Prompt: Why does Raskolnikov reject his family's and Razumikhin's attempts at solace and comfort? Why, when they are at their most loving, does he have his most virulent feelings of hatred for them? Support your opinion with specific examples/quotes.
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Not to make generalizations, but often when you help an addict or someone suffering from depression, their first response is to pull away. I don't know what it is about human nature that makes us so resistent to others' aid, but when someone needs it most they often refuse. A lot of it may have to do with pride. I can see Raskolnikov as believing in his theory, and thinking that he is above the help of others. I like to believe that maybe a little bit of him feels guilty for being such a vortex.
The beginning of chapter IV in part one is about six pages of Raskolnikov talking to himself, raving about his siter's intended marriage. He's mad that his sister is willing to sacrifice herself for him, which related to how he doesn't like others pity or handouts.
This blog post really seems to tie into the theme of alienation from society. Even prior to the crime, Raskolnikov believed he was a superior being and therefore it was his pride that seemed to be the cause of the space between him and the rest of the society. In his mind, the world completely centers on him. Once he has "successfully" committed the two murders, he quickly spirals downwards, ironically drowning in the same thing that gave him the power to kill. He believed he was some sort of super human which caused two significant elements of his personal philosophy to form, his complete faith in himself and total distrust in others. The trouble is, because Raskolnikov is unable to see the correlation between those two, his partial delirium intensifies his feels of overwhelming guilt.
This guilt has already overpowered his so he Raskolnikov pushes away the people who are trying to help him, including Sonya, Razumikhin, Dunya, and Porfiry, and then suffers the consequences. When these people try to comfort him, he is already so consumed with guilt and has already completely alienated himself from society that he rejects their support. This probably has to do with pride. Raskolnikov, believing himself to be a completely superior being, is far to prideful to admit that he needs to support of these people to pull him out of the dark place he has lost himself in. Because of Raskolnikov's complete lack of empathy for other people, the support those around him are trying to give him only angers him because of his belief that he is above them and the rest of society.
I think it's more that Raskolnikov is lost than anything else. He doesn't really trust anybody, even those closest to him. It's Raskolnikov's pride that pushes him to want to figure out everything on his own, which is clearly seen when he murders the pawnbroker, thinking he could solve societies problems.
Like Natalie said, it is similar to one who has an addiction. They don't want help from others, thinking they can get better on their own if they desire.
Perhaps when his family and Razumikhin are most loving, Raskolnikov's hatred is most intense because he feels like they are getting closer to him or beginning to figure him out and that frightens him. He doesn't want his guilt to show through, afraid of what might happen if even those closest to him find out.
Raskolnikov's shunning habits are clear from the beginning (pt. I chapter 1) and later, when he goes to Razumikhin's for the first time in the novel. In the beginning of Part II, chapter 2, Raskolnikov almost excitedly makes his way to Razumikhin's house. Seeing him at the door, Raskolnikov cries, "What! Is it you?" However, as Razumikhin notices Raskolnikov's sickly state, he questions him. Raskolnikov acts in denial of his ill manner and angrily leaves.
I also think that Raskolnikov believes that he is superior to everyone and in response to help, he resists it. He doesn't want anyone to assume he is struggling and he tries to conceal it by refusing to accept comfort or help. He also seems to be afraid of being vulnerable, which fuels his hatred for family and friends when they try to help him.
In chapter five part two, Raskolnikov's uncontrollable pride shows itself when he deliberately offends Luzhin; his sister's fiance. He insults Luzhin when he tells Raskolnikov that his mother has expressed immense worry for him. He tells Luzhin, "So you are the fiance? I know, and that's enough!" He is mad that his sister is marrying Luzhin for his sake because he doesn't enjoy feeling helpless and having others sacrifice their lives for him.
Raskolnikov treats his family and Razumikhin in a disrespectful manner when they show that they care about him because he has strong feelings of pride and guilt. Because he denies most of his feelings, he keeps his family from supporting him and comforting him.
Although he tries to deny the fact that he feels extremely guilty, it is obvious that he does from the way he rejects acts of compassion from his loved ones. I think the weight of what he did leads him to feel as though his family should not be helping him in any way.
He also feels threatened by his family's attempt to support him. As Elizabeth already mentioned, Rodya is completely against Dunya's decision to marry Luhzin in order to provide for the family. I think that this is both because he wants his sister to respect herself, and also because he doesn't want to appear helpless. Especially because he is a male and it involves receiving financial support from another male whose character and motives are extremely haughty. I think that this is a natural reaction one would have in this situation. Even if someone is aware that they need a bit of comfort or assistance, they can feel threatened if they are concerned with their own image and pride.
Raskolnikov wants nobody's respect but his own. He hates the fact that his sister is about to sacrifice herself for his benefit. He acts as if she were trying to hurt him instead, when in reality it's the complete opposite.
As we have already discussed, he's an ascetic. Their are several instances in the book where he takes the course of action most likely to bring physical or metaphysical suffering. It's almost as if everyone who wished to help him, like Nastya, Zossimiv, Reason and his family, were really attempting interrupting the grandest scheme, the most important plan of action ever devised by a human being. At least that's what he thinks.
Raskolnikov reacts in the same general way all monomaniacs do when confronted or interrupted in their plans and internal monologues. He's so caught up in his alternate reality of Napoleonic lawlessness that he forgets the attachment he has to his family and the human race. Deep down inside, he does care; it's visible in random explosions of anger - specifically at Luzhin.
pg.41 from chapter 4, part I
---"'You are our hope, you are our everything'! Oh, mother..." Anger boiled up in him more and more, and he thought that if he met Mr. Luzhin right then, he might kill him!---
In this interior monologue continuing in the chapter, Raskolnikov pities his mother and sister, but in such a way that is incredibly scathing and spiteful. It feels as if he cares for them so much that, in order for him to continue on with the theory, he has to hate them.
I think he has an urge to "step over" the family bonds/laws that tie him to Pulcheria and Dunya, but is too ridden with pity and compassion to do so. In this regard, it's ironical that he thinks himself above the laws of murder but not the laws of family bonds. And it's a continual self-loathing that drives the furious responses towards his loving sister and mother; he hates the fact that he cannot pull his conscience away from caring for them and so tries to hate them - but he never truly can hate them, they're sufferers just like him.
I agree with Lauren; Raskolnikov's isolation is one biggest reasons why he rejects love and help. This isolation, caused by his deep depression, "accumulated bitterness and contempt"(P.1 ch. 1, 2), and believing himself to be "extraordinary" has made him feel above reproach. Overall, Rodya doesn't trust others, so he probably feels that his family won't understand him or be able to help him.
But I think there are other things that are causing him to feel to such a deep hatred. After his mother offers him help and understanding (first page of part 3, chapter 1) he says to her "Don't torture me!" Throughout the book, Rodya shows this same attitude, feeling tortured when others offer help and love. I think he feels tortured because he
doesn’t want to confront his problems and feels that his family and Razumikhin are going to try to invade in his forbidden territory. He also doesn't want to show vulnerability, because in order to receive love and support, you have to show vulnerability. But overall, Rodya feels isolated, wants to suffer alone, and isn't humble enough to accept help from others.
I agree with what everyone before me has said about Raskolnikov's rejection of assistance. One obvious example is Dunya's expected marriage to Luzhin, but she is not the only character who offers assistance. Raskolnikov also rebukes Razumikhin when he first tries to care for him. Eventually he lets him help out, but this seems to be motivated more by his desire to calm and care for his mother and sister than by his own necessity.
However, one conflicting example is Raskolnikov's mother. He accepts her money at the beginning of the novel as a blatant handout, with little shame or doubt. This contradicts almost everything else said about Raskolnikov in the book. It's not clear what motivates this acceptance, whether it is pure desperation of something else.
I agree with what Natalie said about rejecting help. The fact the Raskolnikov avoids others is a very humanizing characteristic. Whether we're willing to admit it or not, no one likes to accept help from others. Perhaps Raskolnikov is a bit extreme, but I believe Dostoevsky is highlighting a trait found in almost all human beings.
I think Raskolnikov's personality is what makes him reject help from family and friends. He is the kind of person that would "look at his torturers with a smile -- provided he's found faith, or God" I think his theory was the one thing he had faith in. He is so consumed in his theory that even after evidence that contradicts his theory he continues to hold on to his theory. His theory feeds his prideful personality and leads him to believe that he is more important than he really is. He knows that he is not a superman, but his pride prevents him from accepting help from friends and family. Having placed himself at the upper echelons of society he cannot stand accepting help from others that are lesser than him.
HI--
I agree with Sharon’s analysis. I think Raskolnikov may feel that he is undeserving, unworthy of his family’s love and kindness. Rodya is in a state of suffering and mental sickness; he desires solitude. Time for meditation and thought.
“Leave me alone! I decided on it even before. . . I decided on it for certain . . . Whatever happens to me, whether I perish or not, I want to be alone. Forget me altogether. (P/V 314)
The one person he finds comfort in is Sonya, a source of consolation. His family--Pulcheria, Razumikhin, and Dunya--do not understand the magnitude of his suffering, therefore he feels very distant, cut-off, and emotionally unequal. [I think everyone in the novel experiences some sort of suffering, but Sonya and Rodya, I believe, exemplify suffering]. Dunya and Rodya are opposites; Sonya and Raskolnikov are matches. When you are going through a challenging time, whether people know it or not, it can be difficult to be around those who have no understanding of your current ordeal.
Even though Rodya “leaves” his family, he really does care for them in a sincere way. In part 4 chapter 3, Rodya orders Razumikhin to stay with his family, to watch over and protect them. A request such as this could only come from love. He recognizes the fact that he must leave
“Leave me, but DON’T LEAVE THEM…… In short, from that evening on Razumikhin became their son and brother. And Raskolnikov went straight to the house on the canal where Sonya lived.” (P/V 314)
Rodya thinks he is a “superman.” And to experience something such as love--one strong emotion that shapes ordinary human life--would make him everything but. You can’t be a murderer (or individual with born ability to break laws) with a compassionate heart. Thus, the drive behind his repeated attempts to prove to himself that he hates his family. He’s continuously trying to prove to himself that he is the “ideal” man of his theories, and in his efforts, continues to get farther and farther away from it.
To continue Natalie's thought about "pulling away" from help, people are prone to continuing bad habits or getting stuck in the gutter of a particular way of being because they fear change, and the uncharted territory of a new lifestyle above all else. Rodya's discomfort with the unknown is demonstrated by his leech-like attachment to his beliefs. His strong addiction to these beliefs oust the priority of his loved ones.
I see Rodya's situation analogous to the concept of an athlete who tries not to show pain on the playing field in order to not look week to his opponent. Raskolnikov has made EVERYBODY his opponent because in order to maintain his self image of superiority he must compete with them and be better.
Accepting the help of his family and friends would be blatantly hypocritical, and destroy his justification of the murders, which would unravel his fragile sanity that hangs on by the thread of his faith in his beliefs. The "principal" that Raskolnikov killed would be betrayed by his acceptance of help.
I think his attitude has a lot to do with what Natalie said about basic human nature. I also think it has to do with his theory, and how he being the extraordinary person can't accept help from ordinary people. Raskolnikov believes he doesn't need their help and that in accepting it he is weak. His anger toward his sister sacrificing herself by marrying Luzhin is because he sees himself as fit for the selfsacrificing role. He is the idealist that should sacrifice for his theory and beliefs. Their sacrifice disproves his belief in himself.
I connected it back to Marmelladov and his discussion of poverty vs. destitution. Marmelladov describes how he begs for charity from a man he knows won't give him anything, just because he has no where else to go. For Raskolnikov, by refusing any help from his loved ones he is saving himself from destitution and salvaging all the pride he can.
I really like what Megan said--about his family and friends getting closer and that if they get closer, they'll be closer to him and it might be harder for him to "hide" the guilt and shame that he has to carry every day. And it makes sense. I mean his family is suddenly getting closer and offering comfort and whenever someone offers someone else comfort or solace, its because they LOOK disturbed or confused. And they can see this disturbance or out-of-body-personality and then they might come to a conclusion that something is wrong with Raskolnikov. And then if something is wrong with him, his family and Razumikhin might attempt to get to know him better or try to help him by spending more time with him. Anyone someone mentions the murder, he begins to get sweaty and nervous and maybe he thinks that if he's around people, in general, there is a greater chance of that topic coming up and he doesn't want to be revealed.
I also totally agree with the idea of his theory and the fact that super humans can't get help from ordinary people. Maybe help from ordinary people, brings his "power" and pride to a lower level because he couldn't do it on his own--he had to get help from people that we are ordinary and have nothing special to them. Also the marriage between Dunya and Luhzin is unacceptable. She shouldn't be sacrificing herself for him. That sacrifice makes Dunya a better person, which doesn't make her ordinary anymore. And maybe he wants to be the only person who can act as superman.
I agree with everybody that has shared before me. I think the main part that drives these actions is his theory. Raskolnikov feels that he is simply "above" everyone else. If he committed murders with this theory, he's most likely not willing to accept help...
It's simply human nature for people to shun help during the most desperate of times. It feels much more satisfying to pull yourself out of the despair and suffering, and prove to yourself that you are the device that can end bad times. He would rather have Dunya deny Luzhin's marriage proposal out of an effort to preserve his self respect.
He rejects Razumikhin's efforts because of the same reasons. Razumikhin is a man of character, and simply more developed and logical than Raskolnikov. For Raskolnikov to sumbit to Razumikhin's help is to admit inferiority... Something he is not willing or able to do.
Throughout most of the book Raskolnikov’s goal is to testify his theory, to see if he is the “extraordinary”. One of the requirements to transgress is to lose all “feelings”, to not have any emotions toward anyone, and to give up traditional moralities. I think Raskolnikov pushes his loved ones away because he does not want to feel any love since love may soften him and turn him back into the “ordinary”. Also, during Raskolnikov’s conversation with Portfiry his said, “for broad understanding and deep feeling, you need pain and suffering. I believe really great men must experience great sadness in the world.”(P3Ch5) What Raskolnikov needs in order to transgress is not the solace and comfort from his family and Razumikhin, but the suffering that can be caused by fear and loneliness.
One of the scenes where I remember thinking about how Raskolnikov denied help and comfort was when he decided to go and meet with his former friend Razumikin for the first time in a while. While Razumikin is warm and excited at his presence, Rodya shys away from his exclamations and basically tries to walk out the door! Even when Razumikin offered a teaching position, Rodya refused, seeming to not want any kind of "charity" from anyone. I think that the love that his family and friends bestow on Rodya makes him think about what a horrible person he is. He probably thinks that he is unworthy of such love, and instead of becoming mad at himself, his anger is directed on those who love him.
It is natural for humans to try and be independent. However, this results in an unwillingness to seek help. In the novel, Raskolnikov is no different. He looks to help himself, but even when he needs it, he is unwilling to get it. Razumikhin and his family try and help him, but Raskolnikov rejects the help.
I like what Natalie and some others have said about wanting to pull away. It is sort of ironic that sometimes when someone needs help the most, that is when they want to break free the most. Additionally, what Lauren said about Rasklonikov having pride is entirely true. He feels that since he is a former student, he has one last glimmer of hope. If he can only piece together his life, he would be able to dig himself out of the hole he has fallen into. However, the key is that Raskolnikov wants to do it himself, without any help from others, may they be his family, strangers, or Razumikhin.
I think that perhaps Raskolnikov does not willingly or kindly accept his family's solace because he does not feel as though he is on the same plane of thought as them. He is that "extraordinary" man that so many of you have previously mentioned. He sees himself as being a gift to the world.
On the last page of Ch. III in Pt. I, Raskolnikov has just finished reading the letter from his mother regarding his sister's engagement. This is something that most, if not all of us would be so happy and enthusiastic about. However, Raskolnikov reacts in quite the opposite manner. After he finishes reading the letter "his face was pale" and he had a "bitter, wrathful, and malignant smile" on his face. He takes the pride of himself and cannot accept this man who is trying to save his sister from her bad reputation.
It is the negative in the letter that he focuses on; and it is this that enrages him. Had he only focused on the positive, he would see that his mother & sister love him. He would perhaps have his heart softened. However, being the almighty thinker that he is, he seeks out a way to take away his sister's opportunity of marrying Luzhin. In a more minor case than the murder, his "extraordinary" sense of morality leads him to hating his mother and sister for making a seemingly (to Raskolnikov) irrational and unwise decision.
In summation, the ultimate source of Raskolnikov's disquietude with his family is his mind. He exaggerates within himself the judgments he makes. He is prideful. More importantly, he thinks that he is something or someone "extraordinary".
His outrage at people's help: "Say I'm ungrateful, say I'm mean, only leave me alone, all of you for God's sake, leave me alone!" (167) seems completely unfounded and unreasonable. Raskolnikov doesn't want a way out of his poverty, he is too proud. He has no hope for escaping his destitution. After he kills the sisters he doesn't even do a good job of robbing them and then he throws away what money he stole through murder. Just like he knows the money won't be enough to get him out, he knows his family's and friend's love will do nothing for him. He has developed Stockholm syndrome for his poverty. Not only is he trying to protect himself from the pain of hope, he is trying to stop his family from wasting their sacrifices for him.
Raskolnikov is detached from his family because of his pride. Usually, when someone has suffered for so long like Raskolnikov they accept the offers of help from others. However, Raskolnikov always hopes that being the student he once was he will be able to straighten things out. Another reason, for his detachment is probably due to guilt. After he commits the murder of the pawnbroker and her sister, he looses the Napolean like qualities when he feels the guilt.
I think the reason for Raskolnikov's way of treating his family is because he already has problems that he himself can't face, and with his family's help, he'll need to confront them, which is always the hardest part. To admit you have problems. also, i think that he thinks he's just better than everyone else. I like what Alex said, that in time of desperation, people with high egos won't want help from others because that shows you're weak in some ways. Rodya is completely against the marriage with Dunya' and Luhzin, because pride gets in the way. Even when one knows they need help, especially a male, it is embarrassing to ask for help or even a little comfort due to the fact that it'll put them in a weaker position.
So far a fair number have pointed to Raskolnikov's pride in regards to his rejection of aid and contempt for his family. Yet another example of this can be seen when Raskolnikov bequeaths his family onto Razumihin; ""Wherever I might go, whatever happened to me, you would remain to look after them. I, so to speak, give them into your keeping, Razumihin." (6.I) Even when Raskolnikov is at his lowest, with "such hatred welled up in his weary heart that he might easily have killed either Svidrigaylov or Profiry," (6.I) instead of seeking console or pity, he makes a gesture to provide for his family.
However, this handing off of the family could show another reason why Raskolnikov rejects their solace and console; lack of attachment. Raskolnikov hands off his family without a second thought. Razumikhin, in an emotional moment, blubbers goodbye a few times and even calls Raskolnikov brother. Does Raskolnikov twitch? Not at all. But then Razumihin mentions the murder, and Raskolnikov all but jumps up. Raskolnikov's mind is filled with theories and the murder; there's no room for his family or friends.
I agree with everyone who has said that Raskolnikov pushes his family away because he feels he is superior to everyone else. He believes that no one around him would understand his theories because they are too advanced. For this reason, Raskolnikov would believe that interactions and relations with his family would be worthless.
However, after Raskolnikov commits the murder, he begins to doubt the theory of his supremacy. I think at this point, Raskolnikov pushes his family away more out of guilt than pride. He pushes his family away out of pride and out of guilt. These two reasons seem to be opposites from each other. However, Raskolnikov has been portrayed as a character full of contradictions through out the novel.
As many have said previously, it seems that Raskolnikov's pride is the driving force behind his alienation. Since the beginning of the novel, he viewed himself superior to those around him. This idea is also supported by his theory of extraordinary beings. Without a doubt, he considers himself an "extraordinary" human in society, and that everyone else is inferior to him. He doesn't want to accept the fact that he needs others to help him while he is struggling. I know personally, I have this tendency to be stubborn, and I hate asking for help unless I truly need it. Raskolnikov is very stubborn in nature, and goes to great lengths to isolate himself from the ones who care for him.
However, this hatred Raskolnikov feels towards his mother and sister is also paralleled by his love and care for them. Although it seems that his hatred for them is most intense when they are offering him the most help, Raskolnikov's true love for them is apparent in those times. For example, in Part IV Chapter 3, when Raskolnikov tells Dunya and his mother that he will need to separated from them for the time being after the engagement is broken off, he does not necessarily do it out of hatred. Raskolnikov realizes that with Razumikhin by their sides, Dunya and his mother will be better off. They will be taken care of and watched after by somebody who can offer them consistent comfort and safety. By this time Raskolnikov is probably overwhelmed by the guilt of the murder, and no longer feels "superior" to society, and especially to his family. Compared to Razumikhin, Raskolnikov cannot offer his family the love they need, and that's why he covers it up with hatred and disgust.
Being teenagers, I am sure we've all experienced a time or two when we know our family is trying to help but we shun them away anyways. Raskolnikov does this to his mother, sister and Razumikhin in a way that is somewhat childish. Just as kids try to get their parents to feel guilty by not telling them what's on their minds, Raskolnikov leads them on about all of his torments but doesnt tell them what they are. His antics work effectively and manage to get Razumikhin and his mother especially worried about him.
I think there are a lot of reasons why Raskolnikov behaves the way he does. I agree with others that Raskolnikov feels alienated from others and feels guilty about his actions. Having to listen to the "inevitable torture" of sincere joy and affection requires "bitter, hidden determination" (Part 2, Ch 3, beginning) on his part. Knowing that he can never share his huge secret, every minute that he has to listen to the "mundane" cares of normal human beings eats away at him.
I think Raskolnikov also hates the feeling that he should "repay" the goodness of his family and of Razumikhin when they lovingly try to help him. Raskolnikov feels their goodness is a "burden" and doesn't want Razumikhin to "persecute [him]...with kindness" (Part 2, Ch 6, 6 pp before the end).
When he apologizes for giving away money to Katarina, he says "to help others, one must have the right to do it or else suffer... if you are not content" (Part 2, ch 3). Perhaps he feels like he has no right to get help. They have no right to give him - a man removed from humanity - help, especially if he doesn't want it.
I think it's easy to smooth over your struggles and pretend like you don't need anybody when you're alone. However, when someone genuinely cares enough to help you, you're forced to recognize that you are suffering without success. You have to admit that you still have some kind of bond to other people, and you can't be an island. That's much more difficult than just going it alone. Often, when you sincerely go to help someone who seems fine on the outside, they might burst out crying simply because you cared to ask.
After the murder, Raskolnikov suffers from an intense guilt that makes him isolate himself from others. His mother and sister, especially, know more about Raskolnikov and can read him easier, so in order to hide the truth from them, he refuses to receive any help.
When Raskolnikov first meets with him mother and sister, his mother notices that something is not right about him. "She could not see the glowing light in his eyes without wonder and almost alarm." Advotya is also able to easily see through Raskolnikov's emotions. "If [Razumihin] has more penetration he would have seen that there was no trace of sentimentality in him, but something in deed quite the opposite. But Advotya Romanova noticed it. She was intently and uneasily watching her brother."
Raskolnikov's guilt causes him grief in that he will never be able to be free from the guilt. "it became suddenly plain and perceptible to him that he had just told a fearful lie - that he would never now be able to speak freely of everything... The anguish of this tough was such that for a moment he almost forgot himself. He got up from his eat, and not looking at anyone walked towards the door."
Raskolnikov tries to run away, to lessen pressure from his family that causes his grief to increase.
I think Natalie's parallel to addiction is very good and i agree with others that pride is definitely a major factor. Raskolnikov is also so far alienated with society that he cannot even appreciate the affection given to him by his closest friend and family. As a specific example, I feel as though raskolnikov's process of confessing is a bridge that needs to be traversed before interraction can take place. His guilt has created soitude that cannot be escaped. I think that his hatred feelings are explaied by psychology theories, namely reaction formation. In response to the stress of guilt he behaves counterintuiitively, rejecting love when he needs it most.
I think it wasn't so much his hatred for his family, but just that way Rodya was. Like Lauren said, in the beginning of the novel, he felt as though he was above the people around him. I think this is one of the reasons that causes lot of agoraphobics? And after he commits the crimes, his pride gets in the way of him and his family's help and pushes them away. Because if he allows them to help and comfort him, it shows a side of weakness and his pride wouldn't allow him to do that.
Like others have already mentioned, Rodya is totally against the marriage to Luhzin to help the family financially. To see someone else providing for the family when he should be the one, it must have hurt his ego.
Diya that is so true!
"Often, when you sincerely go to help someone who seems fine on the outside, they might burst out crying simply because you cared to ask."
I also agree with Hengxin that his feelings of being so superior and “extraordinary” compared to others definitely played an important role in his emotions and the way he treated others, even the people who were closest to him.
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