Fighting Poverty

         The novel, Crime and Punishment by Fedor Dostoevsky, is an intricate and extremely detailed look into the life of those fighting to live in poverty. The protagonist, Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, is a "strikingly handsome young man" with fine dark eyes, brown hair, and a slender figure (2). He has also recieved education from an university, but unfortunately dropped out. His high degree of intelligence is felt by the many characters that he interacts with during his life. By now, people may think by now that he is a rich, influential man of nobility. However, he is anything but that. Instead, he fights day to day trying to survive in the harsh reality of life. Living in a room that is described as a cupboard due to its size, he has long overdue debts to his landlady from which he rented the place. He is unemployed, and is not even attempting to look for a job. To top it off, he wears rags for clothes that are, even in the worst part of the city, considered to be unacceptable. Raskolnikov, unlike many others would in his situation, did not seem to mind his life. Instead, he seemed to not even notice, and is instead deeply engrossed in thought. When his landlady's servant asked him what his job was, he replied that he was "thinking" (27).
          From what I see right now, Raskolnikov seems to be very close to death's door. All the descriptions of Raskolnikov have a sense of darkness, as if he was plotting something during all that time spent thinking. This is further supported by the fact that Raskolnikov always hints at something that is not known to the readers, calling it "that" or "the thing" (2,4). My take on this is that he is planning to do something that would definitely not be, in societies' view, tolerable. Another thing that I have noticed while reading this novel is that Raskolnikov seems to be detached from the rest of the world, he avoids conversation and is repeatedly trying to avert the glares of others. For example, when his hat, which is a high, round hat from a famous hat shop (it is, of course, rusty from age) is subject to ridicule by a random drunken man on the street, Raskolnikov immediately withdraws from his deep thought and clings to his hat in response. This action was not executed due to the shame, but it was "more like terror" had taken hold of him (3). I feel that this is extremely important, because a relation can be drawn between this unexpected terror and his constant referral to the thing. Most of the time, when one is attempting to do something that, when seen by others, would be seen as stupid and improper, one notices even the smallest of details and is in constant anxiety, expressing panic at even a small amount of suspicion by others. From this, I feel that the thing that Raskolnikov refers to is something that should not be done, and is most likely a desperate measure that is only considered because of the poverty he is experiencing.
          Raskolnikov, because of his actions, brings a sense of realism with him. But what I think really shapes up his character is the emotion that can be seen in his every thought. At times, he can be sympathetic, and yet at other times, he harshly bashes the unrealism in his own and other's ideals. At one point, he, although poor, donates what's left of his pocket change to help another family that is on the verge of starvation; a moment later, he "[repents] on his action", cursing at himself and remarking that it was a "stupid thing to do" (24). And yet, he never goes back for his money, however much he despises giving it away. I can relate to this, because at times, no matter how bad of a situation I am in, I still try to help others in whatever way I can. Another factor that contributes to the realism of this story and its characters is the mood. Everything is portrayed darkly, and when things can not seem to get any worse, it does. From this fact I can predict that, unless Raskolnikov can create a miracle, he will only go further and further into poverty. While helping others is a good deed, it does not give him money and food; lack of money will only continue to put stress on his mind, and things will only turn for the worse. As a result, Raskolnikov will further disassociate himself from society, which will, again, make him dive further into poverty.