Raskolnikov? A Good character or a bad one?

Question

I wonder what do you think about Dostoyevski's famous character?

Answer 1

A week ago my bf and I actually had a fight about this. I'd read 'Crime and Punishment' as a child (11) and he'd read it in his late teens (18) and now he was rereading it and I was shocked to realize that he supported the police inspector who was torturing Razkolnikov in that particular scene he was reading to me (he often reads to me aloud) and he actually said the guy was doing his job really well and most people wouldn't like Razkolnikov at all and he gave me his reasons. As a passionate and slightly hysteric being, I've always thought of R. as of a victim in a way. Not that I think what he did was not gross but still - he was so confused, and all that happened to him after his crime had made me feel sympathetic towards him. Beat the bf and after he stopped laughing he agreed that I was absolutely right and R. didn't deserve to be treated like he was by the police inspector. But my bf is just far too good for a human being and loves me and makes compromise to make me happy. I'm not and I know my judgements are rather partial and inexplicable sometimes.

Answer 2

How do u define "good" and "bad"
He killed a lady, "bad" of course, this is against any kind of morality.
However, considering that the lady was a real shylock, killing her benefits not only Raskolnikov but also some others, possibly.
Can this be regarded as "good" ?
.....
This is a complicate story, plus I read it in Thai, translated 2 times from Russian-->English-->Thai ,so I might not receive all the messages Dostoyevski tried to communicate here.

Answer 3

I don't think it's that simple - good one or bad one. Too complicated for such classification. On the whole a really bad guy - killed an old lady with an ax. But later on - keeps a bible under his pillow in jail - isn't it a beginning of something good?

Answer 4

A bad guy with hope of redemption.