Composition: The theme of the little man in the novel “Crime and Punishment. "Little people" in the novel by F. M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment Little People" novel crime and punishment

The work of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment" has become one of the most important books of Russian classical literature. It carries a very important meaning, since it refers not just to books of fiction, but is deservedly considered a philosophical masterpiece. The "little people" in Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" play the most important role.

"Little people"

The theme of the "little man" in Crime and Punishment plays an almost leading role. If you look and carefully analyze the heroes of the work, you will notice that almost all the characters in the book point out to the reader the vital traits of a person’s character.

In general, speaking about the "little people" in the novel "Crime and Punishment", it must be said that Fedor Mikhailovich identified several criteria that distinguish these heroes from others. In literature, the phrase "little man" denotes those lyrical heroes who are not able to withstand the surrounding problems, are forced to wage a constant struggle for survival with the most powerful people. In addition, as Dostoevsky himself points out in Crime and Punishment, "little people" as a rule live and keep on the lowest standard of living, spending most of their existence below the poverty line.

In addition, Fyodor Mikhailovich himself portrays his heroes not just as beggars and unable to provide themselves with the necessary means, but as offended by life, humiliated by others and feeling like absolute nothingness in the outside world.

Hero Rodion Raskolnikov

"Little Man" "Crime and Punishment" Raskolnikov leads the main storyline. It is around him that all events unfold. as a "little man" in "Crime and Punishment" is indicated by his low social position, which pushes him to kill the old pawnbroker. It is his poverty and the inability to earn money, provide for himself and his family that break the main character. In addition, because of his poverty, Raskolnikov is unable to help his sister, who is eventually forced to marry a rich man, greedy and prudent, as it turns out later.

Already completely desperate in his position, Raskolnikov takes a decisive step - he agrees with himself to kill. Despite the fact that initially such a thought came to the hero solely because of poverty, in the end Rodion comes to the conclusion that he did not do this in order to help the family or to get out of distress himself. Raskolnikov admits that he committed the murder, for which only he is responsible, solely for himself.

Hero Semyon Marmeladov

In Crime and Punishment, the "little man" Marmeladov also has an important role. An ex-military man who loses his job falls into depression. All the money that this “little man” receives from “Crime and Punishment”, he drinks away, which is why he cannot provide for his family. Despite this, Marmeladov perfectly understands his situation, but he is no longer able to correct it - the fight against his own drunkenness seems so impossible to him. Because of his own alcoholism, the hero dies, and his death is too stupid for a person who was previously respected - he just gets drunk and falls under the wheels of a wagon. Dying, Marmeladov tells his eldest daughter that she is the only support of the family, thereby he relieves himself of any responsibility and obligations to his family.

The image of Marmeladov

Marmeladov is a lyrical hero who could not resist his financial difficulties, but found a great way to get away from them: the alcohol addiction that appeared allowed the former ladle to forget at least for a while. However, he himself was the arbiter of his own destiny - he himself ruined his family, having drunk all the family funds; he himself borrowed from a very greedy man, who then haunted the family; he himself lost his essence.

In one of his conversations with Raskolnikov, Marmeladov asks Rodion if he knows the feeling that arises in those circumstances when a person has nowhere to return. After all, Semyon believed that he had no home, that he had nowhere to go. But after all, everything consisted in the fact that when leaving home, he took all the money, after which the family was again left without a livelihood. The fact that Marmeladov was not welcome at home was only his own fault.

Sonechka Marmeladova

Among all the "little people" of "Crime and Punishment" Sonechka Marmeladova was distinguished by her selflessness. Sonya, seeing the difficult situation of the family, got a job that was completely unsuitable for a young girl. Sonechka and her image of the “little man” in Crime and Punishment also play an important role. Despite her work as a corrupt girl, Sonya still lives by the principles of her heart. Her religious views became Sonya's guide to life. The Christian norms that guide the heroine become an important reason for recognizing Raskolnikov in the murder.

Sonya's image

A selfless heroine, able to accept any person without blaming him for anything, like a ray of light in the whole work. The image of Sonya is an example of a righteous person, placed in the framework of a forced existence, which makes him do completely wrong things. However, Sonechka's position is justified - she became a savior for the family. It was thanks to her work that the younger brothers and sisters could at least occasionally eat normally, and the mother could both work and manage to solve household chores.

Katerina Marmeladova

The problem of the "little man" in "Crime and Punishment" was also reflected in Katerina Marmeladova, Sonechka's mother. A thirty-year-old woman, who became a widow at an early age, marries very unsuccessfully for the second time - despite the fact that Semyon was once a decent and revered person, over time he becomes an unbearable drunkard. Katerina, who is a mother of many children, is trying to fight her husband, trying to explain to him that children suffer from his drinking - the whole family lives very poorly, they have a huge amount of debt, and the eldest daughter will never be able to get out because of her work married. Katerina constantly talks about this to her husband, showing him that there is no need to break the lives of her other children, that the eldest daughter has already sacrificed her future so that the family can still survive. However, all her moralizing has no effect on her husband - he still drinks and comes home only when he needs money again.

The exhausted woman is no longer able to tolerate such behavior of her husband and one day she simply begins to beat Semyon. Rodion Raskolnikov becomes a witness of this scene, which makes a strong impression on him. He leaves the last money on the windowsill to help this family with something. However, Katerina, who was from a decent family, does not accept his money. This immediately characterizes Marmeladova's personality - despite her position, she is too proud to accept handouts from outside. "Little Man" Katerina Marmeladova is unable to humiliate herself in front of others.

Razumikhin

The image of Razumikhin embodies the opposite of the images of "little people" in the work "Crime and Punishment". Despite the fact that he is as poor as all the other characters in the book, he still does not despair and tries to cope with his difficulties. A poor student, in love with Dunya and caring for the distraught Raskolnikov, he tries to survive in his difficult situation. His love of life and optimism guide his actions and worldview. Despite the fact that he, just like Raskolnikov himself, is on the social "bottom", he is trying to get out of it in honest and righteous ways. Fyodor Dostoevsky portrayed this hero as a mirror image of Raskolnikov, showing readers that another outcome of such a life situation is also possible.

The image of Razumikhin

Razumikhin is the embodiment of faith in the best and the ability to survive even in the most difficult conditions. The hero manages not to go crazy in his poverty, which interferes with his normal life in the same way as the lives of all other heroes. Such an ability to remain true to one's principles greatly helps Razumikhin not to fall into the apathy into which Raskolnikov fell. But besides these moral qualities, Razumikhin is also not disappointed in people, does not notice their true essence. He fully believes Raskolnikov that he is not a murderer. In addition, he is sure that all Rodion's confessions were made in delirium, since the news of the death of the old pawnbroker had a strong impression on the hero - he was her debtor.

The main thing in the work

Looking at all the statements and quotes of the “little people” in Crime and Punishment, one can say that Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was the first writer who paid attention not to a person’s financial situation, but to his spiritual qualities. All the heroes of Dostoevsky's work are too proud to accept the help of others. They all try to survive, each follows his own path. However, they are united by one common goal - to get out of poverty, start their lives anew and live it happily. The paths the heroes take lead them to different decisions. She led Raskolnikov to hard labor, Sonechka to humiliation, Katerina to illness, Marmeladov to drunkenness.

General conclusion

Dostoevsky perfectly shows in his work how much people themselves are to blame for the fact that their lives turn out that way. A great example of this is Raskolnikov: he could not go on a murder, but try to find a job that would eventually bring him a decent income. So was Marmeladov, who could try to quit drinking and find a good job to provide for his family. Katerina could forget her pride for a moment, return to her parents' house, and not marry a second time.

All the heroes have faced severe consequences due to their pride and attempts to get out of their position dishonestly. This is what the author shows, this is what became the main theme of the work.

"Little People" Dostoevsky

The theme and image of the "little man" was repeatedly touched upon by many Russian writers. Among those who addressed the problem of "little people" can be called A. P. Chekhov, A. S. Pushkin, N. V. Gogol, and, undoubtedly, F. M. Dostoevsky, the theme of the life of a "little man" in society is also found in one of his most famous novels, Crime and Punishment.

Marmeladovs

The "little people" of this work have their own thoughts, ideas and beliefs, but are crushed by life. One of the first characters of this type, found on the pages of the novel, is Semyon Marmeladov, who tells about his fate to Rodion Raskolnikov in a tavern. Marmeladov is a former official who lost his job and constantly drinks both because of this and because of fear and powerlessness before life. Marmeladov's family, like himself, feeds on the money earned by his daughter Sonya on the panel. In the further development of the plot, Marmeladov dies, having fallen under the wheels. His wife also belongs to the "little people", but she is somewhat different; she is not one who meekly endures all the hardships that fall to her lot. Katerina Ivanovna constantly recalls her prosperous childhood, her studies at the gymnasium. The woman carefully drives away thoughts of falling and poverty, but it is she who sends her stepdaughter Sonya to sell her body. Katerina talks about her aristocratic connections and dreams of opening a boarding house, with the help of this, as if fencing herself off from the horrifying reality and poverty. The behavior of Marmeladov's wife confirms that she, too, was broken by all the hardships of life, hiding behind her pride the inability to withstand the difficulties of fate.

Luzhin

Absolutely not like the Marmeladov couple is such a character in the work as Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin, however, he can also be classified with full confidence as “little people”. The selfish, inhuman relations preached by him lead to the complete atrophy of good, bright spiritual feelings. Luzhin is only interested in his own benefit and career; in order to achieve his own benefit, he is ready for any humiliation and immoral acts that he does not directly, but meanly, on the sly, so as not to bear responsibility for them later. People like Petr Petrovich are vile "little people" who can never be truly happy.

Sonya

But Sonya Marmeladova, at first glance, very similar to the "little man", meekly enduring all the blows of fate, in fact, is not him. Sonya transgresses the laws of morality only in order to save a starving family, remaining a person with a pure soul. Inner stamina and faith in God help the girl to adequately endure all the humiliation that falls to her lot and even help others, pity them. So, it is Sonya who helps Raskolnikov first confess to the murder, and then - to gain peace of mind and faith in God.

Conclusion

The example of the novel "Crime and Punishment" shows that the "little people" of F. M. Dostoevsky still somewhat differ from similar characters of other writers and have their own characteristics. All of them are not able to repel the hardships of life, which manifests itself in a variety of ways: for Marmeladov - in self-destruction, for Katerina Ivanovna - in exorbitant pride, and for Luzhin - in an insatiable thirst for profit and power. However, the writer saw for such people the possibility of salvation, which is expressed for him in a sincere and strong faith in God, which gave Sonya Marmeladova the opportunity to rise above everyone and help Rodion Raskolnikov.

The theme of the "little man" in the novel "Crime and Punishment"

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky entered the history of Russian and world literature as a brilliant artist, humanist and democrat, as a researcher of human souls. In the spiritual life of a man of his era, Dostoevsky saw a reflection of the deep processes of the historical development of society. With tragic power, the writer showed how social injustice cripples the souls of people, what unbearable oppression and despair a person experiences, fighting for a humane relationship between people, suffering for the humiliated and offended.
Dostoevsky's novels are called socio-philosophical. In the clash of different ideas and beliefs, the writer seeks to find the highest truth, the only idea that can become common to all people. In the most difficult years for the Russian people, he continued to look for ways to save a person from the suffering and troubles that the inhumane system brings with it. The writer was especially fascinated by the fate of the “little man” in society. Pushkin and Gogol thought about this topic. Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment" is also permeated with this painful theme.
Dostoevsky's characters usually appear before the reader with already established convictions and express a certain idea. The heroes of Crime and Punishment are no exception. In the novel, the “little people” are also endowed with a certain philosophical idea. These are thinking people, but crushed by life. For example, Semyon Zakharych Marmeladov. His conversation with Raskolnikov, the conversation of a drunken official, is essentially Marmeladov's monologue. He stands on one idea, the idea of ​​self-destruction. Beatings are a pleasure for him, and he teaches himself not to pay attention to the attitude of those around him as to a pea jester, and he is used to spending the night where he has to. Marmeladov is not able to fight for his life, for his family. He doesn't give a damn about family, society, and even Raskolnikov. The reward for all this is the emerging picture of the “Last Judgment”, when the Almighty will accept Marmeladov and similar “pigs” into the Kingdom of Heaven precisely because not a single one of them “considered himself worthy of this”. “And he will judge and forgive everyone, both good and evil, and wise and humble ... And when he has already finished over everyone, then he will also say to us:“ Come out, he will say, and you! Come out drunk, come out weak, come out scum!" And we will all go out, not ashamed, and we will stand. And he will say: "You are pigs! The image of the beast and its seal; but come you too!" ... And he will stretch out his hands to us and we will fall down ...”
Dostoevsky describes a weak-willed drunkard who drove his wife to consumption, let his daughter go on a “yellow ticket”, but condemning him, the writer simultaneously appeals to people. After all, he “offered his hand to an unfortunate woman with three children, because he could not look at such suffering”; For the first time he lost his place through no fault of his own. He is most tormented by the consciousness of guilt before the children. Is this “little man” really that bad? It can be said that it was a society that made him so, more indifferent and cruel than he himself in his drunkenness.
Raskolnikov meets Marmeladov's wife Katerina Ivanovna only four times. But all four times he observes her after strong mental shocks. He himself did not enter into lengthy speeches with her, and he only listened with half an ear. But he caught that in her speeches there is indignation at the behavior of others, a cry of despair, a cry of a man who has nowhere else to go, but suddenly vanity boils up, a desire to rise in his own eyes, in the eyes of Raskolnikov. If the idea of ​​self-destruction is associated with Marmeladov, then the idea of ​​self-affirmation is associated with Katerina Ivanovna. We see that the more hopeless the situation, the more unrestrained the fantasy. She talks about her life story with vain exaggeration, sees herself in her dreams as the hostess of a boarding school for noble maidens. After she is kicked out into the street, she continues to tell everyone that her children are with the most aristocratic connections. And she makes them go berserk.
We see that any attempt to endure inwardly in the conditions to which people are doomed fails. Neither self-abasement nor self-affirmation helps, even with the help of lies. A person is inevitably destroyed morally, and then perishes physically. But Katerina Ivanovna's self-affirmation echoes Raskolnikov's idea of ​​the right of the elect to a special position, of power over all people. The fact is that Marmeladov's wife is not an elected person. It is shown by Dostoevsky in a parody. The path of exorbitant pride leads her to the street. She's just that "little person" we're talking about today. And the megalomania of Katerina Ivanovna does not reduce her tragedy. Of course, the writer speaks of her fate with great bitterness.
Another character in the novel is one of the "little people". This is Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin. This type is not capable of self-abasement, of boundless self-affirmation through pride, he is not capable of murder, he does not profess any democratic ideas. Luzhin, on the contrary, is for the dominance of egoistic relations, purely bourgeois, inhuman relations. Luzhin's ideas lead to the slow killing of people, to the rejection of goodness and light in their souls. Raskolnikov understands this well: “... is it true that you told your bride ... at the very hour when you received consent from her, that you are most glad that ... that she is a beggar ... because it is more profitable to take a wife from poverty in order to rule over her later ... and reproach with the fact that she is favored by you? ..”
Only his own benefit, career, success in the world excite Luzhin. He is ready to humiliate himself, to humiliate, to give everything and everyone for his well-being, to take the last for his own benefit. But he will not kill, he will find a lot of ways, cowardly and vile, to crush a person with impunity. In its entirety, this is manifested in the scene of the commemoration. Such a character was brought out by Dostoevsky as the personification of the world that Raskolnikov hates. It is the puddles that push the marmalade to the death, they force young girls to go to the panel.
The type of puddles, the type of vile and low "little people" who will never have a place in any society.
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky created a wide canvas of immense human torment, suffering and grief, peering intently into the soul of the so-called "little man". He discovered in him not only suffering, but also meanness, cowardice and greed, like Mr. Luzhin. He discovered in him hopelessness and self-destruction, like in Marmeladov, and immeasurable pernicious pride, like in Katerina Ivanovna.
Dostoevsky's world outlook is based on one enduring fundamental value - on love for a person, on the recognition of a person's spirituality. And all the searches of the writer are aimed at creating the best living conditions worthy of the title of a person.

The theme of the "little man" is one of the central themes in Russian literature. Pushkin (The Bronze Horseman), Tolstoy, and Chekhov touched on it in their works. Continuing the traditions of Russian literature, especially Gogol, Dostoevsky writes with pain and love about the "little man" living in a cold and cruel world. The writer himself remarked: "We all came out of Gogol's Overcoat."

The theme of the "little man", "humiliated and offended" was particularly strong in Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. One by one, the writer reveals before us pictures of hopeless poverty.

Here a woman throws herself from the bridge, "with a yellow, oblong, exhausted face and sunken eyes." Here comes a drunken dishonored girl walking down the street, followed by a fat dandy who is clearly hunting her. The former official Marmeladov becomes an inveterate drunkard and commits suicide, who has "nowhere to go" in life. Exhausted by poverty, his wife, Ekaterina Ivanovna, dies of consumption. Sonya goes outside to sell her body.

Dostoevsky emphasizes the power of the environment over man. Everyday little things become a whole system of characteristics for the writer. One has only to remember the conditions in which the “little people” have to live, and it becomes clear why they are so downtrodden and humiliated. Raskolnikov lives in a room with five corners, similar to a coffin. Sonya's dwelling is a lonely room with a strange sharp corner. Dirty and terrible are the taverns, in which, under the cries of drunkards, one can hear the terrible confessions of destitute people.

In addition, Dostoevsky not only depicts the disasters of the "little man", but also reveals the inconsistency of his inner world. Dostoevsky was the first to evoke such pity for the "humiliated and insulted" and who mercilessly showed the combination of good and evil in these people. The image of Marmeladov is very characteristic in this respect. On the one hand, it is impossible not to feel sympathy for this poor and tormented man, crushed by need. But Dostoevsky is not limited to touching sympathy for the "little man." Marmeladov himself admits that his drunkenness finally ruined his family, that the eldest daughter was forced to go to the panel and that the family is fed, and he drinks precisely with this "dirty" money.

The figure of his wife Ekaterina Ivanovna is also controversial. She diligently keeps memories of a prosperous childhood, about her studies at the gymnasium, where she danced at the ball. She devoted herself entirely to the desire to prevent a final fall, but nevertheless she sent her step-daughter to engage in prostitution and also accepts this money. Ekaterina Ivanovna, with her pride, seeks to hide from the obvious truth: her house is ruined, and her younger children, perhaps, will repeat the fate of Sonechka.

The fate of the Raskolnikov family is also difficult. His sister Dunya, wanting to help her brother, serves as a governess to the cynic Svidrigailov and is ready to marry the rich man Luzhin, for whom she feels disgust.

Dostoevsky's hero Raskolnikov rushes around the crazy city and sees only dirt, grief and tears. This city is so inhuman that it even seems like the delirium of a madman, and not the real capital of Russia. Therefore, Raskolnikov's dream before the crime is not accidental: a drunk guy beats a small, skinny nag to death to the laughter of the crowd. This world is terrible and cruel, poverty and vice reign in it. It is this nag that becomes a symbol of all the “humiliated and insulted”, all the “little people” on the pages, which are mocked and ridiculed by the powers that be - Svidrigailov, Luzhin and the like.

But Dostoevsky is not limited to this statement. He notes that it is in the heads of the humiliated and offended that painful thoughts about their situation are born. Among these "poor people" Dostoevsky finds contradictory, deep and strong personalities who, due to certain circumstances of life, have become entangled in themselves and in people. Of course, the most developed of them is the character of Raskolnikov himself, whose inflamed consciousness created a theory contrary to Christian laws.

It is characteristic that one of the most "humiliated and insulted" - Sonya Marmeladova - finds a way out of the seemingly absolute impasse of life. Without studying books on philosophy, but simply at the call of her heart, she finds the answer to those questions that torment the philosopher-student Raskolnikov.

F. M. Dostoevsky created a vivid canvas of immeasurable human torment, suffering and grief. Looking closely into the soul of the "little man", he discovered in it deposits of spiritual generosity and beauty, not broken by the hardest conditions of life. And this was a new word not only in Russian, but also in world literature.

(378 words) A small man is a type of literary hero that arose in Russian literature during the period of realism, that is, in the 20-30s of the 19th century. It is not difficult to guess that this type characterizes a person of the lower class. The low social status and origin, initially suggests that these people are not gifted with a strong character and will, on the contrary, they do no harm to anyone, they are kind and naive, like children. In the work of F.M. Dostoevsky's "little man" also found its place. A whole gallery of heroes, humiliated and insulted, misunderstood by life, they play the role of martyrs in the novel "Crime and Punishment": the Marmeladov family, Lizaveta, Pulcheria Alexandrovna and Avdotya Romanovna. Let's take a closer look at the examples.

So, the Marmeladov family. Starting from the head of the family, Semyon Marmeladov, and ending with his unfortunate children, one can give an excellent example of weak-willed and kind people. The elder Marmeladov is weak because he let alcohol take over him. He broke the life of his wife, Ekaterina Ivanovna, who has to live in inhuman conditions with small children, and his daughter Sonechka. “My daughter lives on a yellow ticket, sir…” he said. The retired official causes misunderstanding and pity among readers. After all, although he regrets what he did, he does not intend to change his life.

Why does the author introduce this type of literary hero? To show the best character traits of Rodion Raskolnikov. It was the Marmeladov family that awakened in him both bewilderment and regret. Thinking about the murder and later committing it, Rodion Romanovich justifies his act with a sacrifice for the good.

But, in addition to the Marmeladov family, mired in problems, there are also heroes who are “little people”. For example, Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin, who differs from the Marmeladovs not only in prosperity, but also in his vile character. Luzhin is only interested in his own benefit, which he sees everywhere. Luzhin also decides to marry Raskolnikov's sister not out of love, but out of his own calculation. Luzhin dreams of a poor, but beautiful and educated bride, who would become a slave for him: “He thought with rapture, in the deepest secret, of a well-behaved and poor girl (certainly poor) ... who would consider him her salvation all her life, revere him , obeyed, marveled at him, and only him alone…”. Thus, the author of Crime and Punishment introduces such a character as Luzhin to show that a person with selfish thoughts will never be happy.

Thus, the "little people" in the novel "Crime and Punishment" differ from similar characters of other writers. But each of them is present in the novel in order to reveal the image more deeply as the image of the protagonist, and to better show the storylines.