Alcohol Intoxication

Raskolnikov and Marmeladov talking and drinking together

Introduction

Fyodor Dostoevsky presents the motif of alcoholism which is prominent in Crime and Punishment. Alcohol intoxication symbolically depicts an illness characterized as a silent suffering that specifically plagued the Russian lower class. Dostoevsky combats his and the society’s ravages of drunkenness in his novels through his characterization of hopeless drunk alcoholics, such as Marmeladov and Svidrigailov, and in his personal life through epileptic seizures between 1838 to 1843 which were triggered by lack of sleep, overwork and predisposition to alcohol consumption (Frank, 31). The lack of constrain on alcohol and intoxication resulted from vodka becoming a big business in the 19th century Russia making 200 million rubles from alcohol trade, thus, marking the alcoholic beverage as an “important source of government revenues in this period (19th century) and the government had, therefore, a huge stake in the success and expansion of the trade” (Christian, 471). While Dostoevsky conceived and worked with on ideas of Crime and Punishment, he also worked on an another project titled The Drunkards that dealt with alcoholism in the 19th century of his society to “the present problem of alcoholism… present it in all its branches the depictions of families, the education of children under such conditions, etc. etc” (Frank, 30). Dostoevsky does not present the positive aspects of alcohol but the catastrophic terrors through the recurring theme and subplot regarding Marmeladov’s family, the woman on the bridge and through Raskolnikov’s dream.

Sonya visiting Marmeladov as he dies on his deathbed

Marmeladov in Crime and Punishment

When introduced, Marmeladov, a retired civil servant, is in a bar, drinking due to his shame about asking his daughter for money, which he immediately took to the bar to spend on alcohol. His initial introduction is entirely based around his alcoholism, denoting his physical deterioration due to alcohol:

“He was already in his fifties, of average height and stocky build, greying and balding, with a yellow, almost greenish face swollen by constant drinking, and with puffy eyelids hiding a pair of reddish eyes that were as tiny as slits yet beamed with life... Wisps of hay did indeed cling to his clothes here and there, and there was even some in his hair. It was more than likely that five days had passed since he’d last changed clothes or washed. His hands, in particular, were filthy, greasy and red, the nails black” (Part 1, Chapter 2) (Dostoevsky and Ready)

Marmeladov had previously been completely sober from alcohol at the beginning of his marriage to Katerina Ivanovna, seeing at as his duty to aid her. After a year of this, he abruptly lost his job as a titular councillor and subsequently fell into alcoholism. At Raskolnikov’s initial meeting with him, it has been a year and a half since this incident. Citing alcoholism as his self-induced suffering in sin, he places Sonya in the position of his savior, continually begging both her and Katerina Ivanovna for forgiveness. Marmeladov believes that because Sonya is so generous and self-sacrificial, he will be forgiven for his mistakes (Blake). His alcoholism also largely affects his relationship with Katerina Ivanovna. She frequently laments about his chronic drinking. At his dying, she exclaims, “He got himself run over when he was drunk! What income? There was no income from him, only pain. He spent whatever there was on booze. Robbed us, then straight to the pothouse, wasting their life and mine on drink! Thank God he’s dying! We can cut our losses!” (Part 2, Chapter 7) (Dostoevsky and Ready). Katerina Ivanovna also beats him, which he willingly accepts. When Marmeladov brings Raskolnikov home and Katerina Ivanovna drags Marmeladov by his hair, he says, “And I find pleasure in this! Not pain, but pleasure, pleasure...” (Part 1, Chapter 2) (Dostoevsky and Ready); Marmeladov is continually drunk or tipsy in every scene until his death, which is also caused by his drunkenness.

Russian vodka - definitely not the type sold in 19th century Russia, but vodka is Marmeladov's drink of choice.

The motif of alcoholism in Crime and Punishment evokes Marmeladov’s confessions, memories and implements profound feelings of existential crisis from his atrocious realities (Kosciolek) as quoted “And the more I drink the more I feel it. That’s why I drink too. I try to find sympathy and feeling in drink.... I drink so that I may suffer twice” (Dostoevsky, 30). Marmeladov succumbs to isolation and madness that roots from his alcoholism which sends him down an existential crisis of suffering. Marmeladov’s drunkenness is not only a source for him to escape his impoverished reality but also the reason for his family’s poverty, thus, leading Sonya to become a prostitute. Drunkenness further depicts the motif of punishment where Marmeladov accepts eternal suffering to repent for his crimes of afflicting his family with hardships. Marmeladov becomes a finalized character due to alcoholism which leads to his inevitable death by a carriage, thus, abandoning any hope for a transformation to his character.

The bridge scene and Raskolnikov’s dream

Dostoevsky also links alcoholism to suicide, affliction and weakness through the portrayal of the woman’s suicide on the bridge “she’s drunk herself out of her sense” (Dostoevsky, 165). Even though the woman sees Raskolnikov, she “obviously saw nothing and recognized no-one” (Dostoevsky, 165)  thus, a drunken state disrupting one’s balance, judgement and awareness of their surrounding resulting in the descend into a pitied illness. Further parallelism of alcoholism to violence is through Raskolnikov’s morbid dream of drunken peasants whipping an old horse which illustrates pure barbarism, suffering and pain for their personal enjoyment. The motif of alcoholism in the novel is a contributing factor to crimes through the depiction of violence, self affliction by the woman’s suicide and affliction on other animals by drunken peasants. Overall, alcoholism becomes the motif of erosion of mental state, especially of Marmeladov and the woman on the bridge, which makes them indistinguishable from insanity, courageous to confessing, harbouring violent acts and becoming man of action so as to drive oneself into suicide.

General Ivolgin in The Idiot

Ardalyon Ivolgin is a retired general, father of Ganya, Varya, and Kolya Ivolgin. Upon meeting the prince, he tells him extensively of how he once knew the prince’s father, and that they had had a conflict because they were both in love with the prince’s mother (he is lying). Ivolgin frequently lies, and everyone around him sees to view him as unreliable due to his habits of lying and drinking. Colia briefly acknowledges his frequent drinking and accepts it as a part of his father’s character. After General Ivolgin does not drink for a few days, Colia tells Nina Alexandrovna, “Really, mother... really you had better let him drink. He has not had a drop for three days; he must be suffering agonies” (Part 4, Chapter 2) (Dostoevsky and Martin).

Ivolgin is characterized both by his affinity for alcohol and his constant lying. His lying is directly related to his drinking in that “he flees shame by drinking... Ivolgin’s lying allows him to rewrite history featuring his ideal... Before a sympathetic audience, his grandiosity and exaltation know no bounds” (Martinsen 83). For the most part, Prince Myshkin is the only one who grants him some illusion of belief in these lies. Despite the fact that Ivolgin’s lying is a constant attempt at lifting himself out of shame, he is most often ignored or met with angry disbelief. He is viewed with pity by most of his family; Ganya refers to him as “simply a drunken freak, and nothing more” (Part 4, Chapter 2) (Dostoevsky and Martin).

Sources

Blake, Elizabeth. “Sonya, Silent No More: A Response to the Woman Question in Dostoevsky's ‘Crime and Punishment.’” The Slavic and East European Journal, vol. 50, no. 2, 2006, pp. 252–271.

Martinsen, Deborah A. Surprised by Shame: Dostoevsky's Liars and Narrative Exposure. Ohio State University Press, 2003.

Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. The Idiot. Translated by Eva Martin, Digireads.com, 2018.

Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Translated by Oliver Ready, Penguin Publishing Group, 2014.