How is child abuse important to the novel?

[Anne Teak]

I just finished reading Crime and Punishment for a summer AP English project. My teacher gave us a list of various ideas, places and characters and I'm supposed to talk about their importance to the novel. One of the things on the list is child abuse, but here's the thing, I do not understand how child abuse is important to the novel at all. I know child abuse occurs in the novel, but I fail to see its importance to the general plot. Is it important, or am I just incredibly blind? Any insights at all would be greatly appreciated!

[brianna m]

to help you out there is child abuse wen lebavionl raps the 15 year old girl in the book and he constantly abuses other girls for what he wants so yes there is

[Psynema]

Child abuse can also be a form of the Superman/Nietzche theme - people see a child as inferior, unintelligent, and treat them not as human, but as tools ..."why should I suffer when i can put this child to work, why should I suffer when I can sell my daughter's body for cash etc"

Also treating people as tools/objects/equipment/opportunities rather than human beings is also an existentialist criticism of humanity in general. When Gregor Samsa turns into a beetle, we see his family only saw him as a means of financial support for example.

So if you pick the child abuse idea, I wouldn't necessarily delve deeply into just physical abuse, but more so how children are used and manipulated for other's gain, which obviously is still child abuse, but on a deeper level than just hitting them.

EDIT - Darn, just realized this post was from last year - LOL, I doubt you need help a year later.

It's good to have this forum, but odd that some of the posts are so old, but at least people still read/use the threads regardless of age.

[Gladys]

Also treating people as tools/objects/equipment/opportunities rather than human beings is also an existentialist criticism of humanity in general. When Gregor Samsa turns into a beetle, we see his family only saw him as a means of financial support for example.

I've always assumed the family reacts in the way they do because the integrity of their love is 'weighed in the balances and...found wanting'.

After Gregor Samsa's (or Raskolnikov's) metamorphosis, all that remains is his essence, in an unappealing guise. Rarely do we love the essence of a family member or friend: we tend to love external manifestations. Sonia, who had suffered so much herself, is the angelic exception.

[PaulH]

After reading Crime and Punishment my understanding is that conscience plays a huge role for many of the characters in the story. As I'm writing this I'm thinking of the seven deadly sins that all come into play throughout the novel. Svidrigailov's past, particularly his child abuse, is obviously haunting him and he is attempting some sort of redemption before he commits suicide. Raskolnikov's guilt for the murder and the grief he is inflicting on his family is the main theme throughout the book. His guilty conscience makes him physically ill.

There also seems to be a conflict about having a conscience. Raskolnikov is convinced that not having a conscience is a strength. His references to Napolean acting with impunity makes him more powerful that most others because he is not burdened with a concience.

I am not a literary genius and I know that there is a lot more to this novel than what I just wrote. However, this is a great novel about human strengths and obviously human weaknesses. It is also a great period work, giving the reader a look at life in eighteenth cenury Russia.

Paul

[Gladys]

Raskolnikov is convinced that not having a conscience is a strength.

A strength Svidrigailov possesses.