In the "first part" of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's famous 19th-century novel Crime and Punishment, embattled former student Raskolnikov feverishly contemplates committing a "vile" crime ”, which is ultimately revealed as the murder of local pawnbroker Alyona. Raskolnikov's inner turmoil when contemplating this crime takes the form of a disturbing and frenzied delirium, manifesting mainly in somatic symptoms. Although this illness paints a clear picture of Raskolnikov's sense of restlessness and turmoil, it fails to elucidate any rational explanation for the terrible but indefinable crime he contemplates. This inability to express his intentions leaves Raskolnikov deeply conflicted, but ultimately paralyzed to make a decision. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Before Raskolnikov can take any real action, he must admit his murderous desires. His drunken dream on the lawn is an obvious turning point in this internal battle. Its main event – ​​the beating to death of a mare unable to pull her heavy cart – represents Raskolnikov's potential crime, and the conflict between its two main characters is analogous to Raskolnikov's deep internal conflict. Able to symbolically express both his murderous desires and the resulting inner turmoil through a dream, Raskolnikoff overcomes his inability to explicitly name his crime, eliminating a vital internal barrier within him and leading him toward the ultimate completion of the crime. 'act. his mother, Raskolnikov's dream takes him back from the chaotic despair of his adult life to his childhood, a place of clearer reality: "a setting so true and filled with such delicate details [that] makes a powerful impression on the disturbed nervous system” (106). In this “singular actuality” of the dream, Raskolnikoff can finally express (through symbolism) his own inner turmoil regarding the crime he plans to commit (106). The initial description of the city's landscape as "gray and heavy", with "a dark blur at the very edge of the horizon" and the presence of the cemetery create an eerie and mysterious atmosphere that directly reflects the reluctant nature of one's own inner world. by Raskolnikov (107). Raskolnikoff travels through this bleak landscape as a young boy, both attracted and frightened by the city's "horrible characters" (108). It also reflects Raskolnikov's current internal conflict, who is obsessed with the "loathsome thing" he wants to do, but remains so "intensely repelled" by it that he cannot actually name the crime (19). Raskolnikov's sense of self polarizes. further on, as the dream continues and his dreamlike younger self becomes interested in a group of peasants who plan to beat a “skinny and sorrel” mare to death because she is unable to pull her heavy cart. This is where the metaphor becomes clear (108). This beating represents the crime Raskolnikov plans to commit. And Raskolnikov's own representation is shared between Mikolka, the mare's owner, and his younger self. Like Mikolka, Raskolnikov believes that the mare is useless to society if she cannot perform her task and therefore must be beaten to death. However, as a child, Raskolnikov literally finds himself under the shadow of his father and the Church (both moral influences on him) and is overcome by a feeling of moral outrage, unable to understand why people would torture “the poor horse” (115). ). This situation foreshadows Raskolnikov's plans to murder the pawnbroker Alyona, whom he considers useless and parasitic (a bit..