After Marmeladovs death, Raskolnikov becomes intrigued by Sonya. I find this touching because even though he knows so little about her, he trusts her enough to admit the crime to her. Sonya seems to understand strangely why and tells him she will love him the same as long as he confesses to his crime. I was very amused by her following him to the police station to make sure he confessed, as if she had a bit of doubt in him. I did as well while I was reading. But what I found the most interesting is that even before he told Sonya, he had admitted it to others, but they all called him a madman. It made me realize that this book is far beyond demented.
It soon hit me that Raskolnikov is no longer afraid of telling people who he is and of what he’s done because he’s realized no one seems to care or believe that he is the actual murderer. This makes me still question whether or not he is dreaming or if it is reality. Even as the book started to end, the feeling of madness and confusion still existed to me. On pages 173 to 174, his character personality changes and it is unlike any other character I’ve read about, he’s so confident and sure of himself and can seem to get away with anything he wishes.
As the end came around and I began the epilogue, I noticed how much Raskolnikov has changed from a boy to a man in my eyes. Between committing the murders, falling ill, surviving Marmeladovs death, falling for Sonya, and admitting to everyone the crime he’s committed, Raskolnikov had really developed as a character. It surprised me that I actually ended up liking him in the end, he had gone through strange obstacles and seemed to become a good man in the end. I was frightened and oddly curious of what he had done and how he had tricked people, but in the end he was ultimately able to discover the way to live a life without crime and punishment.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I’m surprised that you liked the ending, because I was so disappointed at the way Dostoevsky handled it. It seemed to me that he did not want to make the story exciting enough and just ended the book conventionally. I was expected something amazing to happen like a suicide or an escape from prison. With Raskolnikov going to jail, it almost looks like an easy approach to finish the novel. Unfortunately for me, the title became a literal representation of the plot; which makes it a very uninteresting closing moment.
ReplyDeleteAngela, I too was interested in Raskolnikov and Sonya's relationship. It's weird that Dostoevsky tried to throw a bit of romance into the plot. I didn't like how it didn't really start until towards the end of the book, though. I don't know. maybe I just think that because I didn't enjoy the book as a whole?
ReplyDeleteI still didn't like Raskolnikov at the end. If he hadn't committed the crimes in the first place, then he wouldn't have been put through any kind of punishment. I understand your "boy-to-a-man" theory, but I still couldn't bring myself to feel remorse or like his character in any way.
I agree with Ebenezer though, in his saying the ending was very bland. I was hoping for a suicide or a twist in the end. When it didn't come, I got even more angry at the book.
Wow I don't know how you could think he was a good man at the end. He wasn't even sorry for having committed the murders, he was sorry that he got caught. Raskolnikov himself was the one saying that he had to serve out this legal sentence for the legal crime so that he might have some peace afterwards. And changing from a boy to a man. To me Raskolnikov was never a boy to begin with in this story, because no one with a childs brain capacity could conjure up a plan like he did nor write the article he wrote about murder. He was if anyhting a man to begin with and was reduced to a man with broken spirit because he was distraught that he didn't live up to the image he had made himself out to be. And I'm sorry but I can't see how he could have possibly found a way to commit a crime without punishemnt because he suffered both a legal punishment and mental one as he was both haunted by the murders, and haunted by the fact that he failed to live up to his own expectations by feeling guilt. I can see we both got two different things out of this novel. If anything I wish I had been able to enjoy it the way you did because it might not have been so torturous if I had.
ReplyDeleteAngela, Raskolnikov and Sonya's relationship instantly sparked an interest in me. I must admit it was nice to see that Raskolnikov was able to open up to Sonya and let her into his mind.
ReplyDeleteUnlike you, I didn't find him to be a good man. I agree with Anthony when he says that Raskolnikov didn't feel any remorse. The only thing or person he felt sorry for was himself.
Personally, I thought Raskolnikov was going to commit suicide in the end, and I wish he did. That would have made the ending so much more interesting. The way it ended was really very boring and not entertaining.
I don’t know about you guys, but feel that reading this book was punishment for a crime I never committed. The ending was abrupt and unexciting, Raskolnikov remains a crazed, psychotic man whom I STILL don’t understand completely. The ending of this book is somewhat similar to Edgar Allan Poe’s, “A Tell Tale Heart”, in which a man is haunted by the murder of an old man he committed. While I feel the character in Poe’s story is much more deranged, they are similar in the sense that they’re both haunted by what they have done and eventually confess. Why Dostoevsky did what he did, whether it be the mild romance, or the bland and drawn out ending is a mystery to me, and I truly am disappointed. It’s time like these where I wish I could read minds and see exactly what this renowned author was thinking. I promise if I could, I would share it with all of you, ha ha.
ReplyDeleteAngela, I myself liked Raskolnikov and Sonya's relationship. But still I didn't like the character Raskolnikov much to feel remorse in anyway. I agree with Anthony when he states "he was sorry that he got caught". I think Raskolnikov Changed after the trauma he mentally caused himself, he didn't care about what he was doing to anyone else!, it was what he had done to himself he was sorry for.
ReplyDeletei also agree with Ebenezer, saying the ending was somewhat dull and too original. If only Dostoevsky could have at least attempted to spice it up a little, by giving it a twist of some sort would have definatly made me a happier person! :)
Im not sure if we were reading the same book, but in the one I read, Raskolnikov remained a delusional man. In the beginning of the book, he wasn't contemplating murder because he needed the money. It was to prove that he was more rationalized and emotionally fortified than other people. Even by the end of the book,as Anthony points out, Raskolnikov did not regret his murders, just the fact that he had failed to prove he was above others.
ReplyDelete