Ghosts of Svidrigailov
Ghosts of Svidrigailov
Dostoevsky made it inevitable that Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov had to meet in the plot of Crime and Punishment because they are foil characters to each other. The first time they met was after Raskolnikov was informally interrogated by Porfiry and later was accused of being a murderer on the street by a mysterious stranger. Raskolnikov was in turmoil due his fear of being discovered as the murderer. Next thing he realized is that there was a stranger sitting in his apartment staring at him. The first meeting of Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov in Raskolnikov’s apartment, Dostoevsky compared the two characters emphasizing the connection they have in their deranged behavior.
The first meeting between Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov was made of a peculiar conversation about the existence of ghosts. The opening moments of their conversation demonstrated how they are unnervingly alike. Raskolnikov tells Svidrigailov out front that “You should go to a doctor” (Dostoevsky, 289), due to his presumption that Svidrigailov is a mad man. Irony is at play here since Raskolnikov is currently ill himself and suspected of being on the verge of madness due his exhibited deranged behavior. Raskolnikov’s deranged behavior is detectable though his violent mood swings and unstableness of his thought process. Svidrigailov himself also exhibits similar deranged behavior that Raskolnikov demonstrates by overlap of his thoughts such as talking about a voyage one minute, forgetting about it the next. This peculiar conversation regarding existence of ghosts demonstrates an acute alikeness between the deranged behavior that the two men who are both murders in disguise.
The difference of beliefs about eternity vary greatly between Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov. Raskolnikov does not believe in an existence of an afterlife when he commented that “I do not believe in a future life” (Dostoevsky, 289). However, Svidrigailov believes that “suddenly that there will be one little
Dostoevsky made it inevitable that Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov had to meet in the plot of Crime and Punishment because they are foil characters to each other. The first time they met was after Raskolnikov was informally interrogated by Porfiry and later was accused of being a murderer on the street by a mysterious stranger. Raskolnikov was in turmoil due his fear of being discovered as the murderer. Next thing he realized is that there was a stranger sitting in his apartment staring at him. The first meeting of Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov in Raskolnikov’s apartment, Dostoevsky compared the two characters emphasizing the connection they have in their deranged behavior.
The first meeting between Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov was made of a peculiar conversation about the existence of ghosts. The opening moments of their conversation demonstrated how they are unnervingly alike. Raskolnikov tells Svidrigailov out front that “You should go to a doctor” (Dostoevsky, 289), due to his presumption that Svidrigailov is a mad man. Irony is at play here since Raskolnikov is currently ill himself and suspected of being on the verge of madness due his exhibited deranged behavior. Raskolnikov’s deranged behavior is detectable though his violent mood swings and unstableness of his thought process. Svidrigailov himself also exhibits similar deranged behavior that Raskolnikov demonstrates by overlap of his thoughts such as talking about a voyage one minute, forgetting about it the next. This peculiar conversation regarding existence of ghosts demonstrates an acute alikeness between the deranged behavior that the two men who are both murders in disguise.
The difference of beliefs about eternity vary greatly between Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov. Raskolnikov does not believe in an existence of an afterlife when he commented that “I do not believe in a future life” (Dostoevsky, 289). However, Svidrigailov believes that “suddenly that there will be one little