Jessica

 Wendell Pfeffer

2/23/14

4) Jessica I really like your fourth possible thesis. There is really so much to discuss about his psychology before and after he commits the murder. I am still not sure though whether or not his change in character is caused by his guilt or fear of getting caught.

1) Out of all your themes this one I disliked the most. I don’t think Raskolnikov alienated himself from people. He was always with Razumkhin, a family member or another person. Raskolnikov was alone right when he committed the murder, but after that he was surrounded by people.

Davis

4. I thought your themes were really strong. I really liked this one since it was a different approach to what everyone else has said and the plot of the story in general. 

3. I thought this was a strong topic but it would require a lot more explanation of what Nihilism is. I see the connection you are making but I believe your other topics are much stronger. 

Sophia

Wendell Pfeffer

Comment on Sophia’s

2) Sophia I really like your second possible thesis because it discusses the psychology of Raskolnikov and why he committed the murder in the first place. It also tells the reader why he acted so bizarre infront of others and not only that but there is a huge connection with Notes From The Underground.  

3) I didn’t really like your third thesis because you already discussed a connection between the underground man and Raskolnikov in your second thesis. I don’t think that Raskolnikov has a hard time trying to fit into society. I think he is a much more sociable person than the underground man. The only reason Raskolnikov struggles to fit into society because of his guilt or fear of being punished by his family and/or police.

SsSsssssofia

1. I really liked your comparison of the two pieces that we are discussing in class and I definitely think that it is something that would make a worth while essay. Seeing as Dosteovesky wrote both, I definitely see how you drew a comparison in the “underground” aspect of it.

1. I think the aspect of religion as a theme in this novel is really unique, I definitely would not have thought of that. I think it would be really cool to incorporate this aspect into your paper, because it is more of an underlying theme rather than a blatant one that could definitely make for some cool interpretations. Overall, you had really good ideas. bien hecho

Davis

1. I really liked the first topic you picked. I think this would be the easiest to write about because it is something that takes place throughout the whole novel. We constantly see Raskolnikov struggle with his guilt and how that really seems to get to him to the point where he is now mentally ill. When I began to read Crime and Punishment I had the same thoughts you did; I thought that the punishment would be more of a trial Raskolnikov went through or the way he'd deal with a life in prison.

4. I think this topic is very unique because it shows more of how Raskolnikov really thinks. Even though we are all aware that murder is wrong and it should not be done, Raskolnikov still comes up with ways to prove himself innocent and makes himself believe that his actions can be justified. I think it will be very easy to write about this topic because Raskolnikov does this on multiple occasions so you'll have more than enough examples to list in order to prove your point.

Wendell

I really liked the ideas that you came up with for your paper.
1. I thought your first topic was your best one. This topic is present throughout the whole book and there are a lot of examples you could use throughout your paper. Plus, it is something Raskolnikov comes back to every now and then to justify his actions.

4. Even though this is a good topic, I think it might be difficult to write a paper out of this. I thought that Raskolnikov's mother and sister really do love him and both have done so much to try to support him and really do try to care for him. It is true that he feels that not many like him or love him for that matter but I feel that writing this topic would be hard due to the lack of examples from the book.

Possible Thesis

1. The progression of religion throughout the novel could be a potential theme to write about, especially how it develops in Raskolnikovs life. In the beginning of the novel Raskolnikov does not turn to God at all, it seems as if he thinks he is too prideful to rely on religion. Towards the end of the novel Raskolnikov seems a bit more connected to religion, especially with the help he receives from Sonya. He even sets up a connection between himself and a passage in the Bible.

2. Raskolnikov's ego has a great influence on the novel. His egoism convinces him that his murder was actually a benefit to society rather than something he should feel guilty about. Yet at the same time his ego is at its highest point, it can also drop to an all time low. Raskolnikov thinks of himself as one of the most intellectual men in society, then out of no where he will compares himself to a louse. This drastic alteration in his ego has had a strong influence in his choices prior to and after he committed murder.

3. A topic that I find interesting is the connections Dosteovsky makes between Raskolnikov and the underground man. Both characters seem to have similar personalities and face the same obstacles. They both struggle to fit into society and fail to understand what makes them so different from the rest of the mass. We are already aware that the underground man is capable of seeing with clarity, I am curious to research and find out if Raskolnikov deals with the same issue.

4. All of the characters in Crime and Punishment take into consideration society's views and what society may think of them. For example, Raskolnikov wonders what society and his own family will think about him once they are aware that he is the murderer. The idea of what society perceives of one and the judgement that comes with it plays an important role in Dostoevsky's novel.

Jessica

1. I liked your theme discussing alienation. I thought it was the best one, because it is definitely unique. With that said, I definitely think that there is enough information throughout the story for you to say that alienation is a prevalent theme. 

3. I like all of your themes, but I think this one will be the most difficult to write a paper on. I definitely agree that it is a major theme throughout the book, but think the other 3 themes encompass it in a better way. Overall, you can’t go wrong with any of your ideas, I like them all!

Possible Thesis

1. Since Raskolnikov constantly kept pushing people away, I was thinking that alienation could be a possible theme to talk about. As Raskolnikov becomes more obsessed with the murder, he hides away in his apartment. Even before the murder Raskolnikov alienated himself from others especially when it involved his old classmates. 
2. It seems like almost every character in the book tends to suffer from something. Raskolnikov, Dunya, Sonya, and Svidrigailov suffer from various hardships in their lives that cause them to act a certain way. 
3. While I was reading, I noticed that every character had at least one foil in the story. Raskolnikov can be compared to many of the other characters in the story. From what I've noticed, when one person in the book does something, someone else reacts to it in an way that seems to contradict the action. 
4. Raskolnikov tends to have a unique reaction to committing the murder. His guilt is the drive to all of his random actions and abnormal behavior when the murder is brought up. Because of this, I would like to talk about the psychological effects of the crime. Raskolnikov's punishment is not a physical one but a mental one which actually serves the crime better than be locked up in a cell where he receives food and shelter for free. At the same time that Raskolnikov's guilt destroys him, he praises himself for not getting caught and tries to use his theory of crime to justify his actions. 

4 possible themes

Wendell Pfeffer

2/23/14

4 possible themes

1)    I would like to talk about the Psychology of Raskolnikov. He had always built hatred towards the landlady because he thought she wasn’t giving enough towards the greater good. It was because of this he thought it was okay to kill her, which thus proves he retains the mind of a deadly killer.

2)    Guilt is another good possible theme I could discuss. Did guilt cause his character to change or was it the thought of him being thrown into prison that disturbed him?

3)    I did some research on Locke’s ideas and how the natural surroundings of a person can dictate their actions as they grow up. Everyone is born at a clean slate or tablerosa, as philosophers like to call it. I thought this was worth discussing because maybe Raskolnikovs surroundings had an influence on his actions.

4)    Another possible theme I could discuss is Raskolnikovs attitude towards love and affection. When I was reading Crime and Punishment I always thought that Raskolnikov wasn't given enough love and affection as a kid and adult. No one understood him, he was lonely and he wasn’t receiving the love he so desperately needed from his family. This could have been a great influence in his decision of committing the murders. 

            

Possible Thesis Papers:

1) I want to discuss guilt and the tole that it takes on the body, specifically that of Raskolnikov. I want to talk about how the guilt from the crime was the true "Punishment" and how it lead him to do many crazed actions. Instead of any prison time or anything as I predicted, Raskolnikov's life was plagued with guilt and it essentially controlled his life.

2) The psychology behind Raskolnikov is something that intrigues me as well. I want to take a look at how the author uses Raskolnikov's various states of delirium to emphases the effect of what can happen to someone when ridden with guilt. From schizophrenia, to bipolar disorder, I want to make my paper an attempt to diagnose Raskolnikov's many personalities.

3) After researching, I think looking at how the role of nihilism plays into this novel would be something worth while to discuss. From what I have discovered, this idea plagued the writings of Russian literature during the time period this novel was written and basically discusses a person who has no ties to society, much like Raskolnikov.

4) Raskolnikov, throughout the novel, has a distorted sense of self in that he justifies his actions, including the murder of the old woman. I want to take a look at this god-like persona that Raskolnikov sees himself as having in order to find the reason behind his actions.

Adios Raskolnikov

        I cannot say I am thrilled that I am finally finished with the book. I actually really enjoyed reading it. I actually had a about an hour discussion about the book with one of my cousins over the long weekend. When I first started reading Crime and Punishment, a lot of people told me it would get better towards the end and some told me it was not really worth reading since it is a slow read. To my surprised I liked the plot and how it was portrayed throughout the story.

        In the last couple of chapters in the book, I found a couple of sections shocking. When Svidrigailov kills himself, I was taken by surprise. In chapter 6, we start to see why Svidrigailov really moved to St. Petersburg and how he felt about everything. I found myself agreeing with him when he questioned how Sonya could love Raskolnikov even tough he murdered two people, one of whom she was close to, and care for him a little more than the kids she is responsible for since Katerina’s death. Svidrigailov’s suicide put Raskolnikov in another light as well. It showed how much you must suffer to end your life, yet Raskolnikov has guiltier conscious, and sees suicide for the weak and common people. Once again we see how Raskolnikov views himself superior than the rest of humanity.  

        Also, Raskolnikov’s need to confess to the murder grows in part 6. After he confesses to Sonya he has the urge to tell his family and Razumikhin. When Dunya arrives at his apartment in the first couple of chapters in part 6, Raskolnikov is forced to keep his mouth shut about everything he has done. Razumikhin explains to Raskolnikov later that Porfiry has captured the murderer and there should be no need to worry that the police are after him. In my opinion, this information causes Raskolnikov to regret not saying anything to his family or to his friend because once again another person has been sent to jail for a crime Raskolnikov committed. He starts to think about Porfiry and their last meeting at Porfiry’s office and about Svidrigailov’s visit.

        All in all, even though this was a slow read at times, Dostoevsky continued to catch my attention with a lot of twists throughout the story. As I continued to read, I kept relating Crime and Punishment to NFTU. I am actually really glad I read the book instead of hearing pieces of information from other people.

Ultimo análisis de este libro

Wendell Pfeffer

2/16/14

Final Reaction

Well Dostoyevsky’s masterpiece Crime and Punishment has finally come to an end. It was a good book that discussed the details that goes inside a mans head when he does something terrible. I use to think that the majority of those that commit crimes rid themselves of their guilt over time but that does not seem to be the case.  Usually a person that commits a crime and can sleep like a baby afterwards without feeling any remorse is a type of person that was born into the violent world where killing was a norm and a necessity for survival.

            I use to think that the only reason Raskolnikov killed the pawn lady and her sister was because he had a mental illness, but after some investigation I found out that he committed the crime solely because of his selfishness and hatred. He was running low on money and he needed to get a really good offer on the items he was going to pawn. Unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case; the landlady gave him a less than fair offer and even subtracted the little he owed her with the pawn.  Raskolnikov thus became enraged and rapidly came to the conclusion that she was stealing the people’s money of St. Petersburg and ultimately needed to be killed. He thought that she was harming society as a whole and with her gone society would dramatically become a better place.

            After Raskolnikov committed the crime not only was his notion completely wrong, but also the quality of his life went down immensely. He was not able to control himself and when he heard of anything that related to any killing he became pale. His behavior changed completely and even his physical features were also affected. When I was reading I would randomly become angry at Raskolnikov for acting so bizarre in front of others, especially in front of Porfiry. I know it sounds strange, but I actually hoped that he would act natural so that he wouldn’t get caught. I guess I just couldn’t handle the reactions of everyone after finding out that Raskolnikov was the true and guilty killer. Another thing that really boggled my mind was how in the world were people not suspicious of Raskolnikov in the beginning (excluding Porfiry). I guess a family member would never believe that a member of their family would do such a thing. Porfiry on the other hand is a brilliant detective that knew Raskolnikov was the potential killer right in the beginning. The way he was able to bring Raskolnikov under justice was just incredible. Raskolnikovs case was not easy at all; he was faced with a random man who by the looks of it admitted to committing the murders and had little to no evidence to put Raskolnikov behind bars. I thought it was a really good on his part to tell Raskolnikov that he was the true murderer giving him two options for the punishment of his crime. Surprisingly, Raskolnikov chose the second offer. His decision was influenced largely in part by Sonia’s opinion and her belief in god. I don’t agree at all with Raskolnikovs decision; he had the opportunity to leave to another country and form a new life. I think that if he had left the country his guilt of committing the murders would disappear because his fear of punishment and bad thoughts would go away.

            Now that he is going to Siberia he is going to regret it even more that he committed the murders. I still have many points to discuss, but I’m going to tell you the most important one – the lesson that this book taught me. That every action has a certain consequence, whenever I think of doing something crazy I am going to look back at this book.

Final Reaction

      Like Mr. Shapiro mentioned in class, the crime took about one page of the book, followed by 500 pages of Rasklnikovs punishment. I was not expecting the punishment that Raskolnikov dealt with throughout the whole novel. I obviously knew that his guilt and emotions would eventually get to him. What surprised me the most was Raskolnikovs luck and the way that he was able to get away with his crime so easily; he committed the crime so carelessly. I thought that he would last at most a week before he was caught. Somehow, something always came up to clear Raskolnikovs name when the subject of the murder came up. Most of the times it was just Raskolnikov imagination getting to him and creating all of these scenarios that weren't even real. Raskolnikov began to over think every situation after the murder was committed. At times he even said and did things that made it pretty obvious that he was the murderer, almost as if he wanted people to catch him so he could be relieved of his guilt.
       As I continued to read the novel, I thought that it got pretty repetitive. It seemed as if I was reading the same exact scene over and over again with some minimal changes. Just when I thought I knew exactly what would happen, something random and completely unpredictable would happen, for example the painter randomly confessing as the murderer and the random appearance of Svidrigailov. Svidrigailov is definitely the weirdest character in this book. He came out of nowhere, yet somehow knew everything.
       To be honest, I was not understanding the complete depth of the novel until we started to read and discuss Notes from the Underground. Learning more about Dostoevsky helped me understand the novel. I was able to relate the underground man to Raskolnikov. Although they are both completely different stories, the two main characters struggle with the same issues. Like the underground man, Raskolnikov is also very contradicting. He thinks of himself as this great being, greater than anyone else in society, yet he admits at times that he is mad and nothing but a coward. Raskolnikov gets upset that he is not accepted into society and has troubles understanding what makes him so different. The whole novel is about Raskolnikov struggling to decide whether what he did was a good thing or not, whether he should confess or just run away, and whether he was a madman or a hero. This makes me believe that Raskolnikov is able to see things around him with clarity; but he was able to commit the murder and make his own decisions, so I am still not sure about that.
         The ending to the novel consisted of Raskolnikov finally confessing to the murder, but no punishments or anything was said after that. Raskolnikov was so concerned about what everyone would think of him after he confessed to the murder, but we were never really able to see that. That reassures me that the whole point of the novel was to show Raskolnikovs thought conflicts. Dostoevsky doesn't even go into the detail of Raskolnikovs trial or his punishment, he just writes about Raskolnikovs struggle to make a choice. If I had not read Notes from the Underground I do not think that I would have enjoyed this book as much as I have; I would have not understood what was truly going on and would have probably thought that Raskolnikov was just some crazy arrogant man.