The Importance Of Raskolnikov's Dreams In Crime And Punishment

Register to read the introduction… He wakes up shaken, soaked with sweat, and gasping for breath. Raskolnikov recalls the dreadful way the mare was murdered and he says aloud to himself that of course his plan was just a fantastical one and he reassures himself that “yesterday I realised completely that I could never bear to do it” (62). He exclaims, “...I couldn't do it!”, but his belief in his inability to complete the plan wavers when he then says in the same breath, “there is no flaw in all that reasoning…” (62). The flip from disgust in his plan to acceptance shows that Raskolnikov’s inner morals are no match to his devotion to logic when he is awake. The logical side has beaten the moral, and the murder will go as planned.
The second dream of Raskolnikov occurs after a great deal of action has taken place. A series of coincides occur that both push forward and almost derail Raskolnikov’s. Both the pushing forward and the possible derailment cause him intense anxiety. Luck appears to be on his side when he overhears the news of the landlady being alone in her flat, finds the axe in the shed with ease, slips into the building without being noticed, and finally his ability to escape from the building undetected by hiding in the empty flat that …show more content…
The violence is performed out in the open for everyone to view in the dream, but in reality Raskolnikov committed the murder rather discreetly. Lizaveta was the only known witness, and her ability to alert the police was put to an end when Raskolnikov murdered her. The fact that the beating of the landlady occurs in front of everyone shows that Raskolnikov is not confident that he will get away with the murder without consequence. He still feels as though someone will turn him