The interpretation of the use and context of Nihilism is important to the context and culture of the book. For by picking one strict definition changes the entire novel from one that tells a story that describes a transition from youth into manhood to that of one that reflects on the past and more specifically Russian history. This dichotomy can be illustrated in the character of Bazarov through his transition in the book and/or what he represents under one connotation. These two meanings of Nihilism can be seen as synonymous when in reality they have very opposing beliefs. Nihilism the philosophy is known by most as the philosophical doctrine of skepticism and negativity where nothing is true or matters. In fact, the word Nihilism …show more content…
This belief is usually used in a negative connotation as it is seen as an ignorant or apathetic attitude towards life, where everything is horrible, nothing matters and there is no point in life. This is something that is said that every human being must endure as he/she treks through his or her purpose in their personal lives. Some may mask this purpose with a finite cause like that of an occupation or a relationship, but even then they will still feel the hopelessness of meaningless that in these finite excuses they are replaceable. However within the confines of negativity lies a silver lining something more than just an unfocused negativity, it is the pathway to selfhood and being in control of one’s life as in the aspect of what is important to the individual or not. This principle of finding one’s true self is very present in the plot of Fathers and Sons and changes the context of the novel to that of a story of this journey, more specifically that of a boy to man. The morphing of a boy to man, from no purpose to selfhood is illustrated through the character of Bazarov. In the beginning, he has adopted this doctrine of negativity as he starts out like that of a child, rejecting love just as a child would say the opposite sex would …show more content…
As well as criticizing the adults for their beliefs, as a young adult would through his or her teen years. Bazarov starts off as that of a “boy” where nothing matters. He is stuck in the grips of his nihilistic journey to finding his true self. Throughout the plot when looking through the lens of this philosophy, we see him grow as he finds a woman in which the feelings grow. The nihilism pushes back up until the breaking point of this character in the book, where Bazarov and Pavel have a duel. This seems to be the end to the character and his overtly nihilistic views. After hurting his friends uncle he leaves. Once he leaves he returns to his friend at the house of the woman he has fallen for to find him with her sister only to explain the situation and to try to explain himself in a way of clarifying the truth to the woman in which he has openly accepted his feelings for. This is the point in the book where he finds his true self where he learns to respect the inevitability of life and even death later illustrated as he is helping his father with the patient who has
As the story unfolds, Dostoevsky introduces the reader to Raskolnikov, a troubled young man who is extremely isolated from those who surround him. He lives in a small, dingy, dusty, and dirty room in a small unattractive house. He lives in an abstract world neglecting the real. He is quite separate from all the people with whom he has contact. In the opening chapter, Raskolnikov is said to be, "so completely absorbed in himself, and isolated from his fellows that he dreaded meeting, not only his landlady, but any one at all" (1). People come physically close to him, but everyone is forced to remain distant mentally. He walks through the crowded, noisy, dirty streets of St. Petersburg physically but somehow he never does so mentally, moving through the streets like a zombie, not a man. He is not aware of his location and often jostles bewildered pedestrians. Therefore, at the outset of the novel Dostoevsky illustrates the apparent schism between the mind and body of Raskolnikov.
Dostoyevsky's writing in this book is such that the characters and setting around the main subject, Raskolnikov, are used with powerful consequences. The setting is both symbolic and has a power that affects all whom reside there, most notably Raskolnikov. An effective Structure is also used to show changes to the plot's direction and Raskolnikov's character. To add to this, the author's word choice and imagery are often extremely descriptive, and enhance the impact at every stage of Raskolnikov's changing fortunes and character. All of these features aid in the portrayal of Raskolnikov's downfall and subsequent rise.
Although the novel depicts a variety of characters, it mainly revolves around one figure – a young man, named Benedikt. From the beginning he seems to be rather naïve and comparable to the traditional Russian character – Ivanushka Durachok (Иванушка Дурачок). He does not ask questions, he goes with the system and, in general, is quite ignorant of the world. However, he does experience a major character transformation once he encounters the “joy” of books. Although, what is supposed to bring happiness and knowledge, to him becomes a physical addiction without the mental benefits – he reads just to read, not to understand. Besides Benedikt, there are other characters that seem to stay in the background. They are very strictly divided in to the social groups, as the Golubchiks, the naïve and easily controllable commoners; the Olderners, people who survived the Blast, do not get older and resemble the intelligentsia; the Murzas, ...
The novels were meant to serve a positive role as well. The readers were meant to decipher hope from the story due to the propensity to do good that existed in the story. The attacks on the Nihilistic were systematic by Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky had the hope that the institutions that wrote against would manage to destroy themselves and therefore save Russia from being consumed with devastating ideals. The readers are to let the hearts guide them to God in order to protect the same from the Nihilistic principles that include negative traits such as hate.
The novel revolves around the three Karamazov brothers – Dimitri, Ivan and Alyosha – ‘s emotionally spiritual conflict between reason and faith. Dostoevsky portrayed this best through Book V, chapter 3 to 5 – in which an intellectual conversation between Ivan and Alyosha takes place. Their dinner conversation opens up a whole new paradigm of spirituality. Ivan, in order to explain his point of view on the matter, brings up the suffering of innocent children in particular and the human race in general. It is beyond his grasp how a living God could let mankind suffer for no particular reason. Furthermore, Ivan cannot seem to comprehend why the innocent and harmless children have to live their lives in suffering. He says in Book V chapter 4 – Rebellion: “Listen: if everyone must suffer, in order to buy eternal harmony with their suffering, pray tell me what have children got to do with it? It’s quite incomprehensible why they should have to suffer, and why they should buy harmony with their suffering. “ His poignant speech is so eloquently articulated that it makes us question whether this is actua...
Dostoevsky’s St. Petersburg is a large, uncaring city which fosters a western style of individualism. As Peter Lowe notes, “The city is crowded, but there is no communality in its crowds, no sense of being part of some greater ‘whole.’” Mrs. Raskolnikov initially notices a change in her son marked by his current state of desperate depression, but she fails to realize the full extent of these changes, even after he is convicted for the murder. The conditions and influences are also noticed by Raskolnikov’s mother who comments on the heat and the enclosed environment which is present throughout the city. When visiting Raskolnikov, she exclaims "I'm sure...
This shows that an idea like Raskolnikov's ordinary and extraordinary people can lead to horrible things like his murder of the two women but also hints at the fact it in the future may lead to a "great future deed". It is especially interesting to see that the idea put forth by Dostoevsky in the end is one of love being a transformative force. That this love comes from the severely religious Sonya, mirrors the idea of Christ's "new word" being love. Through careful examination of Raskolnikov's idea and its use as a metric for looking at the character one is better able to understand the novel, the character, and the possible larger implications of that message.
Torn between his sense of morality and his belief in nihilism, Raskolnikov becomes estranged from society. Nihilism is the rejection of all moral and religious principles and even that life is meaningless. Throughout the novel, Raskolnikov is trying to relieve the tensions between these two extremes. In the beginning, Raskolnikov has hit a low point within his life. He feels helpless because his sister is marrying for money to help his family, he is beyond poverty and cannot even afford to pay rent, and he has no job. Raskolnikov feels at the mercy of the world and completely and utterly helpless. He hates having to rely upon the Pawnbroker for help and even money. When the idea first pops into his head to murder the pawnbroker, it starts to become a potential reality. The ideology of murder is masked behind Raskolnikov’s belief that it would be for the greater good to eliminate the pawnbroker because of her mean spirited nature. Driven mad by the possibility of a choice, which Raskolnikov convinces himself exists because of nihilism. Raskolnikov because of his torn morality goes between extreme submissiveness to over powering those around him. Overall, Raskolnikov decides to commit the murder in an attempt to see if he can transcend his morality. This is what Terras refers to in the context of The Brothers Karamazov, where tensions between Raskolnikov’s façade and his true self are creating an external and internal struggle that causes him to have a
Raskolnikov is an anti-hero because of the lack of repentance he demonstrates after committing a cold-blooded murder. He does not possess the admirable morality the traditional protagonist of a novel does. This initial indifference he has towards the gravity of his actions allows central themes within the novel to further develop. Raskolnikov’s anti-hero qualities can be attributed to unhealthy alienation from society. Crime and Punishment presents the reader with the mental and physical negative effects of alienating oneself from society. This self-inflicted alienation stems from feelings of superiority and leads to a detachment from reality. In order to fully grasp the alienation theme of the novel, it is important to understand that the crime does not result in alienation. On the contrary, the crime occurs as a result of Raskolnikov’s alienation.
Turgenov’s Fathers and Sons has several characters who hold strong views of the world. Pavel believes that Russia needs structure from such things as institution, religion, and class hierarchy. Madame Odintsov views the world as simple so long as she keeps it systematic and free from interference. This essay will focus on perhaps the most interesting and complex character in Fathers and Sons: Bazarov. Vladimir Nabakov writes that "Turgenov takes his creature [B] out of a self-imposed pattern and places him in the the normal world of chance." By examining Bazarov this essay will make this statement more clear to the reader. Using nihilism as a starting point we shall look at Bazarov’s views and interpretations of science, government and institution. Next we will turn to the issue relationships. Finally we examine Bazarov’s death and the stunning truths it reveals. These issues combined with the theme of nihilism will prove that chance, or fate is a strong force which cannot easily be negated. Nihilism as a concept is used throughout Fathers and Sons. To gain a better understanding of the ideas behind this term let’s look at what Bazarov says on the subject. "We base our conduct on what we recognize as useful... the most useful thing we can do is to repudiate – and so we repudiate" (123). The base concept of nihilism is to deny or negate, and as we learn later in the same paragraph, to negate everything. With this ‘destruction’ of everything from science to art there is no building for nihilists, as Bazarov says "That is not our affair" (126). Nihilists view the current structure of society as concerned with such trivialties as ‘art’ and ‘parliamentism’ while ignoring real life issues such as food, freedom, and equally. Nihilists are aware of these social woes and hence mentally deny to recognize any of the present authority or institutions which only serve to perpetuate a myth. Bazarov agrees with the statement that nihilism "confine[s] [oneself] to abuse" (126). "... I don’t believe in anything: and what is science—science in the abstract? There are sciences as there are trades and professions, but abstract science just doesn’t exist" (98). For Bazarov anything that is not tangible and concrete doesn’t exist. Psychology, quantum mechanics, neurochemistry would be scoffed at by Bazarov. It seems peculiar that Bazarov would say, "... nowadays we laugh at medicine in general, and worship no one," (197) while at the same time he pursues a career as a doctor.
He “is nothing but a poor half-crazed creature, soft in temperament, confused in intellect” (Waliszewski), a maverick who believes he must deliver society from mediocrity. Deluded, he murders Alyona Ivanovna, a pawnbroker, and her unsuspecting half-sister, Lizaveta. Throughout the story, Raskolnikov undergoes transformations in all facets of his life, many of which are attributed to his infatuation with Marmeladov’s humble daughter, Sonia. Forced into prostitution, she is seen by Raskolnikov as a fellow transgressor of morality, but also as a savior that will renew him. This new development causes him to decry his nihilistic lifestyle as desolate and insufferable and to expiate, ending his self-imposed alienation and long suffering.
It is apparent that the love between Sonia and Raskolnikov plays a crucial role in Crime and Punishment, pushing Raskolnikov in a direction he otherwise would not have gone. Dostoevsky uses their relationship as a tool to develop the philosophical themes in the novel and prompt profound changes in Raskolnikov’s character. Through their love, Dostoevsky demonstrates the importance of human relationships in finding and maintaining happiness. He also seeks to condemn nihilism and disprove the idea that one cannot make one’s own meaning in life by having Raskolnikov adopt Christian existentialism and find his purpose through Sonia.
This man is the absolute opposite of everything society holds to be acceptable. Here is a man, with intelligent insight, lucid perception, who is self-admitted to being sick, depraved, and hateful. A man who at every turn is determined to thwart every chance fate offers him to be happy and content. A man who actively seeks to punish and humiliate himself. Dostoyevsky is showing the reader that man is not governed by values which society holds to be all important.
Raskolinkov’s beliefs transform from the beginning of the novel to the ending. His theory was never complete and to test his theory he commits the murder of an evil soul. The irony of this novel is Raskolinkov who though he was an extraordinary men, have the will to commit murder but not the power to live with the crime on his hands.
the end of the novel as both the women in his life have other men at