In Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky reveals the psychological story of a murder and the road of guilt and suffering that had to be taken to find salvation. The role of fate in Raskolnikov’s life surrounds his crime and his eventual confession as Raskolnikov feels like another force is compelling him to make his decisions. Rather than take on the accepted definition of fate, Dostoevsky defines fate as the result of Raskolnikov’s hubris in his theory of the extraordinary man versus the ordinary man. Through his delirium, Raskolnikov’s behaviors are erratic, symbolized by a dissonance of thought and action. His behavior is a direct link to the insanity that leads him to need fate to become his scapegoat as his own conscience cannot withstand the
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The coincidences he sees is overhearing the talk about Lizaveta occurs once again in a tavern. Raskolnikov overhears “This trivial talk in a tavern had an immense influence on him in his later actions; as though there had really been in it something preordained, some guiding hint….” (Dostoevsky 81). The hint Raskolnikov sees is so apparent because of the way his thoughts and behaviors have been recently. He spends days in solitude, not wanting to see anyone. Instead, he spends the time thinking and dreaming about a most perfect murder to exalt him as an extraordinary man. Raskolnikov begins to see this series of insane coincidences as evidence for why he must make the decision to murder Alyona. Fate, for Raskolnikov, is his way to cope with the fact that he is truly going to murder someone. It gives him something to blame besides himself, in whom the fault truly lies. Dostoevsky presents how fate is much easier to believe in. To further confirm Raskolnikov’s belief that the murder he commits is meant to happen because of fate, he finds an axe in the porter’s room when he cannot get an axe from the kitchen because of Natasya’s presence. However, Dostoevsky expands away from the traditional definition of fate as Raskolnikov’s many dreams, influenced by his subconscious, play a deeper role in pushing …show more content…
When explaining his own views about the murder of Alyona, Razumihin says, “Suppose him to have been inexperienced, and it’s clear that it was only a chance that saved him --- and chance may do anything” (Raskolnikov 176). Hearing this brings Raskolnikov to think about how lucky he was in escaping from Alyona’s flat after murdering her and Lizaveta. The door was open but no one saw him, the visitors knocked but eventually left, and Raskolnikov was able to make a clean escape from the crime scene. All of these strokes of luck play into Raskolnikov not making himself see how the situations are manipulated in his mind to fit into the mold that fate would cast.
Dostoevsky focuses on the way using fate becomes a danger to the well being of Raskolnikov, as well as those he loves. The illusion of fate becomes exceedingly more dangerous for Raskolnikov as he makes the connection between fate being synonymous with the devil. He himself admits that finding the axe for the murder in the porter’s room seems to be an act of the
The coincidences he sees is overhearing the talk about Lizaveta occurs once again in a tavern. Raskolnikov overhears “This trivial talk in a tavern had an immense influence on him in his later actions; as though there had really been in it something preordained, some guiding hint….” (Dostoevsky 81). The hint Raskolnikov sees is so apparent because of the way his thoughts and behaviors have been recently. He spends days in solitude, not wanting to see anyone. Instead, he spends the time thinking and dreaming about a most perfect murder to exalt him as an extraordinary man. Raskolnikov begins to see this series of insane coincidences as evidence for why he must make the decision to murder Alyona. Fate, for Raskolnikov, is his way to cope with the fact that he is truly going to murder someone. It gives him something to blame besides himself, in whom the fault truly lies. Dostoevsky presents how fate is much easier to believe in. To further confirm Raskolnikov’s belief that the murder he commits is meant to happen because of fate, he finds an axe in the porter’s room when he cannot get an axe from the kitchen because of Natasya’s presence. However, Dostoevsky expands away from the traditional definition of fate as Raskolnikov’s many dreams, influenced by his subconscious, play a deeper role in pushing …show more content…
When explaining his own views about the murder of Alyona, Razumihin says, “Suppose him to have been inexperienced, and it’s clear that it was only a chance that saved him --- and chance may do anything” (Raskolnikov 176). Hearing this brings Raskolnikov to think about how lucky he was in escaping from Alyona’s flat after murdering her and Lizaveta. The door was open but no one saw him, the visitors knocked but eventually left, and Raskolnikov was able to make a clean escape from the crime scene. All of these strokes of luck play into Raskolnikov not making himself see how the situations are manipulated in his mind to fit into the mold that fate would cast.
Dostoevsky focuses on the way using fate becomes a danger to the well being of Raskolnikov, as well as those he loves. The illusion of fate becomes exceedingly more dangerous for Raskolnikov as he makes the connection between fate being synonymous with the devil. He himself admits that finding the axe for the murder in the porter’s room seems to be an act of the