Fyodor Dostoevskys Crime And Punishment Character Analysis

Most protagonists in novels are benevolent and considered the good guy or hero, but they are not real. When a character is written as overtly good, he or she cannot be relatable. But if a character is not wholly good or evil, then they are more human-like than fictional character. A character who embodies both extremes is one who the reader can analyse the scope of humanity through. Raskolnikov from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment is a morally ambiguous character who plays a pivotal role, in order to highlight that there is a duality in human nature that cannot be shown in characters who are purely good or purely evil. Throughout the novel, Raskolnikov goes through swings of emotion from one extreme to the next. From the†¦show more content†¦The extremity of his evil is shown by murder, one of the worst crimes a human can commit. Not only does he murder her just to murder her, but he also neglects the money that could have been used to help others. Raskolnikov goes from compassionate to having a blatant disregard for life in moments. Raskolnikov’s moral ambiguity is seen by characters from the book as well as by the readers. When Raskolnikov’s mother and Razumikhin to describe him, he says, â€Å"morose, gloomy †¦ has a noble nature and a kind heart †¦ sometimes, though, he is not at all morbid, but simply cold and inhumanly callous; its as if he was alternating between two characters† (221). Razumikhin has seen how Raskolnikov operates first hand and chooses to describe him as a contradiction who shows the extremes of good and evil. Most of the other charact ers are defined as good or evil, but they are not the main character. The readers see how Raskolnikov swings between two extremes and explore by his mind because he is the protagonist. Raskolnikov’s character is not purely evil or purely good, but a combination of the two extremes. Through Raskolnikov’s morally ambiguous behavior, Dostoevsky reveals that humans are not set to live in either extreme, but instead have to pick. The duality of his personality is represented by the two roads in life that he can travel down. The path of purely evil and purely good are demonstrated by Svidrigaà ¯lov and Sonia, respectively. Every singleShow MoreRelatedFrankenstein, By Mary Shelley1664 Words   |  7 Pagesthe monster accusing mankind for its lack of compassion before disappearing into the Arctic Sea. Through a close analysis of the main characters and settings of the story, it can be concluded that Mary Shelley’s novel is, above all, about the theme of alienation and the innocent victims that are affected by it, a theme that is also prominent in Fyodor Doestoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. 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