blade in the water, and his hands in the bucket …” (109) he is metaphorically cleansing himself from his sin as if participating in a baptism. This presents Raskolnikov’s immediate suffering for his crime as he seems very eager to remove all traces of the blood.

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Raskolnikov is a very intelligent, prideful man, So much so that the very thought of leaving his house in tattered clothes made him anxious. Raskolnikov also refuses to go to his tutoring job because of this. despite these facts, Raskolnikov has little care for the people and the world around him believing himself to be above them because of his intelligence.

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There have also been multiple instances in which he has made impulsive decisions, but then starts to question himself. For example, when giving out money, Raskolnikov gives up money without a second thought, but then starts to question himself and even regret it. This is also seen with the murders. Raskolnikov was set on murdering the pawnbroker, but later starts to question his decisions and regrets it. These actions show his moral ambiguity, as he often starts to do something that fit within his own moral intentions, but ends up hurting more than helping.

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Raskolnikov 's act of violence is what causes him to go insane, impacts the lives of the people around him, and finally violence is Raskolnikov’s way of proving himself as an above-average individual. Dostoyevsky used violence to change the course of not only Raskolnikov’s life but also the lives of the people around him. The story shows how one man 's image of himself as a higher being can cause him to commit violent acts, which impact everyone around

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