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Major and Minor Characters in Crime and Punishment

            In Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, there is a wide array of characters ranging from major and very important to the plot to minor and has almost no importance to the story. For example, some could argue Alyona Ivanovna, the pawnbroker, as either a major or minor character. Some would say that she is a major character because of the fact her murder was basis of the entire novel and what ultimately lead to Raskolnikov's demise. The novel was affected by Alyona Ivanovna because she helped test Raskolnikov's theory, showed duality in Raskolnikov, and exposed the mindset of an impoverished person. .
             The first way the novel was affected by the pawnbroker was because the murder gave Raskolnikov a chance to test his theory. The Extraordinary Man Theory was Raskolnikov's theory. This theory states that there are two different kinds of people: ordinary and extraordinary. The theory states that ordinary men live in submission and can not go above the law. The theory also states that extraordinary men do not live in submission and are able to put the law into their own hands. The extraordinary men are only allowed to go above the law and murder someone if the murder would further benefit society. In the pawnbroker's case, Raskolnikov believed that she was a detriment to society and the world would be better off if she were dead. Raskolnikov overhears a conversation between a man and a police officer where the man actually says that the world would be better if she were dead. Raskolnikov decides that the pawnbroker is the perfect person to test his theory on. Although he does test his theory on the pawnbroker, he decides afterward that she was not the correct person to test his theory on.
             The second way the novel was affected by the pawnbroker was that she was able to show a duality in Raskolnikov. When Raskolnikov decides to test his theory, he wants to kill Alyona when she is alone.


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