Luzhin and Svidrigailov as Raskolnikov's doubles essay

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Luzhin and Svidrigailov as Raskolnikov's doubles

In Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment, three characters have similar traits, even if the comparison is not explicit. We are talking about Luzhin, Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov.

The first thing that unites these heroes is the creation of various theories that are very similar. Luzhin believed that a person should love only himself and care only about his own well-being. His theory promoted individualism, but it was very radical, because Luzhin believed that for the sake of personal gain you can do anything, including commit crimes. Svidrigailov believed that any crime can be justified if it was created for a good purpose. These theories have much in common with Raskolnikov’s theory about ordinary people and “Napoleons”. In essence, this is the same idea, only in a different presentation.

Second, all three of these heroes are criminals. Luzhin accused Sonya Marmeladova of a theft that she did not commit. Svidrigailov was actually involved in several crimes, and was also suspected of poisoning his wife, but was never caught and was a witness in the cases. Raskolnikov’s crime is understandable - he killed pawnbroker Alena Ivanovna and her sister Lizaveta.

And the third thing that makes these heroes doubles is that they are all dishonest people. In society, Luzhin and Svidrigailov are called scoundrels, but Raskolnikov considers himself such.

What is the role of this technique used by the author? Luzhin embodies what Raskolnikov could have become. Of course, their theories are very similar, but they arose in different circumstances. Luzhin created his worldview to justify his lifestyle, his egoism and his vanity. Raskolnikov created his theory in certain socio-economic conditions - poverty, loneliness, hard life. Svidrigailov is also a possible future hero. The purpose of this technique is that the main character, in his real life, sees options for the development of his life scenario in the real people who surround him, and, observing them, chooses what to do so as not to regret. This choice also faces the reader, who also decides what he should be and what he should not be.

In the novel Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky used a special technique - he introduced doubles of the main character into the story so that he could make the right decision and correct himself.

Luzhin and Svidrigailov are Raskolnikov's doubles

In the novel “Crime and Punishment” by F. M. Dostoevsky, the device of antithesis is widely used; the system of characters is built on it.

Each of the characters surrounding Raskolnikov, to one degree or another, reveals a certain trait of the main character. Parallels are drawn between Raskolnikov and other characters, creating a unique system of doubles.

Raskolnikov's doubles are, first of all, Luzhin and Svidrigailov. For them, “everything is permitted,” although for different reasons.

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Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov was a nobleman, served for two years in the cavalry, then lived in St. Petersburg. This is a “perfectly preserved man” about fifty years old. The face resembles a mask and strikes with something “terribly unpleasant.”

The look of Svidrigailov’s bright blue eyes is “somehow too heavy and motionless.”

In the novel, he is the most mysterious figure: his past is not fully clarified, his intentions and actions are difficult to define and unpredictable, non-standard for a scoundrel, for such a sinister character as he appears at first (for example, in a letter to Raskolnikov’s mother).

The image of Svidrigailov, placed next to the image of Raskolnikov, reveals one of the sides of the philosophical idea, which is as follows. Under the influence of certain circumstances, a person’s moral sense may disappear, but the general moral law will not disappear because of this.

Svidrigailov has placed himself outside of morality, he has no pangs of conscience, and, unlike Raskolnikov, he does not understand that his actions and deeds are immoral.

For example, rumors about Svidrigailov’s involvement in several crimes are repeated in various interpretations; it is clear that they are not unfounded.

A deaf-mute girl “cruelly insulted” by him committed suicide, and the footman Philip hanged himself. It is characteristic that Svidrigailov finds between himself and Raskolnikov “some kind of common point,” he says to Raskolnikov: “We are birds of a feather.”

Svidrigailov embodies one of the possibilities of realizing the main character’s idea. As a moral cynic, he is a mirror image of the ideological cynic Raskolnikov. Svidrigailov's permissiveness eventually becomes scary to Raskolnikov.

Svidrigailov is terrible even to himself. He takes his own life.

Raskolnikov’s double is also Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin, a relative of Svidrigailov’s wife. Luzhin has a very high opinion of himself. Vanity and narcissism are developed in him to the point of painfulness.

Important

In his face, “cautious and grumpy,” there was something “really unpleasant and repulsive.” The main value in life for Luzhin is money obtained “by any means,” since thanks to money he can become equal to people occupying a higher position in society.

Morally, he was guided by the theory of the “whole caftan.” According to this theory, Christian morality leads to the fact that a person, fulfilling the commandment to love his neighbor, tears his caftan, shares it with his neighbor, and as a result, both people remain “half naked.”

Luzhin’s opinion is that you must love yourself first, “for everything in the world is based on personal interest.”

All of Luzhin’s actions are a direct consequence of his theory. According to Raskolnikov, it follows from Luzhin’s theory that “people can be cut” for their own benefit.

The image of Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin serves as a living example of what Raskolnikov could have come to, gradually realizing his principle of omnipotence and power, “Bonaparism.”

The difference between Raskolnikov and Luzhin is that Raskolnikov’s views were formed as a result of solving humanistic problems, and the views of his double serve as a justification for extreme selfishness, based on calculation and benefit.

Such a technique as the creation of systems of doubles is used by the author to reveal the image of Raskolnikov, comprehensively analyze and debunk his theory.

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Raskolnikov's doubles: Luzhin and Svidrigailov

Posted by:

Sukonka O.I.

Publication date:

11.10.2016

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“The eternal dispute between Angel and Demon takes place in our own conscience, and the worst thing is that sometimes we don’t know which of them we love more, who we want to win more...” D. S. Merezhkovsky

Educational: To develop the ability to analyze and evaluate the actions of characters (events and facts), To develop literary competence (the ability to use terms), Preparation for the Unified State Exam and the final essay on literature.

Developmental: Form logical thinking by comparing characters, Develop students’ speech, Develop creative thinking.

Important

Educational: Expand cultural horizons, turning to the reading experience of students, works of literature, cinema, Form emotional competence (cause sympathy, indignation, etc.).

Test based on the novel by F. M. Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment”

The theme that is present in the novel “Crime and Punishment”: a) the life of a little man b) the fate of a dreamer living in a world of illusions c) the theme of lost love and fruitless dreams d) love that saves a person

What is Raskolnikov going to buy for his room over the next two years? a) sofa b) lamp c) castle d) curtains

The hero of the novel lives in S-m lane. Dostoevsky knew the city of St. Petersburg well and it was no coincidence that Raskolnikov settled here. Name the lane. a) Slesarny Lane b) Stolyarny Lane c) Nightingale Lane d) Smolny Lane

At what time does St. Petersburg appear before the reader in the novel? a) in May b) in July c) in August d) in September

Who accepted Raskolnikov's guilt in the novel Crime and Punishment before his confession? a) Sonya Marmeladova b) Dyer Mikolka c) Raskolnikov’s mother d) Raskolnikov’s sister

The main reason why the hero of the novel “Crime and Punishment” commits the murder of an old pawnbroker a) poverty and poverty b) the desire to check his belonging to the category of people who “have the right” c) mental illness d) the need to save his mother and sister

Task 1 Name the literary movement that flourished in the 2nd half of the 19th century and whose principles were embodied in “Crime and Punishment”.

Advice

Task 2 Indicate the genre to which F. M. Dostoevsky’s work “Crime and Punishment” belongs.

Task 3 Indicate the surname of the hero about whom the author talks in the given fragment. At the beginning of July, in an extremely hot time, halfway in the evening, one young man came out of his closet, which he had rented from tenants in the S-th lane, onto the street and slowly, as if indecisive, went to the K-n bridge.

He successfully avoided meeting his mistress on the stairs. His closet was right under the roof of a tall five-story building and looked more like a closet than an apartment.

His landlady, from whom he rented this closet with dinner and servants, was located one staircase down, in a separate apartment, and every time, when going out into the street, he certainly had to pass by the landlady’s kitchen, which was almost always wide open to the stairs.

And every time the young man, passing by, felt some kind of painful and cowardly sensation, which he was ashamed of and from which he winced. He owed everything to his mistress and was afraid to meet her.

CHARACTERS A) Luzhin B) Porfiry Petrovich C) Razumikhin CHARACTERISTICS 1) Student 2) Minor official 3) Court adviser 4) Investigator A B C

Task 5 What is the name of a significant detail that carries a certain semantic load in a literary text (the hero’s closet, similar to a closet)?

Task 6 Indicate the name of the city in which the action “Crimes and Punishments” takes place.

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Task 7 The fragment completes the hero’s detailed internal statement. What is the term for it?

A double is a person who has complete resemblance to another. - Who, in your opinion, is Raskolnikov’s doubles?

one of the means of artistic characterization, consisting in the fact that the writer reveals the typical character of his heroes and expresses his ideological attitude towards them through the image of the appearance of the heroes: their figure, face, clothing, movements, gestures and manners.

Part I, ch. 3. Part II, ch. 5. Part IV, ch. 2, 3 Part V, ch. 3.

Appearance: “It was a gentleman who was no longer young, prim, dignified, with a cautious and grumpy physiognomy, who began by stopping at the door, looking around with offensively undisguised surprise and as if asking with his eyes: “Where have I ended up?” The face is fresh and youthful, it doesn’t look 45 years old. He prefers clothes in light “youthful” tones and wears lilac real Jouvenian gloves.

Character: Successful business man. Quite straightforward, rational and practical. Doesn't give in to emotions, doesn't trust intuition. Vile, morally does not disdain anything to achieve his goals. Because of this, he does not recognize selfless honesty in people and does not believe in nobility. Loves gossip. He considers himself one of the people of the “new era”; he is confident that he will be successful in changing times.

Life position: His main desire is to accumulate capital, strengthen his position in society, and make a quick successful career. He looks at life through the prism of his theory. He is sure that every person should be an egoist. Only by taking care of himself can he subsequently help others.

Attitude to love: Fascinated by the beauty of Dunya Raskolnikova. In a way, he even loves her.

However, he is more pleased with the thought that Dunya is from a poor family, which means he will be able to benefit her, for which she will be grateful to him for the rest of her life.

Important

In addition, he perceives this marriage as another step towards strengthening his position - Dunya is beautiful and smart, people from society will obviously like her, thereby improving their attitude towards him, Luzhin.

The heroes experience mutual hostility towards each other, not realizing how internally they are similar. Seeing their worst traits in another, a distorted theory of self-aggrandizement, the heroes become angry. By placing himself above other people, Luzhin draws closer to Raskolnikov in this, although both of them do not understand the similarities.

Part I, ch. 3. Part IV, ch. 2. Part VI, ch. 5.

He was a man of about fifty, above average height, portly, with broad and steep shoulders, which gave him a somewhat stooped appearance. He was smartly and comfortably dressed and looked like a dignified gentleman. In his hands was a beautiful cane, which he tapped along the sidewalk with every step, and his hands were in fresh gloves.

His wide, high-cheekbone face was quite pleasant, and his complexion was fresh, not St. Petersburg. His hair, still very thick, was completely blond and just a little gray, and his wide, thick beard, hanging down like a shovel, was even lighter than his head hair. His eyes were blue and looked coldly, intently and thoughtfully, his lips were scarlet.

In general, he was a perfectly preserved man who seemed much younger than his age...

It was some kind of strange face, like a mask: white, ruddy, with ruddy, scarlet lips, with a light blond beard and still quite thick blond hair.