Crime and Punishment: Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov Essay -- conflict,

Throughout the novel of discourtesy and Punishment, and any work of fiction at that, the characters exhibit specific character traits that dictate their make-ups, social interactions and behaviors. These characterizations control the overall tuition of the story. Characters personalities play a vital role in analyzing and understanding character development as well as underlying themes, especially in the novel at hand. Specifically, the central character Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov illustrates the conflict between good and evil in ones record. Raskolnikovs personality conflict is so organic in bivalentity that he can be identified as both the protagonist and antagonist of this story. From this point comes the question of to what extent does the personality conflict of Raskolnikov dictate his beliefs, actions and therefore contribute to overall plot development? Due to Raskolnikovs contradictory nature, he demonstrates intense levels of egoism and self-absorption alongside m adness and agony. These aspects lead him to commit heinous criminal actions which physically and emotionally hurt others. Ultimately, he commits the greatest damage to himself through a ancestry into madness which he disavows. Raskolnikovs personality can be summed up by the meaning of Raskol in Russian which translates to split. Raskolnikov personifies an individual demonstrating antithesis in both his actions and thoughts. The author Fyodor Dostoevsky also incorporates symbolism of the number both passim the story to further signify this duality of personality. Examples include Raskolnikov not feeding for two days, two children being saved from a burning house, and two gates and two courtyards at the house of the pawnbroker Alyona Ivanovna, wh... ...ntually express remorse for his crime.Raskolnikovs dual personality also is the primary force which drives the plot of this novel. The action and events put across as a result of the characters personality driver. When the rivet of his internal personality is egocentric, the external action reflects this viewpoint. His internal examination of knowingness leads the plot to moving in that direction. The plot of Crime and Punishment seems to be an external mirror which reflects the continual inner conflict of Raskolnikovs dual personality. whole caboodle CitedRodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov. Shmoop. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. .Swinson, Stephanie. Motives for Murder in Crime and Punishment. Watermarks 2002. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. .