The image of Svidrigailov in the novel Crime and Punishment. The image and characteristics of Svidrigailov in “Crime and Punishment of Svidrigailov, complete characteristics”

Svidrigailov's characteristics and image in Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment

1. The versatility of the heroes of the novel “Crime and Punishment”.

2. Svidrigailov. Characteristics and image of the hero

2.1. Immoral villain

2.2. Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov

2.3. Love for Duna

3. The end of Svidrigailov

In his complex novel “Crime and Punishment,” F. M. Dostoevsky depicted several lively and vivid images that still impress readers with their originality and complexity.

First of all, this is, of course, the main character himself - a hardworking, sympathetic young man who decided to cross the line of what is permitted. This is Sonechka Marmeladova - a destitute, deprived of childhood, impoverished and selling herself girl, capable of strong feelings and sincere devotion. This is Sonya’s father, and Luzhin, and, of course, Svidrigailov.

Arkady Ivanovich appears before readers as a handsome man of fifty, well dressed, looking youthful. He is a nobleman and a former officer, and was married to a rich woman. It would seem that life smiles on this hero, he is full of strength and conceit, because the circumstances surrounding him are developing well. But it's not that simple. Svidrigailov is an immoral and vicious person, without conscience and moral principles. Because of such dirty beliefs, he ruins the lives of himself and others, becomes unhappy himself and makes those around him unhappy.

In his younger years, he quits the service because it is difficult for him to obey army regulations, live on friendly terms with his comrades and observe standards of decency. Having no permanent income and spending all his savings on a wild lifestyle and gambling, Svidrigailov becomes a beggar. He is sent to prison for cheating and debts. At this time, a rich woman helps him. Marfa Petrovna pays a lot of money to free the man, marries him and leaves with him for the village.

Another person, filled with gratitude to this noblewoman in love, would respect and appreciate her. But Arkady Ivanovich was not like that. He humiliates his wife and shamelessly cheats on her. “I had such disgust in my soul and a kind of honesty that I could tell her outright that I couldn’t be completely faithful to her,” declares this vicious man, and still boasts of his immorality. But his adventures in the village do not end there.

With unprecedented sophistication and cruelty, Svidrigailov mocks the peasant, and thereby drives him to suicide. And his immoral relationship with a fifteen-year-old girl evokes disapproval and condemnation from the reader. The unfortunate girl kills herself, but this has no effect on the villain. He, without feeling any remorse, continues to enjoy life and debauchery.

Committing crimes and atrocities, Arkady Ivanovich does not suffer like Raskolnikov, who is tormented whether he has the right to take a person’s life. Svidrigailov commits his atrocities without thinking, and it’s scary. For him there is no crime or wrongdoing, for him there is only the need to satisfy his desires and lusts, regardless of how it affects others. And although he tells the main character that they are both “birds of a feather,” this is not so.

Svidrigailov does not doubt his evil deeds, he does not hesitate between good and evil. He has been on the side of evil for a long time and does not experience the slightest sign of repentance. In contrast to Raskolnikov, Arkady Ivanovich does not withdraw into himself after the crime. He continues to live and strives to get everything from life. The relationship between Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov’s sister Dunya is stunning and extraordinary. The girl comes to serve in the family of Arkady Ivanovich, where he notices her and becomes imbued with love for her. Most likely, the man was captivated by the spiritual beauty and purity of the young maid. She behaves meekly and humbly, does her homework with zeal, and is kind and flexible. But there is another side to this malleability.

Dunya is an honest, chaste girl; she protects her purity and innocence. No threats and intimidations, no gifts and no flattery can shake her determination to resist the hated master. Svidrigailov cannot come to terms with this. He thinks that his wife is interfering with the girl. Therefore, a man commits a terrible act - he becomes the culprit in the death of his wife, the mother of his children, who all the time saved him and saved him from the consequences of his dirty deeds. After this, Arkady Ivanovich goes to Dunya to force her to surrender to him.

He blackmails the girl with her brother's secret and resorts to other terrible tricks to seduce the unfortunate woman. But Dunya, driven to despair, realizes that she can become a puppet in the hands of a cruel, unprincipled man whom she abhors and despises, and decides to kill. The first shot missed the villain, and the second time the girl was unable to shoot and threw the revolver away. Svidrigailov, who was not frightened by either the assassination attempt or the real threat, was broken by Dunya’s despair and grief, her extinguished gaze and sad indifference. He realized that he was disgusted with his beloved, that she would never, ever love him sincerely and voluntarily. “ - You don’t like that. And you can't? Never? Never!" – this quiet short conversation decides the future fate of the heroes. Arkady Ivanovich, who truly loves this persistent, pure young woman, lets her go and decides to commit suicide.

His existence is meaningless; without his beloved, who could become his joy and salvation, he sees no reason for his existence. Svidrigailov commits suicide, but, oddly enough for a negative hero, in the last hours of his life he commits noble deeds that save the lives of others. The man leaves money to his bride, who is young and innocent, and Sonechka, thanks to which she is able to change her profession and follow Raskolnikov into exile to take care of his mental well-being. Arkady Ivanovich also arranges the lives of the Marmeladov children. If not for his good deeds, who knows how the lives of the main characters would have ended. And so we have hope that by his suicide Svidrigailov saved Sonya and Rodion, that they will live happily ever after.

The image of Svidrigailov in Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment”

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Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel “Crime and Punishment” has a psychological orientation. Therefore, the author’s attention is directed primarily not to the external actions of the characters, but to their internal thoughts and experiences.

One of the most striking images is that of Svidrigailov. His full name is Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov. He is a wealthy nobleman with connections, accustomed to achieving his goals. Him and Luzhina What they have in common is that both of them are moral counterparts to the main character Raskolnikov. Svidrigailov puts Raskolnikov's theory into practice. He gets what he wants in any way. As a result, he became a morally devastated person who is experiencing spiritual degradation.

Svidrigailov in the novel is already about 50 years old, but he looks younger than his years. Arkady Ivanovich was of average height, broad in the shoulders, and dressed smartly. This gentleman's face still retained freshness and good looks. His hair and beard were still thick. A special feature was sharp blue eyes that looked at people coldly and with a degree of disdain. Raskolnikov Svidrigailova notices something terrifying in Svidrigailova’s pretty face. Thus, the author hints that the main character sees his own terrifying image in the eyes of another hero.

There were various rumors about Arkady Ivanovich. It was rumored that he was involved in the poisoning of his wife and the suicide of a servant. He himself did not deny his tough character. Svidrigailov did not try to build exculpatory theories, like Luzhin or Raskolnikov. He accepted the fact that he was an idle and depraved person.

Svidrigailov is a projection onto the image of Raskolnikov. If the main character could realize his theory, he would become Svidrigailov. Arkady Ivanovich has long stepped over the moral boundaries of good and evil and is not tormented by questions of conscience, unlike the poor student. There are no restrictions for this master; whatever he wants, he achieves.

However, in the novel there is still a person who will make the hero doubt his chosen path. This Dunya, sister of Rodion Raskolnikov. The girl is beautiful, and Arkady Ivanovich lusts for her, wants to achieve her location at any cost. But Dunya, although poor, is smart and proud. She quickly understands what motivates Arkady Ivanovich. Her resistance and moral purity turn something over in the soul of this cold and cynical person. Svidrigailov falls in love with Dunya and tries to win her love. Using blackmail, he lures the girl into the bedroom, but his animal plans are not allowed to come true. Dunya was able to stand up for her honor and awakened forgotten feelings in Arkady Ivanovich - nobility and courage.

The image of Svidrigailov in the novel “Crime and Punishment” is not unambiguous; in his soul there is no clear boundary between good and evil. He is immoral, but he also does good deeds.

Who is Svidrigailov from Crime and Punishment

Mr. Svidrigailov is one of the bright secondary characters in the novel “Crime and Punishment” by Dostoevsky.

This article presents a quotation image and characterization of Svidrigailov in the novel “Crime and Punishment”: a description of the appearance and character of the hero.

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The image and characteristics of Svidrigailov in the novel “Crime and Punishment”: description of appearance and character

Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov is an acquaintance and admirer of Dunya Raskolnikova (sister of the main character, Rodion Raskolnikov).

Mr. Svidrigailov’s age is about 50 years:
". He was a man of about fifty. " The following is known about Svidrigailov’s appearance:
". taller than average, 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; scarlet lips. In general, he was a perfectly preserved man who seemed much younger than his age. " ". He leaned on his cane with both hands. As much as one could see through his blinking eyelashes, this man was already middle-aged, stocky and with a thick, light, almost white beard...” ". 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. The eyes were somehow too blue, and their gaze was somehow too heavy and motionless. There was something terribly unpleasant in this handsome and extremely youthful, judging by his age, face. Svidrigailov’s clothes were smart, summer, light, and he especially showed off his underwear. There was a huge ring with an expensive stone on the finger.” Svidrigailov is a retired officer, a nobleman by birth:
“Who am I? You know: a nobleman, served for two years in the cavalry. " Svidrigailov is a widower, husband of the late Marfa Petrovna:
". May be. seeing himself already in years and the father of a family. " Svidrigailov has children, but he considers himself a bad father. According to him, children do not need it:
". My children stayed with my aunt; they are rich, but they don’t need me personally. And what kind of father am I!” Svidrigailov is a wealthy man (before the death of his wife):
". It is, of course, decently dressed and I am not considered a poor person. " “I took for myself only what Marfa Petrovna gave me a year ago. I've had enough. " ". I'm not rich though. " ". Marfa Petrovna. and if she left him something. which is not enough for a year for a person with his habits. " Mr. Svidrigailov is a madman:
". They've already dealt too harshly with this madman. " ". this madman had long since developed a passion for Dunya. " Svidrigailov is a man of “bully behavior,” that is, desperate, capable of anything:
". a person of disturbed behavior. " Svidrigailov is a rude villain, voluptuous and scoundrel:
". from this rude villain, from this voluptuous libertine and scoundrel. " “It must be you... the scoundrel!” ". In a word, this monstrous difference in age and development in you excites voluptuousness! And are you really getting married like that?”

Mr. Svidrigailov is a depraved, vicious, idle person:
". Indeed, I am a depraved and idle person. " “This is the most depraved and lost in vices of all people of this kind. " Svidrigailov is a terrible, dishonest person:
". No, no, this is a terrible person! I can't imagine anything more terrible. " ". Even though I know that you are a man... without honor. " Svidrigailov is a gloomy, boring person, in his own opinion:
". But I’m a gloomy, boring person. Do you think it's funny? No, gloomy: I do no harm, and I sit in the corner; sometimes they won’t talk for three days. " Svidrigailov is a sinful, low person who loves “places with dirty people”:
". I am a sinful person. Hehehehe. " ". I love cesspools with dirt. " Svidrigailov is a nasty and empty person who doesn’t really do anything:
". and in such a nasty and empty person like me. "(Svidrigailov about himself) ". at least there was something; well, to be a landowner, well, a father, well, a lancer, a photographer, a journalist... n-nothing, no specialty! Sometimes it's even boring. " Svidrigailov is the emptiest, most insignificant villain in the world, according to Raskolnikov:
". He became convinced of Svidrigailov as the most empty and insignificant villain in the world.” Svidrigailov is not interested in the opinions of others:
". But I’m not particularly interested in anyone’s opinion. and therefore why not be vulgar. " Svidrigailov is a very strange person:
“He is very strange and has decided on something... He seems to know something... Dunya must be protected from him...” When he wants, Mr. Svidrigailov knows how to seem like a decent person and behave charmingly:
". Arkady Ivanovich, when he wanted to, was a man with very charming manners. " ". It even seems to me that you are in very good company, or at least know how to be a decent person on occasion. " Mr. Svidrigailov is a cunning man:
". he is a cunning and seductive man about the ladies. "

This was a quotation image and characterization of Svidrigailov in the novel “Crime and Punishment”: a description of the appearance and character of the hero.

Svidrigailov Arkady Ivanovich

1. Essays
2. Characters of works
3. Svidrigailov Arkady Ivanovich

("Crime and Punishment")

Landowner; husband of Marfa Petrovna Svidrigailova. His portrait is given twice in the novel. At the beginning: “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; scarlet lips. In general, he was a perfectly preserved man who seemed much younger than his years...” At the end of the novel (in the 6th part), the portrait is repeated, psychologically clarified, and specified: “It was some kind of strange face, like a mask: white, ruddy , with rosy, scarlet lips, a light blond beard and still quite thick blond hair. The eyes were somehow too blue, and their gaze was somehow too heavy and motionless. There was something terribly unpleasant in this handsome and extremely youthful, judging by his age, face. Svidrigailov’s clothes were smart, summer, light, and he especially showed off his underwear. There was a huge ring with an expensive stone on the finger...”

Svidrigailov was first mentioned in a detailed letter from Pulcheria Alexandrovna Raskolnikova to her son Rodion Raskolnikov with a bitter story about the misadventures of his sister Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikova, who served as a governess in the house of Svidrigailov and his wife Marfa Petrovna. The voluptuous Svidrigailov pursued Dunya and, having received a refusal, slandered her, so that she had to leave her place. True, Svidrigailov subsequently admitted to slander, but following the mother and daughter Raskolnikov, who moved to St. Petersburg, he appears in the capital (after the death of his wife, whom he apparently poisoned) and begins to literally pursue Avdotya Romanovna. Having accidentally turned out to be Sonya Marmeladova's neighbor, Svidrigailov overheard Rodion Raskolnikov's confession of the murder of the old pawnbroker and is trying to blackmail his sister with this. Before this, in a conversation with Raskolnikov, his “double” (this is exactly the psychological role Svidrigailov plays in the novel in relation to the student killer) openly admits and talks about his past deeds: he was a sharper, was in debtor’s prison, married Marfa Petrovna because of money, raped a girl who then committed suicide, drove the lackey Philip to suicide... According to Svidrigailov, eternity is “like a village bathhouse, smoky, and there are spiders in all the corners.”

This character is the first real, unconditional and, so to speak, logical suicide in Dostoevsky’s world: he thought through suicide, prepared it, justified it and committed it. Svidrigailov himself knows that he is a lost man - and not only in his vices, but also in the most literal sense of the word, a lost man. Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikova is his last and only hope to stay in this world, to stay and continue to live. Alas, on her part he cannot expect not only tolerance and compassion (which Apollinaria Suslova sometimes bestowed, to some extent the prototype of Dunya, Dostoevsky): Dunya despises him and even hates him - for her he is definitely disgusting. And Svidrigailov cannot even dissolve and drown his despair in wine, because, although in his youth he paid abundant tribute to Bacchus, now he does not even like or tolerate champagne (as, by the way, Dostoevsky himself). His love for Duna is not just the attraction of an elderly, fading man to a beautiful young girl, but also his passionate desire to finally become someone. He confesses to Raskolnikov: “Believe me, at least there was something; well, to be a landowner, well, a father, well, a lancer, a photographer, a journalist... n-nothing, no specialty! Sometimes it’s even boring...” But, oddly enough, this man is afraid of death (“I’m afraid of death and I don’t like it when they talk about it,” he admits to Raskolnikov). He is so mystically afraid of death that he came up with a kind of euphemism for his impending suicide - voyage to America. He talks about this “voyage” in conversations with Raskolnikov and Sonya Marmeladova. By the way, in the mystical fear of death, the novel's doubles - Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov - are absolutely similar. It is said about Raskolnikov: “In the consciousness of death and in the feeling of the presence of death, there was always something heavy and mystically terrible for him, from childhood. »

But it is known that many suicides, before their fatal step, were afraid of death, denied it and even condemned those who committed suicide. This process - from the denial of death to the execution of the “auto-sentence” - is described and shown in detail, with all the psychological details, by Dostoevsky using the example of Svidrigailov. He foresaw his tragic end, but until the last moment he tried to avoid it, or at least postpone it. There were two options for this: to marry, as he planned, a 15-year-old innocent girl, or to achieve the reciprocity of Dunya Raskolnikova. The girl-bride actually exists - Svidrigailov goes to her house with gifts, willingly tells Raskolnikov about her. Matchmaking with a young bride, apparently, was not a very serious matter for him - out of inertia, out of an inveterate habit of voluptuousness and a tendency towards pedophilia, but this man was serious about Avdotya Romanovna. His tormenting passion for Raskolnikov’s sister had lasted for more than one day and had reached its boiling point. Even when Dunya lived and stayed on his estate, he was ready to kill his wife at her very first word (which, however, he did later without any permission), and now he decided to put his own life on the line: he endures several minutes - Dunya even slightly wounded him.

Before the decisive, last meeting-conversation with Avdotya Romanovna, Svidrigailov commits actions that are incredible to him: he pays for the funeral of Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladova, allocates capital for the placement of her orphans, offers Raskolnikov 10 thousand rubles for Dunya in order to save her from a forced marriage with Luzhin, and the entire Raskolnikov family is out of poverty. However, there is nothing strange about this. Svidrigailov understands perfectly well that as he is, he only causes disgust and disgust in Dunya. He makes radical, in his opinion, attempts to be reborn in a single moment, to become better. To appear before the woman you love as a kind of noble and beneficent knight. He, moreover, has another strong and, as, again, it seems to him, noble trump card in reserve - he could, but did not betray Dunya’s brother to the police. Speaking about ten thousand for his sister in a conversation with Raskolnikov, Svidrigailov assures: “. I offer without any calculations. Believe it or not, both you and Avdotya Romanovna will find out later. “But, of course, at that moment not only his interlocutor, but also Arkady Ivanovich himself did not believe that “without any calculations”: the calculation, albeit naive, was just that - to surprise, hit Dunya, melt the ice in her heart. But, we must give him his due, after the catastrophe, after his fatal meeting with Dunya, Svidrigailov completely disinterestedly continues to perform good deeds: he gives 3 thousand rubles to Sonya (so that she has something to go to Siberia after Raskolnikov and something to live on there) , leaves as much as 15 thousand to his young failed bride (although, of course, it would be better to distribute the amounts the other way around!). But according to the nature of his nature and according to his atheistic worldview, before voluntarily leaving this life, he should have reached the limit of cynicism, done some kind of ugly twist - for example, raped Dunya or betrayed her brother in order send him, if not “to America” after himself, then at least to hard labor... This is how Dostoevsky himself later discussed this in a letter to his reader and admirer N.L. Ozmidov (February 1878): “Now imagine that there is no God and no immortality of the soul (the immortality of the soul and God are all the same, one and the same idea). Tell me, why should I then live well, do good, if I die on earth completely? Without immortality, the whole point is just to reach my term, and then at least everything will burn. And if so, then why should I (if I only rely on my dexterity and intelligence, so as not to get caught by the law) not kill another, rob, rob, or why should I, if I don’t kill, then not directly live at the expense of others, in one of your wombs? After all, I will die, and everything will die, nothing will happen. »

It turns out that Arkady Ivanovich, in the most hidden, deep convolutions of his shabby soul, still timidly hoped for immortality, not only in the form of a smoky bathhouse with spiders, for the existence of God, he strove and wished before a meeting with Him, as before a meeting with Dunya, to balance the pounds of his crimes, cynical actions and sins, spools of dying blessings.

Having finally released Dunya in peace, Svidrigailov accidentally noticed the revolver that she had thrown away and picked it up: there were still two charges and one primer left there. By the way, this revolver once belonged to Svidrigailov himself and, by chance, he found its owner, saving the only and last shot for him. However, this last capsule could also misfire, and then what would Arkady Ivanovich do at the last moment? You can guess about this: already having a revolver in his pocket, a few hours before suicide, Svidrigailov crosses the bridge at midnight and “with some special curiosity and even a question looked at the black water of the Malaya Neva. “It is likely that if the capsule had not worked, he would simply have drowned. This gentleman would hardly have agreed to the rope, not wanting to stoop to the level of his lackey Philip. And one more very curious touch: before a meeting with Dunya, Svidrigailov drinks a glass of champagne for courage, because “I can’t”, but before leaving for America, he spends the entire evening drinking and treating everyone he meets, wandering around the taverns, without drinking a sip himself - he no longer needs courage to commit self-execution. In the last hours of his life, Svidrigailov does everything to ensure that this life, the surrounding earthly reality, tires him to the extreme, as if he is trying to suppress and drown out the rudiments of his dying fear with a completely unbearable disgust for existence. The rain is lashing, the wind is howling, and he, soaked to the skin, wanders until late through the dark streets, through stinking dirty taverns, communicates with drunken rabble, then rents a “room” in a filthy hotel on the outskirts of the city, as if he wants and intends to vividly imagine an imagined afterlife. a miserable eternity for them: “He lit a candle and examined the room in more detail. It was a cell so small that it was almost too tall for Svidrigailov, with one window; the bed was very dirty, a simple painted table and chair took up almost the entire space. The walls looked as if they had been knocked together from boards with shabby wallpaper, so dusty and tattered that its color (yellow) could still be guessed, but no pattern could be recognized. One part of the wall and ceiling was cut at an angle. “Well, why not an analogue of a bathhouse with spiders? Only here and while Svidrigailov is overcome and tormented not by spiders, but by flies and mice - in nightmares and in reality. Nightmares almost drive Arkady Ivanovich crazy, and he knew in advance that he would be choked by nightmares, however, trying to gain and accumulate more evil disgust for life, he plunges into a nightmarish half-oblivion again and again: then he sees in the coffin he tries to save a five-year-old girl from the cold, but she suddenly begins to seduce him. The subconscious reaction of an inveterate cynic and libertine is striking here - even he was horrified: “What! five year old! - Svidrigailov whispered in real horror, - this. what is this? »

And - the very last actions of Arkady Ivanovich before setting off on his last journey, on the “voyage”: he checks the primer in the revolver, writes a traditional, completely stupid note, saying that he doesn’t blame anyone for his death, etc. catches a fly. He tries long and hard to catch a fly. “Finally, catching myself in this interesting activity, I woke up, shuddered, stood up and resolutely walked out of the room.” This is Dostoevsky! Later, in “Demons,” he will recreate and use again a similar psychological detail, develop it to a truly philosophical level in the scene of Matryosha’s suicide, when Stavrogin, being behind the wall, and knowing and guessing about what is happening in the closet, at first also stubbornly catches a fly, and then begins to closely examine the “tiny red spider on a geranium leaf.”

In the description of the last minutes of Svidrigailov’s life there is another extremely interesting detail, as if connecting him with the hero of V. Hugo’s story “The Last Day of a Man Condemned to Death” with Rodion Raskolnikov and, moreover, with Dostoevsky himself. A French criminal, who is being taken to execution, in the last moments of the journey runs his eyes over the signs on the benches; Raskolnikov, going to the police station with a confession (also, essentially, to execution, at least of his fate), “greedily looked around right and left,” reading the signs and even noting mistakes in them (“Tavarischestvo”); and Prince Myshkin in “The Idiot,” talking about the feelings and thoughts of a man (Dostoevsky himself) who is being taken to the scaffold, depicts how he looks for the familiar baker’s sign. Apparently, this detail stuck in the memory of the Petrashevsky writer! So Svidrigailov, on the way to the place of self-execution, glanced every now and then “stumbled upon shop and vegetable signs and carefully read each one. »

At the last decisive minute, Svidrigailov behaved calmly, and was in full control of his nerves and feelings. He even somehow humorously brought his joke-euphemism about the voyage to its logical conclusion, announcing to a random witness - the guard soldier-fireman (Achilles) - that he was going to America and let him then explain it to the police: he went to America. And - he pulled the trigger. There was no misfire.

The surname Svidrigailov reflects the contradictory, quirky essence of this hero. Dostoevsky, being interested in the history of his family (which has Lithuanian roots), probably drew attention to the etymological composition of the surname of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Shvitrigailo (Svidrigailo): gail ( German geil) - lustful, voluptuous. In addition, in one of the feuilletons of the magazine “Iskra” (1861, No. 26), which was part of Dostoevsky’s reading circle, there was talk about a certain Svidrigailov who was rampaging in the provinces - a “repulsive” and “disgusting” person.

The image of Svidrigailov, to some extent, captures the psychological appearance of one of the inhabitants of the Omsk prison - the murderer from the nobles Aristov (in “Notes from the House of the Dead” he is depicted as A-v).

The image and characteristics of Svidrigailov in the novel “Crime and Punishment” by Dostoevsky

Of the many minor characters, Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailova is the most striking and important for characterizing the main character Raskolnikov. The image and characterization of Svidrigailov in the novel “Crime and Punishment” are described by Dostoevsky quite clearly, vividly, and in the most detail. This character so clearly emphasizes many aspects of the protagonist’s character that it is very important to understand the very essence of the unsympathetic Arkady Ivanovich.

Dostoevsky F. M., like an artist, painted a portrait of Arkady Ivanovich with clear, bright, rich strokes with a wide brush. And although Svidrigailov is not the main character, it is difficult to forget him and impossible to pass by.

— This is how the portrait of Svidrigailov was painted. The author drew him in great detail, emphasizing the importance of this character for the destinies of the other heroes of the novel. The portrait is very interesting: at first the reader sees a very pleasant person, even handsome. And suddenly, at the end of the description, it is said about the eyes: a steady, cold gaze, albeit thoughtful. The author emphasized the famous expression “the eyes are the mirror of the soul” in literally two words that reveal the very essence of the character. Even a very attractive person may turn out to be completely different from what he first appears. Here is the first hint of the true essence of Svidrigailov, which the author reveals through the opinion of Raskolnikov, who noticed that Arkady Ivanovich’s face is more like a mask hiding all the ins and outs, that, despite his attractiveness, there is something very unpleasant in Svidrigailov.

Character, its formation

Svidrigailov is a nobleman, which means that he received a decent education. He served in the cavalry for about two years, then, as he himself said, “wandered around,” already living in St. Petersburg. There he became a sharper and ended up in prison, from where Marfa Petrovna rescued him. It turns out that the entire biography of Arkady Ivanovich is his path to moral and ethical decline. Svidrigailov is cynical, a lover of debauchery, which he himself admits even with some pride. He has no sense of gratitude: even to his wife, who saved him from prison, he directly states that he is not going to remain faithful to her and change his lifestyle for her sake.

His entire life was marked by crimes: because of him, his servant Philip and the servant’s daughter, a girl dishonored by Svidrigailov, committed suicide. It is most likely that Marfa Petrovna was poisoned because of her lecherous husband. Arkady Ivanovich lies, slandering Dunya, Raskolnikov’s sister, slandering her, and also trying to dishonor the girl. With all his dissolute and dishonest life, Svidrigailov is gradually killing his soul. And it would be okay if he destroyed everything good in himself, Arkady Ivanovich kills everything around him, everything he touches.

Character personality traits

Svidrigailov is depicted as a perfect villain who has fallen into the abyss of evil, having seemingly lost every pitiful remnant of conscience. He has absolutely no doubts when doing evil, does not think about the consequences, and even enjoys the torment of the people around him. A lustful libertine, a sadist, he tries to satisfy all his base instincts, without experiencing the slightest remorse for what he has done. It seems to him that it will always be like this.

Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov

Having met the main character, Arkady Ivanovich once notices to him that they are both “birds of a feather.” Raskolnikov finds Svidrigailov extremely unpleasant. Rodion even feels some confusion, feeling the power of Arkady Ivanovich over himself, who understood a lot about the student. Raskolnikov is frightened by the mysteriousness of Svidrigailov.

However, despite the fact that Rodion killed the old pawnbroker, they are not at all alike. Yes, Rodion put forward a theory about superhumans, even killed a man while testing his theory. But in Svidrigailov, as in a distorting mirror, he saw himself in the future, if he continued to live according to the principles of his idea. And this revealed humanity in Rodion, pushed him to repentance and understand the depth of his fall.

The end of Arkady Ivanovich

Dostoevsky, in addition to his mastery of writing, was endowed with the talent of a psychologist. Here too, describing the life path of Svidrigailov, an inveterate villain, he stops him with love, paradoxically as it may seem. Arkady Ivanovich, having met Dunya, first tries to seduce her. When he fails, he denigrates the girl in the eyes of others. In the end, he is surprised to realize that he truly loved her. And this understanding of the truth of love opens in his soul all the floodgates that hitherto had not let out either conscience, repentance, or understanding of the atrocities he committed.

He lets Dunya go, noting with desperate bitterness:

Svidrigailov suddenly realizes that he is absolutely alone in his fall, that he is unworthy of anyone’s love. The epiphany comes too late for him. Yes, he is trying to atone, to somehow make amends for all the evil that he has done so far. Arkady Ivanovich gives money to Dunya and Sonya, donates a large sum to the Marmeladov family... But he cannot achieve deep, sincere repentance.

But the pangs of conscience aroused in him memories of the atrocities he had committed. And these memories turned out to be an unbearable burden for the conscience. Svidrigailov committed suicide.

And in this he turned out to be weaker than Raskolnikov, who was not afraid, but confessed and repented, not being afraid to live on.

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SVIDRIGAILOV

SVIDRIGAILOV is the central character of F.M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” (1866), a wealthy nobleman “not without connections.” Arkady Ivanovich S. was first mentioned in a letter from Raskolnikov’s mother to her son with a story about the misadventures of his sister Dunya, who served in the house of S. and his wife, the wealthy landowner Marfa Petrovna. The voluptuous S. pursued the beautiful maid, and having received a refusal, slandered her. However, having repented, he soon restored her reputation, after which Dunya was proposed to by the calculating businessman Luzhin, who was looking for a poor and dependent bride. At the request of the groom, Dunya and his mother come to live in St. Petersburg, where soon, after the sudden and mysterious death of his wife, whom he beat and, apparently, poisoned, S. arrives. “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. “...” His wide, cheekbones face was quite pleasant, and his complexion was fresh, not St. Petersburg.”

S. comes to meet Raskolnikov, asking him in vain to arrange a personal meeting with Dunya. Having openly talked about his dark past: cheating, debtor's prison, marrying Marfa Petrovna for money, about a girl who drowned in an ice hole after being raped, he admits that life is “very boring” and that even “eternity” for him is “like a village the baths are smoky, and there are spiders in all the corners.”

Having accidentally found himself as Sonya Marmeladova’s neighbor, S., who had previously sensed “some common point” between himself and Raskolnikov, learns about the latter’s crime and the ups and downs around it. Promising in a letter to Dunya to reveal his brother’s secret, he lures her to his apartment for a conversation.

S. is in a state of duality: he seems to be preparing for new crimes (abuse of Dunya and his 16-year-old bride, whom he wants, having amused himself, to give to her cruel pimp), but he feels something more than passion for Dunya, and her reciprocity is the only hope for S. to return to the source of being, love, life - God. Convinced of her irrevocable dislike for himself, he lets Dunya go. A few hours later he goes on a “voyage”, that is, he shoots himself, having previously given 3 thousand to Sonya and 15 thousand to the bride.

Personality traits, biographies and many of S.’s thoughts can be observed in such Dostoevsky characters as Bykov (“Poor People”), Pyotr Alexandrovich (“Netochka Nezvanova”) Bankovsky “Humiliated and Insulted”), Stavrogin, Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov and others.

In the play by Y.P. Lyubimov (1979) based on the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky's role was played by V.S. Vysotsky.

O.A. Bogdanova

Literary heroes. - Academician. 2009 .

See what "SVIDRIGAILOV" is in other dictionaries:

A scene from the play “Crime and Punishment” at the Saratov Drama Theater. Porfiry Petrovich and Rodion Raskolnikov Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is the main character in F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment.” Contents 1... ...Wikipedia

A scene from the play “Crime and Punishment” at the Saratov Drama Theater. Porfiry Petrovich and Rodion Raskolnikov Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is the main character in F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment.” Contents 1... ...Wikipedia

Crime and Punishment Crime and Punishment Genre: Romance

The hero of F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” (1865 1866). The image of R. in the general cultural consciousness appears as a purely ideological, nominal and emblematic, finding itself among the so-called world artistic images, such... ... Literary heroes

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Crime and Punishment Genre... Wikipedia

Dostoevsky, Fyodor Mikhailovich, famous writer. Born on October 30, 1821 in Moscow in the building of the Mariinsky Hospital, where his father served as a staff doctor. He grew up in a rather harsh environment, over which hovered the gloomy spirit of the father of a nervous man,... ... Biographical Dictionary

Genus. 1912, d. 1975. Theater and film actor. A graduate of the studio at the Bolshoi Drama Theater (Leningrad, 1935), he played on the stage of the Bolshoi Drama Theater. He made his film debut in 1932. He starred in the films: “Prologue” (pop Gapon, 1956), “Time, Forward!” (Nalbandov, 1966),… … Large biographical encyclopedia

Work:

Crime and Punishment

“About fifty years old... 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; lips are scarlet." Raskolnikov notices that his face looks like a mask and there is something extremely unpleasant about him.

A nobleman who served in the cavalry, Svidrigailov later “loitered” in St. Petersburg and was a sharper. He is a widower. At one time he was bought out of prison by his wife and lived in the village for 7 years. A cynical and depraved person. On his conscience is the suicide of a servant, a 14-year-old girl, and possibly the poisoning of his wife.

Svidrigailov also played a fatal role in the life of Raskolnikov’s sister, Dunya. Because of his harassment, she lost her job. Later, after telling the girl that her brother is a murderer, the hero blackmails Dunya. Fearing violence, the girl shoots at Svidrigailov and misses. But Arkady Ivanovich had sincere feelings for Dunya. In his question: “So you don’t love me? And you can't? Never?" - there is a sound of sincere bitterness, almost despair. Svidrigailov is the “negative double” of Raskolnikov. The hero claims that they are “birds of a feather.” But Arkady Ivanovich has already made his choice: he is on the side of evil and has no doubts. He considers himself free from the moral law. But this realization does not bring joy to the hero. He experiences world boredom. Svidrigailov is having fun as best he can, but nothing helps. At night, the hero is haunted by the ghosts of the souls he has ruined. The indistinguishability of good and evil makes Svidrigailov's life meaningless. Deep in his soul he condemns himself and feels guilty. It is not for nothing that the eternity that he deserves appears to the hero in the image of a smoky bathhouse with spiders. We can say that the moral law, contrary to the will of Svidrigailov, dominates this hero. Arkady Ivanovich also does good deeds: he helps settle Marmeladov’s children, takes care of a little girl in a hotel. But his soul is dead. As a result, he commits suicide with a revolver shot.

Svidrigailov is Raskolnikov’s ideological double. His theory is that “single villainy is acceptable if the main target is good.” But this is an extremely immoral person, so any goal that he sets for himself is good for him. He has committed many atrocities in his life, and he has human blood on his conscience. He committed atrocities in order to be free to choose how to live. S. was a card sharper, killed a servant, was in prison, and was guilty of the death of his own wife. But at the same time, he does not consider himself a villain and is capable of doing good deeds. And indeed, Svidrigailov is ready to provide for Avdotya Romanovna, without demanding that she marry him, he wants to save her from marriage with Luzhin, because he sees what the latter is like. Svidrigailov quickly unravels Raskolnikov, the essence of his theory and his torment. “I understand what questions you have: moral, or what? Questions of a citizen and a person? And you are at their side; why do you need them now? Then what else is a citizen and a person? And if so, there was no need to interfere; There’s no point in taking on things that aren’t your own,” says Svidrigailov. Yes, this is the difference between Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov, that Raskolnikov committed a crime, but did not “cross the line”, “remained on this side,” while Svidrigailov crossed it and is not tormented by any remorse. But the principle of permissiveness led him to everyday boredom. He understands that he has lived his whole life wrong, that he initially chose his path incorrectly, and now he is a slave to his desires, which he cannot fight. Svidrigailov claims that he and Raskolnikov are “birds of a feather.” On the way to the police, where he went with the intention of making a confession to the murder of the old pawnbroker, Raskolnikov learns about Svidrigailov’s suicide. Thus, the author shows the final collapse of the inhuman theory of the protagonist and deprives it of the right to exist. True freedom is possible only if goodness reigns in a person’s soul. People who take a sinful path sooner or later lose freedom. Crimes enslave human souls. They can no longer do good, even if they want to. The example of Svidrigailov proves this to us. He lived in sin for too long, and when he realized it, it was already too late. He could no longer freely change his path.

So, with the help of the image of Svidrigailov, F. M. Dostoevsky showed what an inhuman theory can lead to. The writer claims that happiness cannot be built on the misfortune of others, especially on crime; that a person is a person, and not a “trembling creature.”

Literary scholars and researchers of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” are talking about the fact that the main character of the novel, Rodion Raskolnikov, has “doubles”, i.e. heroes similar to him in some ways. They point to Luzhin and Svidrigailov in this capacity. Proof of this is the creation of the theory by which these heroes live. We will dwell in detail on the figure of the minor character Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov.

We meet him with our own eyes in the fourth part of the novel, but we already know something about him from a letter from Pulcheria Alexandrovna Raskolnikova to her son Rodion: “... this madman has long had a passion for Duna, but he kept hiding it under the guise of rudeness and contempt for her.” The story with Dunya, which Raskolnikov learns from his mother, does not look good on Mr. Svidrigailov. He is used to achieving his goals at any cost. Taking Dunya, Raskolnikov’s sister, into the house to work, he disgraced her throughout the city. And his wife Marfa Petrovna played a certain role in his entire plan. Knowing that Dunya was tied hand and foot by a debt that amounted to 100 rubles, Svidrigailov took advantage of her trust, honesty and helplessness.

The author provides us with the opportunity to hear the life story of Svidrigailov from the lips of the hero himself when he comes to visit Raskolnikov. He tells how he was a sharper, had a good time in the company of the same people, lost money, ended up in a debtor’s prison, and was bought out for “thirty thousand pieces of silver” by Marfa Petrovna and taken to the village, where he lived for almost eight years, without leaving anywhere. Svidrigailov also admits that he is not entirely healthy: “... when a completely human person dies, he will directly pass on to another world.” Arkady Ivanovich told Raskolnikov that they were “birds of a feather.” Svidrigailov asked to meet with Dunya to warn her about Luzhin and, naturally, to offer himself to her as a replacement.

The characteristics of this hero are also presented in the novel by Luzhin. In a conversation with Raskolnikov and his family, he says that Svidrigailov is “the most depraved person who perished in vices.” He hints at Arkady Ivanovich's involvement in some crimes (footman Philip, girl - Resslich's niece, Marfa Petrovna...).

But there are also good lines about Svidrigailov in the novel. He took upon himself the material costs of the funeral of Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladova, placed her children in an orphanage and left money for their maintenance, helped Sonya - “became charitable” in Raskolnikov’s words. He even invites Raskolnikov to flee to America when he learns about his crime. He tells Dunya about this and says: “a single villainy is permissible if the main goal is good.” It turns out that Svidrigailov’s theory is not much different from Raskolnikov’s theory. Only Svidrigailov’s evil is not shared with good, he does not have an understanding of the destructiveness of his actions and deeds.

Svidrigailov made another attempt to talk with Dunya, but the girl refused him. Arkady Ivanovich is tormented by difficult memories, delusional dreams and visions. In the end, he shot himself with the revolver that Dunya came to him with. The meaning of life ceased to exist for him a long time ago.

The image of Svidrigailov in the novel Crime and Punishment is complex. Did Arkady Ivanovich repent of everything he had done in his life before committing suicide? Did he commit it in delirium or in full consciousness? Did he recognize what he did as evil? Unable to withstand the justice of life, which he himself spoke to Raskolnikov, he completed his life’s journey, choosing not redemption, but “escape.”

A minor character in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. An old nobleman dreams of marrying the sister of the main character of the novel -. He learns about the murder that Raskolnikov committed, but promises to remain silent about it. A quirky type, depraved and cynical.

History of creation

The image of Svidrigailov was formed under the influence of diverse impressions. The psychological prototype of the character was probably a certain murderer Aristov, a nobleman by birth, who was imprisoned in the Omsk prison. This man has already been depicted in another work - “Notes from a Dead House”. The surname “Svidrigailov” is consonant with the name of the Lithuanian prince Svidrigailo, as well as with the German word geil, which translates as “voluptuous”, “lustful”.

In addition, Dostoevsky, while working on the novel, drew upon numerous materials and notes from magazines and newspapers that he read. Among other things, the writer read the magazine Iskra. One of the issues for 1861 contains a feuilleton that talks about a certain Svidrigailov, a “repulsive” and “disgusting” man who is rampaging through the provinces.

"Crime and Punishment"

Arkady Svidrigailov is a tall, plump, stooped gentleman of about fifty. He dresses smartly and gives the impression of a dignified gentleman. He wears fresh gloves, an elegant cane and a huge ring with an expensive stone. Svidrigailov has a pleasant, high-cheekboned face, a healthy complexion, which is not typical for a St. Petersburger, thick blond hair with barely a hint of gray in it, a thick “spade-shaped” beard and blue “thoughtful” eyes.

The character is “excellently preserved” and looks younger than his age. At the same time, Svidrigailov’s youthful face looks like a mask and, for unknown reasons, produces a “terribly unpleasant” impression, and his gaze seems heavy and motionless.

Svidrigailov was a nobleman by birth, a retired officer - he served in the cavalry for two years. The hero was married, but Svidrigailov’s wife died. The wife left behind children who live with their aunt, and, as Svidrigailov himself believes, do not need a father. The hero's children are well provided for. Svidrigailov himself was also rich before, but after the death of his wife, the hero’s fortunes began to deteriorate. Svidrigailov is used to living luxuriously and is still considered a wealthy man and dresses well, but what is left after his wife is hardly enough for the hero to last a year.

Svidrigailov has an extravagant and unpredictable character. Other characters call Svidrigailov a voluptuous libertine, a scoundrel and a rude villain. The hero himself shares the opinion of others about himself as an idle person who died in vices, deprived of honor.

The hero also calls himself a boring and gloomy person, admits that sometimes he sits in the corner for three days and doesn’t talk to anyone, loves dirty places and is mired in sins. Svidrigailov does not have any specialty or business to which the hero could devote himself; for this reason, the hero calls himself an “empty man.”

Raskolnikov also calls Svidrigailov “the most insignificant villain.” Svidrigailov is in love with Raskolnikov’s sister Dunya and wants to marry her. However, he himself is against this marriage and believes that Dunya should be protected from Svidrigailov. Svidrigailov is not interested in the opinions of others, however, when necessary, the hero knows how to give the impression of a decent and charming person from a good society. The hero is cunning and knows how to seduce ladies, he is inclined to brag and let his tail fly.

Svidrigailov has many acquaintances in high society, so he still has useful connections. The hero himself previously dealt in fraud and was a sharper - a card player who deceives his partners. The hero was in a company of the same card swindlers who operated in high society and at first glance looked like the most decent people with refined manners, businessmen and the creative elite.

Eight years before the events taking place in the novel, Svidrigailov ended up in a debtor's prison, from where he had no means to escape. The hero had a huge debt that he could not pay. Svidrigailov was saved by Marfa Petrovna, who was in love with him, and bought the hero from prison for “thirty thousand pieces of silver.” The hero married Marfa Petrovna, after which he immediately left for his wife’s estate, in the village. The wife was five years older than Svidrigailov and loved her husband very much.

For the next seven years, before arriving in St. Petersburg, the hero did not leave the estate and took advantage of his wife’s fortune. Marfa Petrovna seemed too old to the hero and did not arouse a love interest in him, so Svidrigailov directly told his wife that he was not going to remain faithful to her. The wife received this statement with tears, but as a result the spouses came to an agreement.

Svidrigailov promised that he would not leave his wife and would not divorce her, would not go anywhere without his wife’s permission and would not take on a permanent mistress. In exchange for this, Marfa Petrovna will “allow” Svidrigailov to seduce young peasant women on the estate.

Svidrigailov raped a deaf-mute minor girl, who later hanged herself in the attic. The hero’s guilt became known from a certain denunciation. A criminal case was opened against the hero, and Svidrigailov was threatened with exile to Siberia, but Marfa Petrovna again helped her husband get out of it and tried to hush up the matter. Thanks to his wife’s money and connections, Svidrigailov escaped justice. It is also known that the hero drove one of his servants to suicide with endless torture and bullying.

Dunya, the sister of the main character of the novel, Rodion Raskolnikov, worked as a governess in the house of Marfa Petrovna when she was still alive. Svidrigailov fell in love with Dunya and planned to seduce the girl with money and run away with her to St. Petersburg. Svidrigailov tells Duna that, at her command, he is ready to kill or poison his wife. Soon, Svidrigailov’s wife actually dies under strange circumstances, but Dunya refuses the hero.

The girl believes that Svidrigailov horribly beat and poisoned his wife, but whether this is true is unknown. Suspecting the hero of murder, Dunya takes the revolver that previously belonged to Marfa Petrovna in order to be able to defend herself if necessary.

Another illegal act of Svidrigailov is blackmail. The hero overhears the conversation that takes place between Raskolnikov and Sonechka Marmeladova. From this conversation, Svidrigailov learns about the murder that Raskolnikov committed, and decides to use this information to blackmail Dunya and force her to marry him. However, Dunya manages to get rid of Svidrigailov. Later, the hero offers Raskolnikov money so that he can flee St. Petersburg abroad and hide from justice.

The deceased wife begins to appear to Svidrigailov in hallucinations. The hero goes crazy and begins to do strange things, for example, he gives a prostitute three thousand rubles (a lot of money in those days) so that the heroine can start a new life. Soon after this, Svidrigailov commits suicide - he shoots himself right on the street. This completes the biography of the hero.

Svidrigailov in the novel appears as Raskolnikov's double. The characters are related by the philosophy they adhere to. Svidrigailov has a theory that is consonant with Raskolnikov’s theory. Both heroes believe that evil committed in the name of a “good goal” is not considered such a significant evil, that the end justifies the means. Svidrigailov formulates his own life position of permissiveness as follows:

“A single act of villainy is permissible if the main goal is good.”

The first meeting of Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov occurs as follows. The hero appears in Raskolnikov’s closet while he is sleeping. Raskolnikov at this moment sees a terrible dream about his own crime and, half asleep, perceives Svidrigailov who appeared in the room as a continuation of the nightmare. A conversation takes place between the characters, during which Svidrigailov admits that at times he sees “ghosts” of his deceased wife and servant Filka, who committed suicide through Svidrigailov’s fault.

We are also talking about Duna, for whom Svidrigailov has tender feelings. The girl refused Svidrigailov himself, but she is going to marry a lawyer, whom she does not love, but is ready to “sell out” in order to improve the family’s financial affairs. Svidrigailov wants to give Duna ten thousand rubles so that she can refuse the forced marriage and freely build her own life.

Film adaptations

In 1969, the two-part film “Crime and Punishment” directed by Lev Kulidzhanov was released at the film studio named after. The role of Svidrigailov in this film was played by the actor.

In 2007, the TV series “Crime and Punishment”, directed by Dmitry Svetozarov, was released on television. The series was filmed in St. Petersburg, the role of Svidrigailov went to the actor.

In 1979, he played the role of Svidrigailov in a play staged by the Taganka Theater. This was the actor's last theatrical role.

Quotes

Svidrigailov’s life principles are well described by the quote:

“Everyone looks out for himself and lives the happiest life who knows how to deceive himself best.”

“Why have you gone all out on virtue?”

“Why abandon women if I’m even after them? At least it’s an occupation... Agree, isn’t it an occupation of its own kind?”

“The fact that he pursued a defenseless girl in his house and “insulted her with his vile proposals,” is that true, sir? ... The whole question here is: was it me or the victim himself? Well, what about the victim? After all, by offering my subject to flee with me to America or Switzerland, I, perhaps, had the most respectful feelings for this, and I also thought of arranging mutual happiness!”