Raskolnikov is surrounded in the novel by characters who are, as it were, his “doubles”: in them, some aspect of the protagonist’s personality is reduced, parodied or shaded.

With the help of Raskolnikov's double heroes, F. M. Dostoevsky leads his hero to rethink his previous views.

Raskolnikov's spiritual doubles are Svidrigailov and Luzhin. The role of the first is to convince the reader that Raskolnikov’s idea leads to a spiritual dead end, to the spiritual death of the individual. The role of the second is the intellectual decline of Raskolnikov’s idea, such a decline that will turn out to be morally unbearable for the hero.

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Svidrigailov
"We are birds of a feather"- Svidrigailov says to Rodion, emphasizing their similarities. Svidrigailov does not seem to have a clearly formulated and formalized theory, but in conversations with Raskolnikov, Svidrigailov expresses several interesting thoughts about the person.

Svidrigailov affirms the truth of the subjectivity of the world: he says that “perhaps there is no eternity,” and therefore, what difference does it make whether you were a righteous person in this world or indulged in all sorts of pleasures, anyway no one knows what is outside of this world waits for a person, and therefore everyone lives according to their convictions and, therefore, it is impossible to reproach anyone.

This man is the embodiment of Raskolnikov’s theory, sharpening the idea of ​​permissiveness - lives by the principle of permissiveness. He “stepped over” several lives: Marfa Petrovna, a girl, a footman... Svidrigailov uses any means to achieve his goals, which are basically banal, base and vulgar. Raskolnikov despises Svidrigailov, but at the same time feels both fear of him and interest in his personality.

Arkady Svidrigailov is Rodion's most painful double. Raskolnikov understands that for Svidrigailov there is no way back; after such a moral fall, restoration of the soul is impossible. Svidrigailov is a warning to the hero about his possible fate if he does not listen to the voice of his own conscience and wants to live with a crime on his soul that has not been redeemed by suffering.

Svidrigailov is one of Dostoevsky's most complex images. He, like Raskolnikov, rejected public morality and spent his whole life searching for pleasure. According to rumors, Svidrigailov is even guilty of the death of several people. He silenced his conscience for a long time, and only the meeting with Dunya awakened in his soul some feelings that seemed to be lost forever. But repentance for Svidrigailov (unlike Raskolnikov) comes too late, when there is no time left for renewal. Trying to drown out his remorse, he helps Sonya, Katerina Ivanovna’s children, his fiancée, and after that he puts a bullet in his love. This is the finale of all who place themselves above the laws of human society. Death for him is liberation from all obstacles, from “issues of man and citizen.” This is the result of the idea that Raskolnikov wanted to make sure of. The message about Svidrigailov's suicide became the last argument for Raskolnikov in favor of a sincere confession.

Arkady Ivanovich does not see anything special in the fact that Rodion killed a man. Here the difference between these two characters is revealed. Svidrigailov does not understand Raskolnikov’s dreams and doubts. From a conversation with Svidrigailov, Rodion understands that “he did not step over, he remained on this side.” And Arkady Ivanovich “strangled everything human in himself.”

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Doubles show that Raskolnikov's theory leads to the destruction of man and life, because it brings only evil. At the same time, Luzhin and Svidrigailov show that theory applied in life turns out to be primitive and criminal, because it reveals the basest feelings: betrayal, meanness, selfishness. After all, Raskolnikov committed the most terrible crime against himself and God, because he lost his faith.

Raskolnikov's first double is Luzhin: in this image Dostoevsky reduces the moral idea of ​​the theory.

The reader first learns about Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin from his mother’s letter to Raskolnikov.
meets for the first time immediately after Rodion's illness - Luzhin comes to meet his future relative. From the beginning of the conversation, Raskolnikov becomes bitter against Luzhin, and the reason for this is the theory of the “whole caftan”. &
Luzhin is Raskolnikov's double, and his theory is an analogue of the hero's theory, which the hero could not help but notice and be horrified by.

Luzhin lives by calculating benefits. “Love yourself first, first of all, for everything in the world is based on personal interest,” says Luzhin.&

First of all, he violates the law of humanity, the moral law, but calmly endures what Raskolnikov cannot endure. Yes, Rodion killed the old woman for profit and to prove his theory, in order to check whether he was a “man” or a “trembling creature,” but Raskolnikov could not reach the end. And Luzhin? By helping Dunechka, he enslaves and humiliates her, without even realizing it. Love is not necessary for Luzhin; he brings evil to Duna without thinking about her. He needs a wife who is obedient and bows to her husband. By marrying a dowry-free woman, Luzhin wants to make the woman feel indebted to him, wants to turn her virtually into his slave. Luzhin is ready to step over it in order to achieve his goal. He is not interested in her opinion, he made a choice. This unconsciousness is where his strength lies - after all, “Napoleons” do not suffer, do not think about whether they can or cannot step over, but simply step over a person. And the most striking confirmation and exposure of Raskolnikov’s theory is Luzhin’s inhumane abuse of Sonya.

	Luzhin	Svidrigailov
Age	45 years	About 50 years
Appearance	He is no longer young. A prim and dignified man. He's grumpy, which shows on his face. He wears curled hair and sideburns, which, however, does not make him funny. All appearance very youthful, doesn’t look his age. Partly also because all the clothes are exclusively in light colors. Loves good things - hat, gloves.	A nobleman, formerly served in the cavalry, has connections.
Occupation	A very successful lawyer, court advisor.	landowner
Attitude towards people	He “sifts” all people through his theory. According to it, every person is simply obliged to be an egoist, to take care first of all of himself, of his own interests. He believes that this is the only way a person can help others.	Capable of calmly “walking headlong” towards his goal, even stepping over human lives. Unrequited love for Dunya awakens humanity in him for a while, but time for repentance has already been lost. However, before committing suicide, he still manages to do a good deed - to help the Marmeladov family with money.
Character	Business success left its mark on Luzhin’s character. This is a straightforward, ambitious person who evaluates people from the standpoint of the benefits that can be extracted from them. He is rational, practical, perceives only what can be touched with his hands, and therefore does not give in to emotions and intuition. He will use everything to achieve his goals; there are no moral boundaries in this matter. Doesn't believe in honesty, selflessness, nobility. I am confident in my future success.	Easily rejected established public morality in order to be able to indulge in pleasure. Rumored to be a rapist and murderer. He justifies his permissiveness by the fact that he does not believe in eternity, which means that it doesn’t matter how you spent this life - in prayer or passions, after it, probably, nothing will happen. We can say that Svidrigailov himself strangled absolutely everything in himself human.
Life position	Selfishness	Permissiveness
Position in the novel	Doubles of Rodion Raskolnikov

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On the pages of F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” a wide panorama of St. Petersburg of the middle of the last century is revealed to us: pictures of city life, people, meetings flash, screams, swearing, and arguments are heard. Among the characters in a great book there are many people who attract our attention only for a few minutes, and there are people with sharply defined characters, with their own views and beliefs, who influence the main character in different ways and without whom the novel simply would not have taken place. This is the Marmeladov family, Dunya, Porfiry Petrovich, Lebezyatnikov and some others.

A special place in the novel belongs to the “powers of this world” - Luzhin and Svidrigailov, who can be considered Raskolnikov’s “doubles”.

By confronting the “ideological” killer with these people, the writer deeply refutes, exposes his theory of the ruler and the crowd, and exposes the inhumane, inhumane essence of this theory. Paintings social evil, brilliantly drawn by Dostoevsky, convincingly prove that “the main secret in the novel lies not in the crime, but in the motives of the crime” (V. Shklovsky). All the life around him strengthens Raskolnikov’s conviction that the murder he has planned does not contradict human laws. He is strengthened in his intention not as a criminal, but as a supporter of moral permissiveness, individualistic rebellion against society (by the way, the meaning of his last name is also indicative: a split in himself, a split in consciousness, morality, behavior). This is evidenced by his judgments about the “categories” of people, about the right of an “extraordinary” person to commit a crime, about how to distinguish an “extraordinary person from a “trembling creature.” But, having committed a crime, Raskolnikov, tormented by pangs of conscience, understands that he is not from the “class” of “those who have the right”; he despises himself for these torments, for the fact that he turned out to be a “trembling creature,” but the “theory” in his mind has not been debunked. In these terrible days for Raskolnikov, the writer confronts him with Luzhin and Svidrigailov - people who, without feeling remorse, constantly violate the laws of morality in their Everyday life and consider themselves to have the right to control the destinies of others.

Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin lives by the principle “love yourself first.” This principle allows him, without hesitation, to humiliate, destroy a person, and trample on someone else’s life. Seeking power over Dunya (he calls it love), Luzhin wants to discredit her brother by convincing everyone that Sonya Marmeladova, whom Rodion helps, is not only a prostitute, but also a thief. The heartbreaking scene during the wake at the Marmeladovs’ is unforgettable, when only an accident saves Sonya. Luzhin completely lacks a moral sense; he does not know what conscience or decency is. His callousness leads to outright meanness.

Svidrigailov is a much more complex nature. This is not a complete egoist, like Luzhin, not just a villain and a criminal. He is potentially a man of great conscience and great strength. But his behavior is unpredictable, and brutal instincts often manifest themselves in him. Dostoevsky shows that the reason for the moral and then physical death of this person is social. He comes to the conclusion that justice is impossible in this world. Hence his despair, contempt and distrust of people. Good beginnings perish in him. He does good and causes evil (remember his role in the fate of Dunya) with the same indifference - “out of boredom.” But it is impossible to live without faith in truth and goodness - and he dies, executing himself. Faced with these people, Raskolnikov cannot agree with their “morality” and at the same time cannot help but admit that they live according to his “theory”, justifying their contempt for the “crowd”, for the “inferior”. He has nothing with which to refute Svidrigailov’s assertion that they (he and Raskolnikov) are “birds of a feather” and that between them “there is a common point.”

Moreover, Raskolnikov himself tells Luzhin: “If you bring to consequences what you preached just now, it will turn out that people can be slaughtered,” thereby denouncing the theory according to which he wanted to, but could not (“nature” won!) live. The hero’s attitude towards the “powers of this world” shows that he, seeing in them his “doubles” (although he would never admit this even to himself), feels the deepest disgust for them and cannot join them, cannot accept the world people living according to his “theory”. This is the strength of Raskolnikov’s “nature”, his superiority over the “powers of this world”, over all the Luzhins and Svidrigailovs. This is the hope for his moral revival and return to people.

Mirror image of the hero

In Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov's doubles are whole line heroes. Reading a work for the first time, we cannot understand all the nuances and subtleties of the content. The detective story completely captures our imagination. A closer look at the writer's intentions raises a number of questions. It seems incomprehensible that some personalities appear on the pages of the book, whose history and fate are far from the life of the main character. In fact, Dostoevsky does not have a single extra actor. Each of the characters carries its own meaning and serves to more fully reveal the personality of the main character. The theme of duality in the novel “Crime and Punishment” is very important.

Of course, at the center of the novel is the gloomy figure of Rodion Raskolnikov. It is no coincidence that the author endowed his hero a telling surname. Personality young man contradictory and, like a mosaic, consists of disparate, seemingly unconnected parts. Each of them has its own mirror image in the novel in the form of a separate hero. Let's get to know them in more detail.

Doubles of Rodion Raskolnikov

The only friend

According to the plot of the story, the first of the hero's doubles is Dmitry Razumikhin. The young man is the opposite of the main character. He is active, sociable and cheerful. The student endures the blows of fate, makes plans and does not fall into despair. His friend, on the contrary, is gloomy and taciturn, and does not know how to cope with life's problems. Against the background of Razumikhin’s optimism, Raskolnikov’s apathy becomes brighter and more understandable to the reader. “Scoundrel man! And the one who considers him a scoundrel is a scoundrel!” - the young man is convinced. F. M. Dostoevsky also points out the similarities of the heroes. They are young and smart, decent and noble. Both dream of a great future, but they choose different paths to achieve their goals. Razumikhin works tirelessly, trying to cope with poverty, and the impatient Raskolnikov commits a crime for the sake of an idea.

Honorable groom

In the mirror image of the main character, we will notice another double. This is the happy chosen one of Sister Raskolnikov, Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin. A hypocritical person who tries to appear honest and noble, in fact has a vile and deceitful nature. What character trait of our hero is clearly depicted in this image? Luzhin, going towards his goal, is guided by the principle: “All means are good.” He takes advantage of Dunya’s plight, slanderes Sonya, caring only about his own well-being. Raskolnikov, testing his theory, acts in the same way. The image of Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin helps to understand the egoistic essence of the main character's idea.

Gloomy Svidrigailov

The mysterious figure of Svidrigailov evokes hostility from the reader. This is a vicious person for whom there are no laws of morality and ethics. He is capable of murder, molesting young children, cheating on his wife and other disgusting acts. But his phrase: “We are birds of a feather,” addressed to Raskolnikov, makes us understand that the heroes have similar traits. Rodion Raskolnikov, just like the mysterious Mr. Svidrigailov, commits a crime. People are dying because of him, but he feels no remorse. Such behavior makes him similar to this negative character. The figure of Svidrigailov is full of contradictions, just like the image of the main character. He is capable of noble deeds: he helps Marmeladov’s orphaned children, gives money to Sonya Marmeladova. But this does not change his disgusting essence. Getting to know him shows what terrible consequences denial of the commandments of Christianity and impunity can lead to.

Lebezyatnikov Andrey Semenovich

This hero, according to the author, in a grotesque form reflects the passion of young people for new theories. He is a parody of Raskolnikov's obsession with his theory. Lebezyatnikov is stupid, but kind and harmless. Luzhin's meanness is as unpleasant to him as to Rodion Raskolnikov.

Wise investigator

Porfiry Petrovich, to some extent, can also be classified as a double of the main character. A person with experience and experience understands the confused student and sincerely sympathizes with him. He himself managed to stop in time and understand fashionable modern theories and is now trying to save Raskolnikov: “Become the sun, everyone will see you! The sun, first of all, must be the sun!”

Female counterparts of the hero

Certain character traits of the young man are reflected in the heroines of the story. Describing Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikova, the writer points out her external resemblance to her brother and draws attention to their kindred spirits. The girl is smart, proud and independent, just like her brother. But unlike him, these character traits help her choose the right way in life, understand people and not make fatal mistakes.

The most important person in the hero’s life is Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladova. A believer in God, kind Sonya differs from Raskolnikov. But they also have something in common: both committed a crime, broke the law, became outcasts. Only Sonya considers herself a sinner and longs to accept suffering in order to atone for her guilt, while Rodion Raskolnikov is confident that he is right. In the image of Sonya F.M. Dostoevsky tried to convey to the reader the main idea of ​​the work and finally debunk Raskolnikov’s inhuman theory.

The role of doubles in the novel

Raskolnikov's doubles in Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment help to understand the complex character of the main character, to examine individual character traits, as if through a magnifying glass. Thanks to this technique, we understand the motives of actions and realize the inevitability of punishment for the crime committed.

Work test

Many literary scholars note that Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky puts the idea and the character who bears this idea at the center of his works. Thus, the novel “Crime and Punishment” was no exception, in which main role played by a young man, the bearer of the “Napoleonic” theory. The essence of this teaching is that there are people who, in order to achieve their goals, can cross absolutely all the norms and laws adopted in society.

The writer shows all the stages of development of this concept: from its inception to its collapse. And the entire system of characters in the novel is selected in such a way as to more clearly show this very thought of Raskolnikov. That is why the remaining heroes of the novel are in one way or another correlated with Rodion, the bearer of the main idea of ​​the novel. Accordingly, Dostoevsky uses the only logical method of composition in this case - the introduction of doubles and antipodes.

The heroes duplicating Raskolnikov are and. The first shows the reader that Rodion’s idea ultimately leads to spiritual death, to the extinction of moral content human personality. And the second image serves to demonstrate the intellectual decline of his plans.

Luzhin is a small entrepreneur who, with the help of wealth, wants to achieve a position in society and become the master of life. How similar this is to Rodion, a poor student whose only desire is to rise above his social status.

Thus, these two twin heroes coincide in their desire to go beyond the position in society that was initially predetermined for them. In achieving this goal, Raskolnikov allows himself to kill the old pawnbroker, and Luzhin allows himself to destroy Sonya. Both have a fundamentally wrong message - they consider themselves better than other people, and in particular those whom they choose as their victims. It is only worth making a small excuse that the methods that Luzhin chooses are much more vulgar.

Rodion's antipode in the novel is his sister. She does not consider herself superior to her brother; on the contrary, she exalts him above herself. And Raskolnikov, of course, cannot help but notice this. But he categorically rejects his sister’s sacrifice.

Rodion and Dunya are opposites in terms of their attitude towards other people. The girl does not consider Svidrigailov, a morally degraded person, lower than herself; she sees in him the same person. The same cannot be said about Raskolnikov.

Another antipode is and, who realizes the sinfulness of her actions, but does it for the sake of her little brothers and sisters. She justifies and pities absolutely everyone; this girl has a bright beginning. Sonya, with her attitude to life, destroys Raskolnikov's theory. For her, by raising an ax to an old woman, he did not kill an elderly woman, he killed himself.