Raskolnikov's twins in F. M. Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment". The image of Raskolnikov in the novel "Crime and Punishment" Perhaps you will be interested

The work Crime and Punishment has become a classic of Russian literature. This is a psychological novel, where the former student Raskolnikov plays the main role, but other images are revealed in the author's work. So in the novel we meet Luzhin, who was a person deeply opposed to the author himself. But this type of people existed. In addition, this character allowed a deeper study and knowledge of Raskolnik himself, whose moral counterpart was Luzhin. At first glance, these are completely different images, but they had a very important similarity. Both had their own theory and each of them followed it. So Luzhin's theory consisted in reasonable egoism, and according to it, people should only take into account their own interests. According to Raskolnikov's theory, everything was allowed to great people, which is why he wanted to know who he is - a trembling creature or has the right.

Having studied the novel, we understand that the image of Luzhin is the worst manifestation of a person, and in order to get to know Raskolnikov and Luzhin better, we will make a comparative one, noting their similarities and differences.

Raskolnikov is the hero of the novel, who dropped out of school due to his poverty and inability to pay. He was used to dividing people into worthless and Napoleonic, and wanted to know who he was, and therefore went to the crime. However, in his theory, according to which great people are allowed everything, he is mistaken. Considering that he has the right to punish and pardon, he later comes to the realization that his calculation is incorrect. Raskolnikov understands that his division of people into certain categories is erroneous. He also understands that he is an ordinary person and in what he has done. This is big. True, at first Raskolnikov is cold to her, but the girl’s love managed to awaken humanity in the hero. He reached out to the girl, fell in love with her, and accepted her attitude towards life.

The second character in Crime and Punishment, whose characterization we will consider in ours, was Luzhin. Luzhin is a lawyer and adviser, on whose face obnoxiousness was always read. He never succumbed to emotions, was a prosperous, rational and practical person. Luzhin is vile, immoral, does not disdain anything, if only to achieve his goals. Luzhin loves gossip, the concept of nobility is unknown to him, and his aspiration in life was a career and enrichment. At the same time, he looks at life through the prism of his theory, believing that only egoists will be able to help others in the future.

Raskolnikov and Luzhin also have common features. Both are smart, but also conceited, arrogant and mean. Moreover, Raskolnikov calls himself a scoundrel, but Katerina Ivanovna says that Luzhin is a scoundrel among scoundrels.

The Raskolnikov and Luzhin we are considering dislike each other, not realizing that they are very similar, and they can even be called moral twins. Most likely, the hostility between Raskolnikov and Luzhin appeared because each of them saw his worst features in the opposite character, which annoyed them greatly.

Raskolnikov and Luzhin: comparative characteristics

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Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov are the heroes of the psychological novel by F. M. Dostoevsky. They are called spiritual twins. There are indeed similarities between these characters. Comparative characteristics of Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov are the subject of many critical articles. What did the author of the famous novel see as similarities between these seemingly completely different personalities?

Eyes are the mirror of the soul

The main principle that guided Dostoevsky in his work was authenticity. Raskolnikov is a collective image of raznochintsy students of the 60s. The protagonist of the novel is extremely poor, lives in a small room, poorly dressed and even starving. The appearance of Svidrigailov, on the contrary, indicates that this person is not used to denying himself anything.

It should be said that the great Russian writer paid great attention to the description of the hero's eyes. In Raskolnikov they are "beautiful and dark." Svidrigailov's eyes stare coldly and intently. But, in order not to get ahead of ourselves, it is worth saying a few words about these characters. A comparative description of Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov involves a preliminary analysis of each of these heroes.

Raskolnikov

This man is unselfish. He has an insight that allows him to unravel people, to see how sincere they are. But most importantly, he is a generous dreamer and idealist. Rodion Romanovich longs to make all mankind happy. To the best of his ability, he helps the poor and the disadvantaged, but his capabilities, as you know, are too insignificant. In the name of a lofty goal, he goes to crime.

Svidrigailov

At first glance, this hero is the opposite of the main one. He lives for his pleasure. The lives of two people are on his conscience, and, perhaps, this person is also related to the death of his wife. For Raskolnikov, oddly enough, he feels something similar to sympathy. “Maybe we can get closer,” he tells him in one of the first meetings. A comparative description of Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov allows you to determine what are the similarities between them, and what are the differences.

Similarities

They are both criminals. A comparative description of Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov indicates, first of all, involvement in the murder. A raznochinets kills a pawnbroker and her younger sister. On the conscience of a nobleman - a servant driven to suicide, the death of a fourteen-year-old girl, the murder of his wife. His guilt in all these crimes has not been proven, he walks free, and at the beginning of the work it seems that this will always be the case. Nevertheless, he is a murderer, as well as the idealist Raskolnikov.

The "rights" include Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov. Comparative characteristics reveal their common positions regarding their role in society. According to Raskolnikov's theory, there are people on whom, if not everything, then much depends in the world. Their units. The rest is a gray faceless mass. And the student does not want to classify himself in the second category. His worldview was formed, first of all, under the influence of the cult of Napoleon. And referring himself to the category of strong personalities, he gives himself the right to decide the fate of other people.

Svidrigailov's actions are not based on the philosophy of the "superman", an example of which is the great commander. His outlook is rather primitive. Power intoxicates him, and committed crimes up to a certain point give strength.

Their comparison leads to the definition of another similar feature in the fates of these heroes. Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov commit crimes, but none of them goes unpunished. The student suffers unbearably after the murder. Svidrigailov commits suicide.

Differences

The motives of the crimes that these heroes commit are completely different. The description of the images clearly speaks of the main differences. Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov are criminals. But if the first commits murder for the sake of a lofty goal (which, of course, does not justify him), then the second does not think about the consequences at all. Svidrigailov is only interested in the satisfaction of a momentary desire.

Raskolnikov's state of mind after the crime committed is close to insanity. Svidrigailov, on the other hand, is a sensible person, and he loses his prudence only when he strives for his goal. This implies the main difference between the criminals - Raskolnikov did not manage to cross the thin line between good and evil, while his antipode-double has long been beyond the line of moral and ethical standards.

Having created such a vivid opposition in the novel, F. Dostoevsky seems to indicate two ways that a person who has taken the life of another can have. The criminal, committing murder, thereby experiences spiritual death. And only repentance and recognition of one's own guilt can resurrect him.

- "Crime and Punishment" - is popular all over the world. At the same time, some of the author's ideas remain incomprehensible to most foreigners, which is due to translation inaccuracies and a different mentality. We offer you to get acquainted with one of the most difficult moments - Raskolnikov's doubles, to find out who they are and what their role is in the plot outline of the text.

Character system

The main character of the novel is the student Rodion Raskolnikov, who is in search of himself. He came up with an absurd, from the point of view of Dostoevsky, theory about the division of people into two groups:

• "The trembling creature" - simple modest people with their own problems.
• “Having the right” are strong personalities to whom fate itself gives a chance to achieve something in life.

According to the idea of ​​the writer, all the heroes of the novel somehow belong to one of these categories, illustrating the theory of Rodion. And the reader begins to feel involuntary sympathy for the first group of characters, humiliated and insulted, but ready for self-sacrifice, devoid of meanness and contempt for others. It is these faces that are full of sympathy, compassion, kindness and decency. This is the Marmeladov family, Dunya, the mother of Rodion, the sister of the old pawnbroker.

Antithesis in the work

Dostoevsky actively uses the technique of antithesis, comparing his main character with other people from his world. In practice, we can say that Raskolnikov is compared with all the characters in the work, both positive and negative, or is opposed to them, but not all become his counterparts. Comparison with scoundrels and immoral criminals shows how deep the protagonist could sink if he remained true to his theory. On the contrary, when compared with positive characters, Dostoevsky shows a pure and bright soul.

Debunking the theory

There are doubles of Raskolnikov both on the one hand and on the other, they help the hero to understand the inconsistency of his theory, in its fallacy. Well-thought-out provisions based on world practice, in fact, turn out to be only a fiction, self-deception, an illusion. Who is Raskolnikov's doppelgänger? First of all, these are Luzhin and Svidrigailov - individuals who managed to step over others, move towards their intended goal, despite the pain and suffering inflicted on their voluntary and involuntary victims.

But can they be called strong, compared with Napoleon or other great historical figures? No, their death will remain unnoticed, society will not change (which happened after Svidrigailov's suicide), life will continue to go on as usual. Therefore, the very essence of the protagonist's theory is debunked through the images of his doubles - these people "stepped over", but did not become great from this. Crime as a way to prove, first of all, to oneself one's belonging to "real people" loses its significance, since these doubles of Raskolnikov are perceived as something ordinary.

Literary concept

In the science of literary works there is a special term - "black double", the essence of which is as follows. The author deliberately introduces into the plot outline the text of a certain hero, in which certain qualities are maximally exaggerated. It helps to emphasize the main characteristics of the key character, clearly demonstrate his weaknesses, and debunk the main ideas. This technique was actively used by F. M. Dostoevsky in his great work Crime and Punishment. The peculiar "clones" of Rodion Raskolnikov, in which the features of the hero are exaggerated, help not only the reader to understand the inconsistency of the theory, but even convince the main character of this.

That is, largely thanks to his disgusting "twins" in Dostoevsky, Raskolnikov comes to the long-awaited repentance, followed by forgiveness. Of course, the hero will have to go to hard labor for the perfect crime, but he is freed from mental anguish.

The image of Luzhin

Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin is the clearest demonstration of where the fascination with selfish theories can lead. This court adviser lives according to the following principle:

Love yourself first of all, for everything in the world is based on personal interest.

Why is Luzhin a double of Raskolnikov? There are several reasons:

• Easily and without hesitation crosses over moral and moral norms.
• We are driven solely by personal gain.
• Enjoys his power over people. So, it is this hero who wants to “benefit” the poor girl by marrying her, in order to humiliate and mock her later.

That is why Luzhin is Raskolnikov's double. Of course, he is not guilty of murder, it would not even occur to him to stain his hands with blood, but, according to Dostoevsky, his guilt is much worse. This man killed a man in himself.

Acquaintance with Svidrigailov

This hero lives by the following principle:

A single villainy is acceptable if the main goal is good.

This idea is very similar to the main idea of ​​the key character of the novel, which is why it can be said with full confidence that Svidrigailov is Raskolnikov's double. Distinctive features of the character of this person are as follows:

• The highest degree of immorality.
• Capable of a crime, which he commits (murder of a servant). Violation of the law makes him equal to the main character, but Raskolnikov himself is disgusted by such a comparison.
• He has no remorse of conscience.

He does not consider himself an evil person; capable of doing noble deeds, of helping others. This double of Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment is a demonstration of what another interpretation of his theory can lead to: a strong personality, ready to help the weak, eventually commits terrible deeds, acts dishonorably with an orphan girl, engages in cheating. This hero is also guilty of the death of his own wife.

He understands both Luzhin and Raskolnikov, sees both through and through, because in some ways he is close to both.

Comparison of key characters

We examined why Luzhin is Raskolnikov's double. This hero is specially used by the author to clearly show to what depth of moral fall can be brought by the passion for inhumane ideas underlying the postulates of the theory. This man is clean only at first glance, because his hands are not stained with blood, but in fact his thoughts are black.

The second double of Raskolnikov, Svidrigailov, is a criminal man, he is familiar with the hardships of prison life, he knew both sides of life - both luxury and poverty, in the course of his quest, he came to the conclusion that he could afford everything. Even his very appearance repels him, and the look of his blue eyes seems heavy and gloomy. Recall that the unfortunate Sonya, the embodiment of sacrifice and spirituality, is also the owner of blue eyes, but her look is light and bright. Svidrigailov from his first appearance appears as a kind of mysterious figure, in his past there are a lot of dark spots.

It seems at first that this hero is much worse than Raskolnikov's other double, Luzhin, but gradually Dostoevsky's idea opens up to the reader - this terrible man, a criminal, managed to find a spark of kindness in his soul, he is capable of noble deeds. But alas, his lack of spirituality has gone too far, he no longer has a place among the living.

These two characters help to understand the main character idea more deeply and clearly, they both crossed the line, but do not come across as strong personalities who could be admired.

Significance of the system of twins

Why, then, does Dostoevsky introduce into the plot outline two bright doubles of Raskolnikov at once? They help to debunk his theory, to show the inconsistency of the postulates:

• Luzhin despises society and has no sympathy for the disadvantaged. Doesn't help them, although it could.
• The principle of permissiveness of Svidrigailov only leads to the fact that the hero has nothing to do with himself. His empty soul is unable to rejoice in the delights of the world, so for the hero there is only one way out - suicide. That is why Svidrigailov is Raskolnikov's double, he also has to go through mental anguish.

Interestingly, Raskolnikov learns about the suicide of his opponent on the way to the police station with a confession. This technique is used by the author to clearly demonstrate the absurdity of the theory of his character, to finally debunk it.

Pangs of conscience in the novel

We examined why Svidrigailov is Raskolnikov's double, but between these characters there are not only common, but also differences. So, Arkady Ivanovich is not tormented by pangs of conscience, he commits unseemly acts, sometimes even crimes, but he does not consider himself guilty, he lives on the principle of permissiveness. Raskolnikov, on the other hand, committed a serious act, took the life of an old woman, albeit a harmful and “useless”, therefore Dostoevsky masterfully demonstrates his moral suffering.

And Luzhin? He also does not know what conscience is, he is sincerely pleased with himself, believing that he is doing everything right. Correct from the point of view of Luzhin, because in his interpretation the whole world revolves around his person, and the interests of other people, whether it be Dunya or her brother, or someone else, do not concern this person at all. It is imbued with selfishness and selfishness to the marrow of bones and cannot but cause disgust.

This is how the characters differ from each other: the black “twins” do what they want and do not feel remorse, but the main character could not do this, this is why he is valuable to both the author and the readers - it is very good for Rodion’s soul that he remained "behind the line". His illness and further penal servitude symbolize spiritual purification through suffering.

poor people

Among the twins of Raskolnikov there are not only negative characters, the embodiment of immorality, wickedness and extreme selfishness. These include good people, who, according to the absurd theory of the protagonist, are “trembling creatures”. But it is they who are endowed with such qualities that cannot be found in the “right of those who have”. Such, for example, is the unfortunate dyer Mikolka, who is ready to take on someone else's fault and suffer undeserved punishment in order to cleanse his soul.

Such is Sonya, a deeply religious girl, forced to step over herself, to sell her body, which she is more than disgusted with, but this is the only way she can support her family. These people are also included in the system of Raskolnikov's doubles, they illustrate the best sides of his soul, not affected by the corrupting influence of an absurd and inhuman theory. Some researchers of Dostoevsky's work call Sonya the "divine double", since she is shown as a strong-willed and strong personality, she sacrifices herself, does not wait for help, but is ready to provide it. However, there is a significant difference in the heroes - if the unfortunate girl lives exclusively with her heart, then Rodion is moved forward by reason and the power of thought.

These are the twins of the protagonist in the novel "Crime and Punishment", they help to penetrate more deeply into the author's intention and make sure of the cruelty, senselessness and inhumanity of Raskolnikov's theory.

The protagonist of one of the most psychological works of Russian literature, the novel Crime and Punishment, is named after Rodion Raskolnikov. He is not like others, the troubles of ordinary people are alien to him.

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, on the pages of his work, introduces us to a kind of double of Rodion Romanovich - Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov. This hero declares his resemblance to Raskolnikov.

Are Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov really alike? will help answer this question.

Appearance of Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov

A comparative description of Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov is impossible without these heroes.

They are completely different from each other. Rodion Raskolnikov is a stately young man with dark eyes and hair. Svidrigailov is a man of about fifty years old, broad-shouldered, blue-eyed, blond with scarlet lips.

Landmarks and ideals of heroes

Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov follow completely different paths through life. Comparative characteristics (the essay of each student necessarily contains this moment) is impossible without an assessment of the lifestyle of the characters. Raskolnikov is a very intelligent young man, he once studied. Arkady Svidrigailov leads a wild life, drinking.

Undoubtedly, they are united by the fact that both characters do not accept the surrounding reality, although they show this rejection in different ways. Rodion is immersed in the development of the theory, and Arkady is looking for the truth in wine, debauchery.

Hero uniqueness

Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov (a comparative description of the heroes always marks this moment) consider themselves unique, inimitable. Raskolnikov tried to confirm the theory that he himself developed, and Svidrigailov was simply convinced of his uniqueness.

However, no matter what terrible act Rodion does, the reader involuntarily imbues with sympathy for him. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Dostoevsky introduces us very well to the main character, immerses us in his thoughts and feelings.

Svidrigailov is more materialistic in his actions, he remains repulsive and mysterious for the reader.

A comparative description of Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov should contain a point that indicates the similarity of the characters, namely, their conviction that the actions of extraordinary people can go unpunished.

The theory that Raskolnikov developed cancels moral principles and justifies not only the crime of Rodion, but also the immorality of Svidrigailov.

Nevertheless, both heroes come to repentance, Rodion admits his crime and is punished, Arkady takes his own life.

Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov. Comparative characteristics. similarity of heroes

So, let's talk about what unites the characters, except for the belief in their own exclusivity.

Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov, one way or another, caused the death of people. Raskolnikov took the life of an old pawnbroker, whom, according to his theory, he considered "a trembling creature." Arkady Svidrigailov was also guilty of the deaths of several people, believing that such atrocities would definitely get away with him. He was responsible for the death of a 14-year-old girl, Philip's lackey, his own wife. Svidrigailov did not develop a theory, he simply lived with the conviction of permissiveness.

Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov (a comparative description cannot but reflect this point) also do good deeds. Rodion helps Katerina Ivanovna with the children. He is able to feel the human misfortune. Arkady is helping Katerina Ivanovna's daughter, Sonya.

Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov at the end of the work are aware of their own guilt. Arkady Ivanovich commits suicide, and Rodion, having learned about his death, confesses to the crime.

It turns out that these characters really have a lot in common. The differences between the characters can be represented in the form of a table.

Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov: comparative characteristics (table)

So, drawing a conclusion from the foregoing, we can say that Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov have different characters, they differ from each other in temperament, lifestyle. However, the inner beliefs of the characters are very similar. Raskolnikov develops the theory that everything is allowed for a unique personality, and Svidrigailov leads a lifestyle that confirms this theory.