ipl-logo

Water To Symbolize Salvation During Raskolnikov's Suffering

1505 Words7 Pages

Dostoyevski’s Use of Water To Symbolize Salvation during Raskolnikov’s Suffering
In Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, suffering is a significant theme throughout the novel, as Raskolnikov goes through a lot of suffering from the sinful act of murdering the greedy pawnbroker Alyona and her step-sister Lizaveta. As Raskolnikov faces the consequences of his sinful crime, he is faced with a great deal of mental and physical suffering including mental torment, delusion, and illness. The novel's use of suffering is influenced by Dostoyevski’s personal beliefs in Russian Orthodox Christianity that suffering is inevitable and the consequences of human sins against God, and to redeem yourself from the sin you must suffer in union with God. Which Raskolnikov is shown to do at the end of the novel when he confesses to his crime. Another significant motif used in the novel is water, which is …show more content…

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. In this example, Raskolnikov feels the need to wash himself and his axe with the bucket of water as a means of cleansing away the sins he has committed; thus using the water for cleaning as a way of symbolizing his need for salvation as he attempts to restore and renew himself as he mentally suffers with

Show More
Related
915 Words | 4 Pages

Here, water is used to illustrate characters and expose their true intentions. Water is used to heal and also is turned into a form of punishment and a physical representation of sin. When “Ultima prepared her first remedy. She mixed kerosene and water and carefully warmed the bowl on the stove. She took many herbs and roots from

Read More
838 Words | 4 Pages

Kate Chopin created a very complex character named Edna Pontellier in her novel The Awakening. Mrs. Pontellier is peculiar because her thoughts are consistently drury and she is insatiable. Chopin uses many different strategies to develop Mrs. Pontellier’s character such as imagery but the most prominent strategy is symbolism. Symbols featured in the story include birds, two lovers, a widow, and water. Whenever water appears in a story or novel it can often represent baptism, rebirth, and/or death.

Read More
1257 Words | 6 Pages

At first these thoughts are only passing and hold little weight in his mind, but as his pain worsens and his chances of survival begin to slim, however, the reality becomes clear to him. Ivan goes so far to describe his actions as suffering upon his family and wishes to prevent further harm to them. This theme shows the reader that redemption is possible until one’s last breath. Ivan no longer feels jealousy for his wife and daughter for their liveliness and hatred for them because of their disdain for him, but rather sorrow for the pain he caused them and a realization that he created their disdain for

Read More
931 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More
1455 Words | 6 Pages

In The Shining the main human body that becomes a source of horror is Jack Torrance. He is a more complicated issue than Regan. In a way, he is already dangerous from the start of the novel. One could argue even before the novel as his violent history such as the breaking of his own child's arm and the beating up of a schoolboy. He seems to be a complicated, human character, neither bad nor good, who struggles with drinking and domestic abuse.

Read More
1773 Words | 8 Pages

On a number of accounts, his sentence is lessened, such as the benevolent deeds he has been credited with, his saving Nikolay from the punishment he doesn’t deserve, and even the fact that he was not being considered for this crime (even though he was). As promised earlier, “Porfiry Petrovitch fully kept his word” about acting completely surprised with Raskolnikov’s confession (Page 529). In the face of all of this, though, Raskolnikov still fights to take more punishment, as he wants to be washed clean of this crime completely, and does not want to cheat himself out of redemption by serving less time in Siberia. Raskolnikov is completely cooperative in the process of his confession, and had even, “shown a desire to exaggerate his guilt.” (Page 528).

Read More
1222 Words | 5 Pages

This also shows the use of water to purify the body and cleanse the soul. By the cleansing the soul, you are also repenting your sins which was the goal of Aaron and his sons. By doing this, this proves that God is being trusted from Aaron and his sons which was one of the overall goals of

Read More
1078 Words | 5 Pages

At the beginning of the book, Raskolnikov overhears a man talking about a woman named Alyona Ivanovna: “we have a stupid, senseless, worthless, spiteful, ailing, horrid old woman” . . . “[k]ill her, take her money and with the help of it devote oneself to the service of humanity and the good of all” (45). Raskolnikov believes that since this lady is old and is no longer contributing to society, he feels justified killing the lady. The worse part of this is that after the murder while confessing to his friend Sonya he admitted “I wanted to have the daring. . . and I killed her.

Read More
621 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
1405 Words | 6 Pages

All I managed to do was kill (III. IV).” Raskolnikov cannot suppress the force of guilt weighing upon his conscience, and ultimately confesses his complicity in the crime to the police. Seeking to operate outside the confines of his conscience and societal law, Raskolnikov is driven to madness by the impossibility of his quest—cruelty simply cannot be countenanced so long as it remains in opposition to social

Read More
983 Words | 4 Pages

I bowed down to all the suffering of humanity Dostevsky ( Crime and Punishment P.279 ). (screen time: 00:00:05 to 00:00:16 ) This opening note is a paratextuality; This connotes to the viewer about social alienation, and it is the primary theme of Crime and Punishment . In the novel, first, Raskolnikov’s protagonist pride separates him from society. He sees himself as superior to all other people and so cannot relate to anyone. Within his personal philosophy, he sees other people as tools and uses them for his own ends (Roth,

Read More
1871 Words | 8 Pages

An Evaluation of the Protagonist in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Novel Crime and Punishment INTRODUCTION Crime and Punishment is one of the most influential masterpieces representing Russian literature by Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky during the nineteenth century. The major focus of the novel is the ethical, moral, and mental situation faced by the protagonist Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov (also nicknamed as “Rodya” or “Rodka”) who committed murder against Alyona Ivanovna, an old pawnbroker to whom Raskolnikov owes a large amount of debt, and Lizaveta Ivanovna, Alyona Ivanovna’s sister. The main purpose of this paper is to evaluate the mental condition and the process of change of Raskolnikov psychologically, and though these analyzed signs

Read More
1052 Words | 5 Pages

Raskolnikov’s accumulating debt owed to his landlord prevents him from moving outside of Saint Petersburg and causes massive emotional damage. Each time he leaves his apartment, he fears seeing his landlady, The stress and anxiety arising from the debt he owes to his landlord causes him to become unruly and he had, “fallen into a state of nervous depression akin to hypochondria,” feeding into his detachment from society. Not only does Raskolnikov’s living situation seem grim, but his room itself furthers his emotional detachment from society. Raskolnikov’s room allows him to dehumanize himself.

Read More
717 Words | 3 Pages

Dostoevsky employs strategies including introspective monologues and bright descriptions of Raskolnikov's feelings to deliver his guilt and anxiety. As Raskolnikov prepares for the homicide, his mind vacillates between confidence and self-doubt, reflecting his internal

Read More
2432 Words | 10 Pages

Here, Dostoevsky portrays Raskolnikov yet again in two lights. The evil within Raskolnikov is evident when Raskolnikov devalues human worth and refers to the old pawnbroker as a “principle” rather than a “human being.” This lack of respect for a human life suggests that Raskolnikov perhaps is not capable of showing remorse or regret after all. However, all of a sudden, he refers to himself as “viler and more loathsome than the louse I had just killed.” By ridiculing himself and referring to him as “more loathsome”, Dostoevsky utilizes the characterization of a self-contradicting Raskolnikov to confirm that a shift in Raskolnikov’s state of mind is set to happen as he starts to come to the self-realization that he had wrongly murdered.

Read More

More about Water To Symbolize Salvation During Raskolnikov's Suffering

Related Topics

Open Document