In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, Crime and Punishment, one of the major themes is Spiritual Renewal and Redemption. Even though this theme is not clearly shown until later in the novel, it still has the most paramount importance throughout the story. Throughout the story the main character, Raskolnikov, is searching for a way out of his grueling torment within himself. When he starts to become close and personal with Sonia, it becomes clear that she will be a vital part of his redemption process. At one part of the book, both Sonia and Raskolnikov sit down together and read the story of Lazarus in the New Testament. This is where we first see Raskolnikov’s biblical interest spark. When Raskolnikov finally admits that he is the one who killed the two women, this shows the reader that he is on his way to redemption. Even though his redemption is not spiritual at that moment, he is becoming more vulnerable and open minded. By the end of the novel, Raskolnikov is in his prison cell reading the New Testament. This definitely represents one of the major themes of the novel very well. A man, who is searching for a way out of torment and anguish, finds himself reading the New Testament in a Siberian Prison. Another book that has the theme of Spiritual Renewal and Redemption is Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. Throughout the novel the main character is trying to find himself, his true purpose in life. He is not truly redeemed and renewed though, until the end of the novel. He is lying down on his death bed, with a bright glow of light shining on his face. This represents his true redemption and spiritual renewal from God. Both novels have amazing themes that run throughout the story. The theme of Redemption and Spiritual Renewal is very popular throughout novels and is extremely dramatic and heart wrentching.
-Conner FurrSaturday, August 20, 2011
Reading Novels Like A Professor: Chapter 9 – Everywhere is Just One Place
Reading Novels Like A Professor: Chapter 12 –Life Sentences
In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, Crime and Punishment, the most significant paragraph is at the end. When Raskolnikov realizes his true love for Sonia, breaks down in tears, and weeps at her feet. “How it happened he did not know. But all at once something seemed to seize him and fling him at her feet. He wept and through his arms around her knees. At first instant she was terribly frightened and turned pale. She jumped up and looked at him trembling. But at the same moment she understood, and a light of infinite happiness came into her eyes. She knew and had no doubt that he loved her above everything else and that at last the moment had come...” (520). In Victor Hugo’s, Les Miserables, the most significant paragraph is also at the end of the story when Valjean is on his deathbed with Marius and Cosette at his side. “I do not know what is the matter with me, I see a light. Come nearer. I die happy. Let me put my hands upon your dear beloved heads.’ Cosette and Marius fell on their knees, overwhelmed, choked with tears, each grasping one of Jean Valjean’s hands. Those august hands moved no more. He had fallen backwards, the light from the candle-sticks fell upon him; his white face looked up towards heaven he let Cosette and Marius cover his hands with kisses; he was dead” (399). In both of these paragraphs the reader sees at first a very familiar symbol embedded, the symbol of light. In Les Miserables the narrator states that Valjean fell back and the light from a candlestick glowed upon his face. This is truly symbolic of a spiritual renewal. Although the same symbol is used in Crime and Punishment, it is not symbolic of anything spiritual at all. When Sonia’s eyes light up with happiness, this is symbolizing her true and pure feelings towards Raskolnikov. Both authors use very dramatic writing styles in each of the paragraphs. In each stories the characters were so overcome by emotion that they had to kneel down on the ground. Both of these stories are excellent examples of precise writing technique as well as perfect dramatic instances.
-Conner FurrReading Novels Like A Professor: Chapter 14 – The Light on Daisy’s Dock
In Thomas C. Foster’s, How to Read Novels like a Professor, he states that, “Every character has his telos-Aristotle’s term for the necessary endpoint in a goal-oriented, even compulsive, process- not the place he actually winds up but the thing toward which he’s driven, his ultimate goal” (181). Foster explains that the author places road signs throughout the novel in order to thoroughly explain certain situations and help the reader understand their work and hopefully where they want the story to go. In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, Crime and Punishment, the author uses dreams as road signs to direct the reader’s attention to the subconscious thoughts of the characters. The dreams themselves are not just normal dreams at all, the dreams in the story act as premonitions. The first dream that we see is right before the crime is committed, in the mind of Raskolnikov. Raskolnikov dreams that he is a young child again. He then witnesses the gruesome beating of an old mare in the middle of the street, and then begins to laugh and cruelly join in. When Raskolnikov wakes up he is disgusted at himself for even thinking of such things. Of course this dream is foreshadowing of the crime that Raskolnikov is fixing to partake in. That is what the author wants us to understand from the passage. Another dream that the reader is subjected to, is that of Arkady Svidrilgailov. In the story, Svidrilgailov is emotionally scarred after the love of his life turns him away. That night he has a dream that he is tucking a small girl into bed, but then the child begins looking at him very seductively and lustfully. This dream is of course trying to guide the reader understanding the fact that He will soon feel so ashamed of his actions and crimes that he will be driven to commit suicide. Road signs are very helpful for readers in order to understand certain characters and plot points.
-Conner Furr
Reading Novels Like A Professor: Chapter 18 – What’s the Big Idea—or Even the Small...
In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, Crime and Punishment, the main theme that is shown throughout the work is Alienation from Society. This theme runs fluidly throughout the entire book, seeming to be what causes pretty much all of the conflict throughout the story. At the beginning of the novel the protagonist, Raskolnikov, alienates himself not because he is any different from society, but because he thinks that he is truly better than everyone else. Raskolnikov, “had become so completely absorbed in himself and isolated from everyone else that he dreaded meeting not only his landlady, but anyone at all. He was crushed by poverty, but even the anxieties of his position had recently ceased to weigh upon him” (5). The alienation from society theme carries on in the story. It appears that after Raskolnikov has committed the two murders, his intense guilt and sorrow becomes the fuel that causes the alienation of him. He is so guilty and mentally tormented that he cannot even stand to be in contact with anyone. It isn’t until the end of the story that Raskolnikov realizes his true love for Sonya, and immerges from his alienated state. “He thought of her. He remembered how continually he had tormented her and wounded her heart. He remembered her pale, thin little face. But these recollections scarcely troubled him now; he knew with what infinite love he would repay all her sufferings” (521). The theme of the novel is genuinely based on the state of humanity and what it means to be human. The human mind can only last so long on its own before it needs to be helped by someone. Through the theme the reader finds that no one can last forever on their own. As humans, people need compassion and connection, to be able to rely on someone else besides their own emotions. The reader finds that they must not be scared of something as normal as everyday society. They must not just throw their social acceptance away just for the sake of it.
-Conner Furr
Reading Novels Like A Professor: Chapter 10 – Clarissa’s Flowers
“This is why we readers get the big money. From the merest threads, from hints and allegations, we weave something we believe to be solid and permanent. We find reality in characters who never existed, find internal motivation and emotion from the things they carry, construct whole people from outlines and sketches” (130). This quotation is from Thomas C. Foster’s book, How to Read Novels like a Professor. In the quote Foster is explaining the usage of character emblems within novels. Character emblems are objects that identify a character. Somewhat like indirect characterization, but instead of the identifier being another character, it is an object. In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, Crime and Punishment, character emblems are present in the second chapter of Part 2. After Raskolnikov murders the two women and takes some of their valuable trinkets, he becomes paranoid and starts frantically searching for hiding places. Roaskolnikov first puts them in a hole in his apartment but later realizes that it would be easy for someone to come in a spot the valuables. Then he gets the idea of tossing them into the canal, but realizes, “What if the boxes were to float instead of sinking” (106)? Raskolnikov is troubled with this problem for a while until he finds a large stone and buries the stolen goods under it. The stolen goods are emblems of Raskolnikovs guilt. The fact that Raskolnikov is also trying to hide the stolen good represents him trying to suppress the guilt that he has for committing the crime. The man does not throw them into the canal because they will float to the top allowing everyone to see. This represents the fact that Raskolnikov must not show any signs of his guilt or fear, because he will be found out if he does. The fact that Raskolnikov buried the goods under a stone represents how ready he is to just smother all guilt and consciousness of the entire situation. Character emblems are very useful to the reader. They allow the reader to understand characters a bit more without having to be spoon-fed the information.
-Conner Furr
Reading Novels Like A Professor: Chapter 17 – Improbabilities: Foundlings and Magi,...
Novels are only as good as the reader makes them out to be. If the reader seems uninterested, then the novel will most likely not be in their “top ten” list. Although if the novel has the reader intrigued and closely following along, then of course it will for sure be a favorite of the reader. Although a lot of the success of a novel is left up to the reader’s interpretation of it, the success of a novel largely depends on whether or not the reader can relate to, and live through it. In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, Crime and Punishment, The reader is able to at least somewhat relate to its characters and therefore can live through their lives. Raskolnikov is surprisingly very relatable to the reader. The character is very prideful, like many people in reality, and is being internally troubled due to his horrific actions. Now the reader might have never killed anyone, but certainly there has been a time where the reader has felt very guilty about something they have done, and feel like they need to be punished. Even though the circumstances are not precise, Dostoevsky still makes it a priority to place ordinary people in the story. There is not really a certain character that the reader is not able to relate if. Although the horrific character of Peter Luzhin is overly prideful and ridiculously materialistic, the reader can still relate to those attributes. The novel allows the readers emotions to be troubled as well as the characters’. In the story Raskolnikov is being internally tormented for his awful and murderous actions. The reader must invest time to relate and care for the character, therefore allowing the reader’s heart to be touched as well. By the end of the story, the reader cares deeply for Raskolnikov and the fact that he is taking responsibility for his own actions. This is what makes Crime and Punishment so fantastic, the fact that anyone can relate to the main character, as well as not relate to him at all.
-Conner Furr