1. Historical
setting during the writing of the book
a. Tsar
Alexander II
i.
His reforms released twenty million serfs, which
caused a major restructuring of Russian society
ii.
He lifted the state censorship, which allowed
for the expression of political and social thought
b. St.
Petersburg
i.
At the time it was an economic powerhouse within
Russia, aside from being the capital
ii.
The novel focuses on the much more negative side
of St. Petersburg, the crimes and whatnot
2. General
outline of the book
a. Setting
i.
General climate
1. Most
of the book takes place in the summer which adds to the tension in that it is almost
unbearably hot
2. The
city is a wretched place and a source of all violence, greed and crime
throughout the story
ii.
Houses and residences
1. All
the homes in the book are cramped, frantic and are generally places of violence
and chaos
2. The
biggest example is Sonia’s house, where there is constant chaos and the idea of
trying to live is nearly impossible to raise a family
iii.
Raskolnikov’s room
1. It
is said that Raskolnikov’s small and cramped room is the main source of his psychological
problems
2. His
room does not offer any sort of privacy or respite, seeing as it is constantly
being visited by people and never fully closed
b. Characters
i.
Raskolnikov
1. Raskol,
the root of his name means “schism” or “split,” which would really explain many
of his actions throughout the book
2. The
main part of his character that I will be focusing on is his actions that he
takes towards being a good citizen, or his “generosity”
3. He
donates his money to those in need and does the right thing with the girl in the
beginning of the book, yet every single time he does something, he immediately
questions why he did it and almost regrets it.
4. He
is very multi-faceted, as is shown by his name, almost to the point where he is
almost more than bi-polar and is constantly changing his perception and his
mind
5. Some
of his actions are similar to the ideas expressed in “notes from the underground”
in that he is very much against current norms/religious views, especially prevailing
moral principles as is evident in his murders
ii.
Sonia
1. She
is generally shy and quiet, which is somewhat expected given her current
position
2. The
one part of her character that cannot go without saying is her prostitution,
she is forced into prostitution by her family and her desire to help others
3. That
is also an important part of her character, she is a very caring person and has
to make a multitude of sacrifices in order to care for her family
iii.
Svidrigailov
1. He
is basically the single bad guy in the book, his character is basically the
worst character in the book
2. He
is completely unfaithful to his wife, he sleeps with his servants, tries to
rape Dounia and is a confirmed child molester
3. Yet
before he kills himself, he helps out Raskolnikov and Sonia to find a place to
live in Siberia and gives them some money to do so
3. Outline
for thesis
a. General
Thesis question: Are Raskolnikov’s acts of kindness and generosity out of
selflessness, or is he trying to benefit from them.
b. Thesis
Statement: When considering the way Raskolnikov acts one can determine that his
acts of generosity were out of a general need to feel in control over the
suffering of others, even though his split personality contradicts itself against
this statement.
c. Main
supports for thesis statement:
i.
The dream about the beaten horse
1. During
Raskolnikov’s dream about the horse that is beaten to death, he feels the most
dread in the fact that he is helpless to try to help the horse, and this dread
is what allows him to finally decide to kill the pawnbroker
2. The
murder of the pawnbroker was, in a way, Raskolnikov’s attempt to help people
who are suffering, especially since the pawn broker was known to beat her
sister, therefore Raskolnikov thought he
might go and help
ii.
His Napoleonic desires
1. Raskolnikov
seems to have a desire to have control over people, to belittle others, as is
clearly evident in his theories that he
wrote in his paper, the theory of great men
2. With
every time he helps someone, one could interpret that he is getting a rise out
of the fact that he is in some way controlling them, making them reliant upon
him, and most importantly, elevating himself above them in the social ladder
3. He
wants to be able to prove that he is different and therefore better than
everybody else because he reaches over many of the societal bounds and
expectations placed on people, for example, his willingness to kill to justify
his goal, as he specifically stated in his paper.
iii.
His respect for Sonia’s desire to help her family
1. He
and Sonia seem to get together so well because of her constant desire to really
help her family and the fact that she sacrifices so much to keep her family
alive
2. Sonia
basically is the only character that truly sees the good side of Raskolnikov,
and he does not recognize this directly and honestly treats her like crap,
until he has been cured of his incessant grumpiness after going to prison
3. Sonia’s
perspective on Raskolnikov can be seen in multiple ways, it could be cited to
show that Raskolnikov was truly good in his heart in these actions, or it can
be used to show that Raskolnikov only liked her because she would put up with
him and that she benefitted him by giving him an outlet. But, as are most of
the things in this book, the relationship between the two is heavily
multifaceted.
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