Crime and punishment

Fydor Doestevsky's Crime and Punishment is a psychological study of the main character Raskolnikov. Outwardly, other characters in the novel represent different facets of Raskolnikov's personality. Raskolnikov's personality is represented through the use of double characters. In the novel, Raskolnikov has two sides: a cold calculating side and a compassionate side. There are several characters, who are used as Raskolnikov's doubles. These are Razumikin, Sonya and Svidrigliov. None of Raskolnikov's doubles are ghosts or could …

…the truth at the police station. The three characters mentioned link to Raskolnikov in different ways. Each one represents a different facet of his personality. Svidrigliov represents his cold calculating side, while Sonya represents his compassionate side. On the other hand, Razumikin represents his total opposite. The use of double characters helps to explain the Complexity of Raskolnikovs character and is one of the aspects that make the novel a classic as it is today.