Questions

1. Compare the characters of Raskolnikov, Luzhin and Svidrigailov. How is each of these men a "villain" and to what extent are they guilty? How does each man face his guilt and how does each suffer?

R= Raskolnikov is considered a "villain" mainly due to the fact that he committed a crime against society by killing the pawnbroker and her sister and the fact that he's hiding it over a less serious situation or "crime", an I.O.U, is enough to generate him guilt about himself and over what his family may think if he confesses. Even worse is when he decides to run away from society, even his mother and sister, to deal with it alone and tries to apart anyone who has the even slight hint of helping him, even though he sometimes has the need for it but can't have it because of what he did (at least that's what he thinks). Luzhin is a villain because he wants to marry Raskolnikov's sister over a selfish ambition or desire that is to fill her with riches or help her so that she is indebted to him and she does everything he asks for, no matter how he treats her after their wedding. He feels really no guilt whatsoever about what he's doing or his intentions and despises everything or everyone who he feels is intervening on what he considers right for him and for everyone. Finally, Arkady Svidrigailov is a "villain" because his intentions of calming his sexual desires are unrequited and they have to be done the way he wants it or what he does may be unexpected. He may be feeling guilty about chasing another woman after losing his wife and suffers because his sexual desires cannot be satisfied, thus becoming his only burden in life. Each "villain" has a bad intention with another character, mainly female, and goes with everything that goes against his nature to accomplish them.

2. Raskolnikov emerges as a dual character capable of cruelty and compassion, deliberation and recklessness, and altering between a desire for solitude and companionship. Why has Dostoyevsky created such a complex psychological portrait?

R= I think the reason Dostoyevsky created such a psychological behavior or mood to a character like Raskolnikov is to convey an indirect message about how committing a crime and the guilt of not accepting the punishment from that same crime affect how a person is with society normally or with his family even. How the intentions of desire of committing a crime leaves a man with the doubt of whether or not doing it will allow him to continue with his normal life. How if he commits it, his desire will be fulfilled but will leave him with a psychological trauma of himself and guilt of how that person he used to be is gone because of that thing he did that made him change completely in front of everyone who holds him dear and care about him. However, sometimes it can't be all bad for him since he may think that he did things right and offers the same personality of a kind man to everyone and can have the thought that as long as they don't find out everything is alright while in reality his mind is still suffering from it. Dostoyevsky may have wanted to show the world how when the intention of doing something bad is made, the mind begins to mix things up on how to deal with it for himself or herself and how to interact with society with no one knowing completely what he or she did and be left alone, but at the same time longing for company with nobody asking suspicious questions so they don't find out about the dark truth of a compassionate and kind person.