Crime and Punishment - literary devices

motif (1)

mistrust - Alyona opening the door timidly to Raskolnikov

What does Raskolnikov's letter from his mother regarding his sister's recent engagmeent provide for him?

motivation for committing the crime

What does Raskolnikov's dream with the horse foreshadow?

the brutal murder he will commit

What does Raskolnikov's dream in the epilogue represent?

the story of mankind (the disease = sin)

What does the horse in Raskolnikov's dream represent?

what could happen to Dunya if she marries Luzhin (become his property and be treated poorly)

How did fate give Raskolnikov the opportunity to commit his crime? (3 examples)

1. He overheard a conversation in which he discovered that the pawnbroker would be home alone at 7 and that she was a dispicable person. 2. He finds an axe in an unlocked, empty porter's home. 3. As he enters the pawnbroker's apparment, a truck filled with hay covers him.

theme - stepping over lines (4 examples)

1. Raskolnikov warns Dunya of being even more unhappy if she crosses the line. 2. Raskolnikov contemplated for a month crossing the line of commiting his crime. Once he crossed that line, he was even more miserable than he was before. 3. Raskolnikov talked about an extraordinary man's right to step over commonly accepted lines of morality and acceptable behavior. 4. Luzhin tells Dunya that he can't forgive Raskolnikov's insults because Raskolnikov stepped over the line and can never come back from it.

theme - sacrifice (2 examples)

1. Sonya and Dunya sacrificed their love by Sonya prostituting herself and Dunya becoming engaged to Luzhin. 2. Raskolnikov sacrified morality by killing and robbing Alyona and Lizaveta.

symbol (4)

1. horse in Raskolnikov's dream = Dunya (if she marries Luzhin) 2. water = escape 3. Lazarus 4. storm = violent change

theme - suffering (3 examples)

1. mental & physical - Raskolnikov's reason becomes clouded by his paranoia. His loses his mind. This psycholigcal suffering leads to physical suffering as he becomes very ill. 2. financial - The Raskolnikov family and the Marmeladov family are poor. Their poverty leads to the next theme of sacrifice. 3. emotional - Svidrigailov longed to be loved by Dunya. However, when he realized that she would never love him, he lost his reason for living and commited suicide.

theme (6)

1. women saving men 2. suffering 3. sacrifice 4. freedom vs. slavery 5. forgiveness 6. stepping over lines 7. salvation

symbol - storm

A storm comes, foreshadowing Svidrigailov's suicide.

What does Sonya's love towards Raskolnikov symbolize?

Christ's love for us

theme - freedom vs. slavery

Due to Raskolnikov's psychological enslavement of guilt, he is compelled to free his mind by confessing of his crime in the police station. Confessing may lead to physical enslavement in prison, but it will lead to an even greater psychological freedom.

symbol - water

For Raskolnikov, the water represents washing away his sins and the spiritual cleansing that water provides for him. However, it also provides him an escape of commiting suidice by drowning.

theme - forgiveness

In the midst of Raskolnikov's sin, Sonya chose to forgive him and demonstrate unconditional love towards Raskolnikov. At the end of the epilogue, Raskolnikov finally accepts Sonya's love. This renews his life.

theme - women saving men

Sonya and Dunya both save men. Sonya does so by prostituting herself to help her family financially. Dunya does so by becoming engaged to Luzhin to help her family financially.