Dostoyevsky And His Works Essay Example For Students

Dostoyevsky And His Works Essay Often in novels, the life of an author is reflected in his or her literature. For a writer experience can serve not only as a teacher, but also as thefoundation of a story line. Some of the most well known authors have used thisRomana Clef technique, for example, Charles Dickens in his famous novel, DavidCopperfield. The Russian author, Fyodor Dostoyevsky does this as well, in hisnovel Crime and Punishment. Various individuals and occurrences fromDostoyevskys life influenced the novel and its characters and themes. Thisshows that an authors life serves as an inspiration to his or her writing andimpacts the work as a whole. Dostoyevskys own family and childhoodexperiences had a tremendous impact on him as well as his literary works. As thesecond child in a line of seven, Dostoyevsky lived a sad and lonely childhood. As a student in a respected boarding school, Dostoyevsky felt unable to makecontact with his pupils, and therefore isolated himself, just as the maincharacter, Raskolnikov, isolated himself from the rest of society. His fatherwas an ex-army surgeon for the poor and his household was one of poverty,disease, and pain. The family was deeply religious, and Jesus was the idealfigure of Dostoyevskys childhood faith. This brought about the preoccupationand obsession with suffering and Christianity that is dealt with in Crime andPunishment. The central theme of poverty, illness, and anguish clearly reflectthe tribulations Dostoyevsky endured in his troubled years growing up. It wasnot only these circumstances, but also several other individuals and events thatinfluenced Dostoyevsky in his writing of the novel that is so closely related tohis own life. Over the years, there were several specific individuals who tookpart in sculpting the views and opinions that influenced Fyodor Dostoyevsky so deeply. These views are some of those present in Crime and Punishment. SirWalter Scott, a Scottish novelist was one of those people. By the age of twelve,Dostoyevsky had read all of the mans works, thus establishing the notion offamily and human society. This is an important aspect to the novels maincharacter Raskolnikov, his sister Dunia, and mother Pulcheria Alexandrovna. Thedual nature of the equally good and evil Raskalnikov was a concept introduced toDostoyevsky by the German Romantic writer, Hoffman, and another writer NikolayGogal. While writing Crime and Punishment, the influence of these three men cameinto play, as these issues of family, society, and good versus evil arerepeatedly brought up. Certain events in Fyodor Dostoyevskys life affectedhim so deeply that they served as a model for similar scenes in Crime andPunishment. Two scenes in the story come directly from the experiences of theauthor at the time the novel was being formulated in Dostoyevskys mind. Atthe time, Petersburg newspapers were filled with stories of Gerasim Chistov, aman responsible for murdering two elderly ladies with a short-handled axe, andstealing eleven rubles from them. It is apparent that this coincides with themurder scene in the novel. Another scene took place that struck Dostoyevsky asbeing so tragic that he included it in his novel. Dostoyevsky witnessed aTsars all-powerful courier, driving off at high speed viscously punching hispeasant coachman. This inspired Raskalnikovs dream of the beaten skinnysorrel mare, which made him plea to God, Show me the wayI renounce thatdamned dream of mine. (67). Evidently, these events affected Dostoyevsky sodeeply that he managed to incorporate them into his novel. They inspiredDostoyevsky and allowed him to connect his real life to his literature. However,it was not only events that impacted the writing of Crime and Punishment. Characters in the novel can easily be seen as having been depicted fromindividuals Dostoyevsky came across in his own life. Fyodor Dostoyevsky can mosteasily be compared with the dual natured Raskalnikov. The similarities betweenthe two are clear, as they are alike in beliefs and background. Just asRaskolnikov is a well- educated member of the Intelligencia, Dostoyevsky was abrilliant young man as well, after being educated in strict board schools. Dostoyevskys intelligence did not come to his aid financially. He had aninability to manage income or calculate his needs. He wound up in a viscouscycle of borrowing and spending that plagued him throughout his life. Just asRaskolnikov, he too lived in a square yard of space, and in debt tovarious people, especially his landlady. They both were preoccupied withthoughts of murder, robbery, religion, and alcohol. Dostoyevsky even publishedworks in various journals dealing with these subjects. In Crime and Punishment,Raskolnikov shouts Ill pay, Ill pay! (180) in order to give to moneyto the Marmeladovs to pay for doctor and funeral expenses when Marmeladovdies. Raskolnikov is financially unstable, yet gives his money away. Dostoyevskyhimself was also given to this type of reckless generosity. He was alsoimprisoned and sent to Siberia for charges of aiming to overthrow the state. Through his punishment, he found redemption though suffering and Christianity,just as Raskolnikov did in the novel with the help of Marmeladovs daughterSonia. The similarities between the two are clear. Raskolnikov is a characterbased on the author himself, but that is not the only character in the novelthat is derived from Dostoyevskys very own life. Throughout Crime andPunishment, Dostoyevsky relives some of his own personal relationships throughrelationships between characters in the novel. For example, Fyodor was veryclose to his own brother, Mikhail, just as Raskolnikov was close with hiscompanion, Razumikhin. As a result of Raskolnikov being modeled on Dostoyevsky,Razumikhin is very much alike Mikhail, because of the relationship the two setsof men share. From day one, Mikhail was destined to be Fyodors closest friendand collaborator. He cared for Dostoyevsky in times of physical, emotional , andfinancial need, just as Razumikhin did for Raskolnikov, especially whenRaskolnikov was sick. Mikhail and Dostoyevsky attended school together just asRaskolnikov and Razumikhin did as well. Having a caring individual in the hislife allowed Dostoyevsky to imagine Razumikhin as being the supporter that hefelt Raskolnikov needed throughout his life to understand him and be his onlytrue companion. The sweet and devoted universal symbol of human suffering is arole lived out in the novel in the form of Marmeladovs prostitute daughter,Sonia. Sonia can be seen as a mix of two people that Dostoyevsky cherished inhis life. While in the Siberian camp, Dostoyevsky met a peasant woman namedMarey, who comforted him like a mother. She inspired him with theChristian spirit of love and self-sacrifice, just the way Sonia does when shetells Raskolnikov to Go to the Crossroads to confess his wrong doings andseek redemption. Dostoyevskys niece, Sofia Alexandrovna Ivanovna was also amodel for the character of Sonia. Sofia was a repository of Dostoyevskysconfessions and a person whom he felt completed his own personality by supplyingan element of himself that he lacked. She showed him purity of heart, just asSonia did in Crime and Punishment for Raskolnikov. Sonia is another classicexample of a character directly influenced by individuals in the authorslife, who came about because of inspirational people in Dostoyevskys life. John Bull the art of a traveling man EssayCharacters in the novel can easily be seen as having been depicted fromindividuals Dostoyevsky came across in his own life. Fyodor Dostoyevsky can mosteasily be compared with the dual natured Raskalnikov. The similarities betweenthe two are clear, as they are alike in beliefs and background. Just asRaskolnikov is a well- educated member of the Intelligencia, Dostoyevsky was abrilliant young man as well, after being educated in strict board schools. Dostoyevskys intelligence did not come to his aid financially. He had aninability to manage income or calculate his needs. He wound up in a viscouscycle of borrowing and spending that plagued him throughout his life. Just asRaskolnikov, he too lived in a square yard of space, and in debt tovarious people, especially his landlady. They both were preoccupied withthoughts of murder, robbery, religion, and alcohol. Dostoyevsky even publishedworks in various journals dealing with these subjects. In Crime and Punishment,Raskolnikov shouts Ill pay, Ill pay! (180) in order to give to moneyto the Marmeladovs to pay for doctor and funeral expenses when Marmeladovdies. Raskolnikov is financially unstable, yet gives his money away. Dostoyevskyhimself was also given to this type of reckless generosity. He was alsoimprisoned and sent to Siberia for charges of aiming to overthrow the state. Through his punishment, he found redemption though suffering and Christianity,just as Raskolnikov did in the novel with the help of Marmeladovs daughterSonia. The similarities between the two are clear. Raskolnikov is a characterbased on the author himself, but that is not the only character in the novelthat is derived from Dostoyevskys very own life. Throughout Crime andPunishment, Dostoyevsky relives some of his own personal relationships throughrelationships between characters in the novel. For example, Fyodor was veryclose to his own brother, Mikhail, just as Raskolnikov was close with hiscompanion, Razumikhin. As a result of Raskolnikov being modeled on Dostoyevsky,Razumikhin is very much alike Mikhail, because of the relationship the two setsof men share. From day one, Mikhail was destined to be Fyodors closest friendand collaborator. He cared for Dostoyevsky in times of physical, emotional , andfinancial need, just as Razumikhin did for Raskolnikov, especially whenRaskolnikov was sick. Mikhail and Dostoyevsky attended school together just asRaskolnikov and Razumikhin did as well. Having a caring individual in the hislife allowed Dostoyevsky to imagine Razumikhin as being the supporter that hefelt Raskolnikov needed throughout his life to understand him and be his onlytrue companion. The sweet and devoted universal symbol of human suffering is arole lived out in the novel in the form of Marmeladovs prostitute daughter,Sonia. Sonia can be seen as a mix of two people that Dostoyevsky cherished inhis life. While in the Siberian camp, Dostoyevsky met a peasant woman namedMarey, who comforted him like a mother. She inspired him with theChristian spirit of love and self-sacrifice, just the way Sonia does when shetells Raskolnikov to Go to the Crossroads to confess his wrong doings andseek redemption. Dostoyevskys niece, Sofia Alexandrovna Ivanovna was also amodel for the character of Sonia. Sofia was a repository of Dostoyevskysconfessions and a person whom he felt completed his own personality by supplyingan element of himself that he lacked. She showed him purity of heart, just asSonia did in Crime and Punishment for Raskolnikov. Sonia is another classicexample of a character directly influenced by individuals in the authorslife, who came about because of inspirational people in Dostoyevskys life. Katherine Ivanovna, Sonias mother and Marmeladovs wife, was made in theimage of Marya, Dostoyevskys former wife. Like Katherine, Marya was at firstmarried to a former army officer who was of a lower social status than her. WhenDostoyevsky met her she inspired him to improve his lowly status, just asKatherine repeatedly tried to help the unemployed alcoholic Marmleladov. WhenDostoyevsky created the character of Katherine Ivanovna, there is no doubt hehad Marya in his mind as the woman she was to be modeled on. However, it was notonly people that Dostoyevsky modeled aspects of his novel Crime and Punishmenton. In Crime and Punishment, location is a key to the novels story. The storytakes place in St. Petersburg, a place where Dostoyevsky lived in the 1840s and1860s. At the time, poverty, drunks and prostitutes filled the city and werethrown in the face of the author everyday. Living in such an environmentinfluenced the author to create similar living conditions, those that are notcondu cive to healthy living. Personal experience of living in St. Petersburglaid the foundation for Dostoyevskys setting in his novel, which is one thatcreates an atmosphere of despair and hopelessness-feelings that were always fartoo common in the authors life.