Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Though Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky, two of Russia’s greatest authors, differ greatly, many of the themes that show up throughout their writings are strikingly similar. Perhaps the most notable of these shared themes is the concept of lust, strong sexual desire. This idea can be traced throughout many, if not all, of both authors’ works, large novels and short stories alike. Both authors seem to agree that, under many circumstances, lustful feelings and actions are terribly sinful and lead…

He who is guilty and driven by ambition will be blindly pulled around until justice stares him in the face. The Lion King by Roger Allers and Macbeth by Shakespeare are two very different pieces of work but have similar themes throughout. The Lion King and Macbeth have two character in which guilt haunts them in different ways. Blood is significant in both pieces of literature because the main characters feel that they cannot get the blood of others off their hands. Both characters go on a…

Superman does not Dream In Part 3 of Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Raskolnikov once again wrestles with his emotions after his murder of Alyona and constant evasion of the police. The police just found a piece of Raskolnikov's writing from about two month before. He describes his belief for the need of some great being to be above the law, in order to make their society more safe. Once reminded of his old writing, Raskolnikov begins to wrestle with himself whether he truly…

Russian Recluse Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, Notes From Underground, takes place in St. Petersburg, Russia in the 1860s. He portrays his nameless main character, the Underground Man, as a recluse who dislikes people and avoids human society. The novel is written as a memoir from notes that the man writes, recounting his life, as he isolates himself off from society. His misery and inability to interact with others only pushes him further away from society into a world of self-loathing and…

In Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky reveals the psychological story of a murder and the road of guilt and suffering that had to be taken to find salvation. The role of fate in Raskolnikov’s life surrounds his crime and his eventual confession as Raskolnikov feels like another force is compelling him to make his decisions. Rather than take on the accepted definition of fate, Dostoevsky defines fate as the result of Raskolnikov’s hubris in his theory of the extraordinary man versus the ordinary…

of the slow-moving moments where the novel labors in details. Many Karamazov fans (and I am one of them) love the extra details, as the information helps to better form each of the unforgettable characters. Who, after reading this book, can forget Fyodor Karamazov, the wicked and sensual father? Or Ivan, the cold rationalist son who has…

In this poem, Dostoyevsky uses the thought provoking conversation between two very religious brothers to discuss God, the meaning of life and the role of God in life. He calls into question whether God is truly benevolent or a god of “Mockery” who enjoys watching mankind suffer and struggle. In this passage, Ivan is telling the story of the encounter between “the grand inquisitor” and Jesus Christ. Ivan had previously discussed how the inquisitor had questioned Jesus and his true intentions as…

The novel crime and punishment is written by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Crime and Punishment focuses on the mental pain and moral dilemmas that Rodion Raskolnikov faces, an impoverished ex-student in St Petersburg who creates and execute a plan to kill an unethical pawnbroker for her cash. Raskolnikov, in attempts to defend his actions, argues that with the pawnbroker's money he can perform good deeds to repent for the crime, while simultaneously getting rid of a worthless vermin. He…

Notes from Underground Notes from Underground is a novel of notes that the Underground Man writes which expresses his alienation. There are two sections of Notes from Underground, with “Underground” being a shorter version. In the first version, the Underground Man gives an introduction to his position in society. In “Apropos of the Wet Snow,” Underground Man gives events in his life during the 1840’s through the 1860’s. The Underground Man is alienated from all of the people who inhabit this…

Subservience: Dostoevsky’s Response to Suffering In a commentary on Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground, scholar Lev Shestov noted the novella’s exposure of: “Dostoevsky’s acceptance of a universe of cruelty, pain, and suffering that no ultimate moral perspective can justify,” this view falls short of the full truth of Dostoevsky’s world view however (Shestov 113). Dostoevsky never “accepted” the perspective that cruelty and pain serve as dictates of nature’s underlying principles. Certainly…