Dostoyevsky also uses the prevalent abuse of alcohol to
illustrate the unhappiness and despair that permeated St. Petersburg in the
mid-nineteenth century. Many of the characters drink daily and suffer from
alcoholism. Alcohol is used as an escape from reality and is introduced into
the story by Dostoyevsky as a social commentary about the troubled and harsh
reality of life in St. Petersburg. Dostoyevsky implies that alcohol is one of
the main causes of misery and suffering in St. Petersburg and indeed alcohol
permeates many of the story lines. For example, several of the important scenes
take place in or around crowded and dirty taverns. Raskolnikov, himself,
often frequents local drinking pubs and much of the story line is developed in
these places. Raskolnikov meets Marmeladov the father of Sonia and husband of
Katerina at a tavern at the beginning of the novel. Marmaladev is an alcoholic
whose drinking problem is wrecking his family and himself, and, in the end,
leads to his death, either accidentally or intentionally—this is unclear. Also,
during a visit to a different pub, Raskolnikov overhears a student talking
about Alyona Ivanov, the pawnbroker, and how society would be better off if she
was dead. The idea to kill Alyona and is seemingly hatched in this bar and the
murder of Alyona and her sister is central to the plot, the demise of
Raskolnikov and the events that unfold in the novel. Interestingly, Raskolnikov
does not drink, but despises those who do. Even at the funeral of Marmeladov,
Katarina ironically spends much of the money Raskolnikov gives her to buy
alcohol for the guests, even though alcohol is the main cause for the death of
her husband and the demise of her family. Dostoyevsky brilliantly uses alcohol
in Crime and Punishment to symbolize the suffering of those living in
St. Petersburg and the weakness and vulnerability of man.
Dostoyevsky uses two distinct character studies to illustrate
the path of mankind and to provide a commentary on life in St. Petersburg.
First, he develops the feelings of day-to-day futility, lack of purpose and
hopelessness in Raskolnikov, Marmeladov, and Katarina, to show how their
impoverished lives lead them to a path of isolation and unhappiness, and
consequently, bad decisions. In contrast, in characters such as Sonya,
Razumikhin and Dunya, Dostoyevky illustrates that those who do not succumb to
poverty or hopelessness but rely on devotion to family, friends and faith to
guide their choices live life filled with compassion and a better sense of
morality. Dostoyevsky effectively uses these two distinct character types
to develop the story line in Crime and Punishment.
Ryan Pearson
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