Characters and their Personality Traits

As the I read through “Crime and Punishment” I began to see that each character was very diverse in their lifestyles, and beliefs. I began to see that each character represents a certain personality traits that all humans express. Pyotr Luzhin is a self serving, greedy, and prideful man. He believes that people should be subservient to him. He wants Dunya under his thumb, and knew that even though she was beautiful, she was also poor, and her family was in need of money. He being an egotistical man with money, sought to dominate her. After she finally rejects his proposal however, he decides to frame her for theft. However it doesn’t go over as planned. Luzhin represents over excess of egotism, greed, and hedonism. He has way too much money, and in my opinion is very bored, which is why he seeks to dominate Dunya, and keep the Raskolnikovs under his debt.
Sonya Mermeladova represents faith, optimism, and hope for mankind. Her father’s horrible habits, and her step mother Katrina’s fits of rage sent young Sonya into prostitution. At the same time her friend Lizaveta Ivanovna is brutally killed by Raskolnikov in a panic, after he killed her sister Ayadona. Also both her parents die in unnatural circumstances in short periods of time. Yet all these horrible situations that plague Sonya never seem to sway her conviction in her faith of goodness in mankind, and religion. She proves this by supporting Raskolnikov after his mind starts to slowly disintegrate, even though he is the one who was responsible for killing her friend. Sonya represents optimism and hope in a dark and gritty world, which doesn’t have the ability to support the meek and humble.
However while most characters represent one particular personality trait, interestingly enough I found Raskolnikov to be the best representation of what it’s like to be human. He is a man who constantly struggles with his mistakes, and surroundings, as well as his own conscience, while searching for the right answer to his problems as they constantly evade him. While he seems like a man who is deeply troubled, I personally saw Raskolnikov as a flood of ideals that are never exactly definite. In my personal opinion he is the most dynamic of all the characters, starting off as a man with nihilistic and pessimistic thoughts, which later on turn into megalomaniacal ideals about himself, until finally end of the story he is redeemed, and humbled. The reason why I see Rodion as a the most human character is that all people are dynamic in some way shape or form. Even though he did commit the heinous act of murder, he still could be redeemed of his crime, as everyone has a second chance to make things right.
Also Here’s a note of other characters and traits that I think they represent:
Dunya-Self Sacrifice.
Dmitri-Optimism.
Svidrigailov-Depression and suicide, as opposed to Sonya who is optimism and salvation.
Semyon Marmeladov- Self indulgence, and hopelessness
Pulkheria Raskolnikov- Delusion, yet hopefullness
posted by Eddie D.