Dunya And Luzhin Character Analysis

Dostoevsky uses the engagement of Dunya and Luzhin to highlight their contrasting personalities and communicate that being devoted and helping others is more fulfilling in the long run than sole interest in personal gain. Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikov, otherwise known as Dunya, is Raskolnikov’s sister who is extremely loyal to her family and willing to sacrifice a large portion of her own happiness for their sake. She continues to work in the abusive Svidrigailov family in order to send Raskolnikov to school, becoming the gossip of the town when Mr. Svidrigailov’s sexual intentions towards her come to light. Despite the rumors floating around and slandering her reputation, Dunya remains unaffected, finding strength in her knowledge of her own
He believes that helping others is not worth sacrificing all that he has. His response to the suggestion to help others is, “I have been told to love thy neighbor, and I did love him, what came of it?... I tore my caftan in two, shared it with my neighbor, and we were both left half naked” (148). Additionally, where Dunya is portrayed as a highly moral and dignified character, Luzhin is extremely self centered and malicious. One night Luzhin seemingly randomly slips a one hundred ruble note into Sonya’s pocket, later accusing her of theft. Luzhin’s roommate Lebezyatnikov then speaks up to defend Sonya: “I saw you slip it to her on the sly! Only like a fool, I thought you were slipping it to her out of philanthropy” (398). Luzhin’s harmful actions make him widely disliked and serve as a contrast to Dunya, who lives her life to help and serve others. In portraying self-centered, capitalistic Luzhin as the antagonist of the novel hated by those around him and Dunya as an altruistic saint who entrances everyone she meets, Dostoevsky argues that benevolence will bring more happiness and reap a greater reward than concern for personal