The “Other” of Svidrigailov in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Novel Crime and Punishment: Ambivalence, Doubleness, Polyphony

Abstract

 The article is devoted to resolving the enigma of Svidrigailov and to the problem of the double as the basis for a new understanding of ambivalence, doubleness, and polyphony in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s works. The conceptual framework of the study is built on an analysis of Svidrigailov’s Other and the multiplicity of its manifestations. The main directions of inquiry include the analysis of how the character is perceived by others, his self-reflection, and the author’s position. The study also addresses the significance of the phenomenon of wandering and the Job situation for understanding the differences between the two characters. Svidrigailov’s attitude toward Raskolnikov’s theory, as well as their comparison through Dostoevsky’s formula of Russian identity as a context of doubleness, reveals the differences between the two heroes. America’s analysis of Svidrigailov’s Other is connected with the theme of the character’s death and suicide and is interpreted from the perspective of transgression. The integrity of the study of the character’s doubleness is ensured through the means of his artistic representation.

       The scholarly significance of the work lies in the development of a concept of ambivalence, doubleness, and polyphony that expands Mikhail Bakhtin’s ideas. The practical value of the study is determined by its contribution to the analysis of Dostoevsky’s poetics and Russian realism in the aspect of wandering.

       The methodology of the study is based on the use of the axiological method, which reveals the connection between spiritual-philosophical and cultural concepts. The structural-semiotic method is aimed at classifying the multiple manifestations of Svidrigailov’s Other, which demonstrate the character’s ambivalence and doubleness, as well as the writer’s polyphony. The hermeneutic approach contributes to the interpretation of the distinctive features of the writer’s method and of Russian realism.

        The results obtained clarify the enigma of Svidrigailov and offer a solution to the problem of the double from the perspective of transgression and wandering. Their impact on the generation of meaning in the novel, namely the possibility of the criminal’s spiritual resurrection, demonstrates Svidrigailov’s incapacity for spiritual rebirth. The manifestation of Svidrigailov’s Other in evaluations of crime and identity reveals the impossibility of restoring the lost spiritual integrity of the character. The manifestation of Svidrigailov’s Other in the American plotline and its polyphonic structure raises the theme of suicide as a metaphor for eternity and metaphysical reality. The interpretation of Svidrigailov’s suicide as transgression reflects his doubleness as an alternative to Raskolnikov. The manifestation of Svidrigailov’s Other in the system of the author’s representation complements the picture of irrational reality and the character’s doubleness.

The authors’ contribution lies in opening new perspectives for the study of ambivalence and doubleness, as well as for the examination of the writer’s method and realism in the light of transgression and wandering.

 Key words: Svidrigailov’s enigma, the double, transgression, wandering, realism