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Margaret Jarvis A3 11/14/13 Raskolnikov stumbles through the streets of St. Petersburg.

He is conflicted, confused, and utterly horrified at what he has done. The murders he committed the day before haunt him as he realizes the break down of his own intellectual thought. Dostoevskys effective use of dual characterization, dreams, and the human minds vacillating state between guilt and hope for redemption in his novel Crime and Punishment creates a compelling story in which Raskolnikov discovers that he is not the extraordinary man he thought he had become. Dostoevsky uses dual characterization to represent the two states of Raskolnikovs mind as he shifts between the different sides of himself. Raskolnikovs first instinct is to help others. He helps Sonya time and time again, as well as many others he encounters throughout the novel. Every single time he helps her or others, we glimpse into his mind through third person omniscience at an internal battle. Although, his conscience compels him to help others, hed rather disregard it and think rationally. When he gives Sonyas family the money the first time he meets them, he thinks, almost immediately afterward, that he was stupid for sharing the little money he has. In another instance, he meets a girl who was obviously in need of help, wandering the streets of St. Petersburg. At first, he does all he can to help her, but in an instant he changes his mind. He is uncaring and suddenly has no interest in helping her. Through internal monologue, it is shown that he ultimately allows his rational self to overcome his benevolent, moral self. Time and time again, Raskolnikov has this internal battle between morality and rationality and every time he chooses rationality, after his initial urge to give into his conscience. His ambivalence in regards to this demonstrates Raskolnikovs inability to be an extraordinary

man. He cannot let go of his conscience, which conflicts with his extraordinary man theory and makes him unable to become an extraordinary man. Furthermore, the use of third person omniscience in Crime and Punishment allows for the reader to see right into Raskolnikovs dreams. The mental state of Raskolnikov is given to the reader in an abstract and challenging way, which allows for contemplation on his views of what he did and the irony of his dreams in comparison to the horrific acts he commits. In one of his more memorable dreams, Raskolnikov is a child who is helpless at the sight of the torture and the death of an old horse. He is upset and does all he can to get the man to stop trying to kill the horse, and yet, there is nothing he can do. This feeling of helplessness is repeated in several of Raskolnikovs dreams. The irony is that while he thinks that he can commit horrific crimes, he cannot stand others doing so. Yet, he is helpless in the presence of violence which demonstrates his inability to actually make a dent in the suffering around him. According to Raskolnikovs theory, an extraordinary man is someone who make a dent and makes a change for humanity and since Raskolnikov does not even come close to that after committing a horrific act in which his goal was to change the lives of those around him. This is yet another proof that Raskolnikov cannot live up to the extraordinary man he wishes to become. Ultimately, Raskolnikov could never be the extraordinary man he has made with his theory. He longs to become that person, but he cannot as his guilt, shame, and inability to forget the ax murders he executes overshadows his will. As much as Raskolnikov wishes he could, he cannot keep conscience in rational check. He is naturally inclined to hate violence and realizes that he cannot stomach what he did. Dostoevskys novel comments upon the human inclination to believe that they can disregard morality. Though the story of Raskolnikov is it shown that no one can stop feeling remorse and that at some point they will be driven to do something about it.

Human beings are not as extraordinary as they think they are in comparison to those around them.

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