Comparing Luzhin In 'Crime And Punishment'

Joanna Martinez
Ms. Tobenkin
AP Literature, Period 4
8 February 2016

Crime and Punishment
Guiding Questions - Part IV, Chapters 2-6

Dunya and Luzhin are different characters by the way they act. Dunya does not believe any gossip unless there is evidence and Luzhin believes anything he hears. Even though she doesn’t like Svidrigailov, she doesn’t let Luzhin demean his character incorrectly. Whereas Luzhin is just basically passing on thing and even possibly embellishing them. Luzhin is not a reliable witness because he didn’t actually see what he is telling everyone, he is exaggerating and making things up as he goes along. Dunya encounters everyone with things that she has heard that are not as awful as what Luzhin is telling.That speaks
for both of the characters.
Raskolnikov’s motives to leave his family behind is because of their turmoil. It was all too much for him to handle and believed that that they were better off without him. He knew that they had enough to provide for themselves and believes that he doesn’t need to protect them from Luzhin anymore. He also realizes that Razumikhin will not let Svidrigailov get to Dunya.
When Raskolnikov and Razumikhin stare into each other’s eyes, Razumikhin can detect that something horrible has happened. The look Raskolnikov gives Razumikhin is the only way Raskolnikov can explain why he trying to escape from his family. He needs to escape his family to go out on his own without their guidance. Razumikhin takes on the role of taking care for Raskolnikov’s family by becoming their son and brother.
First Raskolnikov begins to talk to Sonia about her prostitution and that when Katherine is gone, Polenka will be forced to prostitute as well. Sonia says that God will not allow it and Raskolnikov’s rejection to religion is shown. Raskolnikov asks Sonia if she believes in God and when she responds that she is “nothing without God,” he references to the story of Lazarus. The significance of this story is to prove that Jesus literally proves that he is extraordinary man but does not do it by killing but by reversing death. It applies to the novel and protagonist because Lazarus is the opposite of Raskolnikov and proves his misunderstandings of being extraordinary.
Lizaveta seems to be a close friend of Sonya and it winds into the plot of the murder.
Lizaveta was enslaved by her half sister and she acted like a dealer for poor families which need to sell things to make money. Lizaveta walks in while Ivanovna is getting robbed and murdered and he decides to murder her too. Later he finds out that she had been a friend of Sonya’s. The bible give to Sonya was a gift from Lizaveta which Sonya treasured.
At the beginning Porfiry tells Raskolnikov that the questioning going on is a technique of police interrogation but that they are have a “free-flowing conversation.” Then he talks about craving “mathematical certainty of proof.” Lastly, he talks about noticing Raskolnikov’s recent behavior which were fainting at the police station and a playful confession. All these mind traps were effective because at the end Raskolnikov admits that he committed the crime and talks about his theory to admit as much as possible.
Raskolnikov is kind of talking to himself by saying that it would be a struggle but it will be worth it. He is suddenly becoming confident after Porfiry and the tenant “falsely accused” him. Since the tenant swears he doesn’t know anything else, Raskolnikov believes that he will get away. Raskolnikov says he is “in better spirits than ever” because of his resolve to fight back because he thinks he can win. He realizes everything is a struggle but he feels hope that he won’t get
caught.