When I was reading C&R and began to realize just how much Raskolnikov talks to himself, I thought about it for a second, and I realized I talk to myself quite a lot. Now, I will say that the way and amount Raskolnikov talks to himself borders on the crazy spectrum, but as weird as it seems to say, I am definitely an advocate of self talk. In Raskolnikov's case, his self talk is mostly doubting things about himself and questioning things that he does. This kind of self talk only makes any insecurities one has get much worse. From the very start of the book, Raskolnikov is characterized by his self talk, and specifically by the way he talks to himself. He shows that he does indeed have the intellectual capacity to consider certain topics of weight, but he also hints at some very deep seated personal problems in doing so.
p.s.- sorry this is a really random thing to notice
Isn't it weird though? After the very little that I learned from psychology, I'm very tempted to diagnose him with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. But if that's not the point Dostoevsky is trying to convey here, what is it? Maybe he's trying to show the reader what this kind of act, this kind of depravity does to a person. I mean, I talk to myself, but not in a way that I doubt myself and then exalt myself to these extremes. I see myself in Raskolnikov sometimes, but thankfully not to that extent.
ReplyDeleteIt is random, but it's true. A pretty prominent thought of mine when I first read it.