In superstitions, it is believed that a mirror is a reflection of a person's soul; this is why breaking a mirror was and still is considered bad luck. In Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, the concept of the reflective soul is used as an important tool of foreshadowing. However, rather than using a mirror, Dostoyevsky uses characters to reflect the nature of others. The experiences of Seymon Zakharovich Marmeladov, a minor character, are used to mirror Raskolnikov's process of guilt and confession. Raskolnikov and Marmaladov share similar experiences facing their own demons. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay When Marmeladov is first introduced, he is described as a neglected man, drinking away his sorrows: “There were pieces of hay clinging to his clothes and in his hair. He probably hadn't undressed or washed in five days. His hands were particularly dirty, greasy, red from the cold, the nails black” (Dostoyevsky 11). Marmeladov's dirty hands symbolize the fact that he has already soiled them with a crime: alcoholism. This vice has plunged his family into a vicious circle of poverty from which it is almost impossible to escape, to the point that Sonya, his daughter, prostitutes herself for a few rubles. As such, he suffers from the remorse of not being able to get rid of his addiction. This is expressed continually throughout his long speech to Raskolnikov; he wants to help his family, but his alcoholism prevents him from doing so. Moreover, he has been fighting against this for a long time, because in the tavern "his speech seemed to arouse general, although unnecessary, interest... Marmeladov was well known here and had acquired his rhetorical flair in many such discussions" (11) . However, for Raskolnikov, Marmeladov's peril is new and, therefore, pitiful. What Raskolnikov does not realize throughout his time with Marmeladov is that Marmeladov's suffering is a foreshadowing of Raskolnikov's own battle with guilt. Their conversation takes place when Marmeladov is suffering from guilt, while Raskolnikov has not yet committed his own crime. After brutally murdering both women, Raskolnikov begins to drown in his own remorse. His regret manifests itself when he cleans himself of the blood splattered on his clothes: "Here a strange thought came to his mind: perhaps all his clothes were covered in blood, perhaps there were stains all over them, and he just didn't see, didn't notice them, because his reasoning was failing, collapsing…his mind was going dark” (91). While Marmeladov's guilt manifests itself in ramblings, Raskolnikov's manifests itself in intense psychological illness, and just as Marmeladov's alcoholism only releases its grip when he accepts his death sentence, Raskolnikov's mental disorder doesn't let go completely until he accepts his punishment and is dispatched. on the way to Siberia. Raskolnikov is lucky that a prison sentence is his punishment, because Marmeladov suffers a much worse fate. When Marmeladov is trampled, there doesn't seem to be much hope of recovery, as "blood was pouring from his face and head." His face was beaten, crushed and mutilated…” (170). With such low chances of survival, Raskolnikov convinces the policeman to bring the mutilated Marmeladov to his family. As he dies, he uses his last breath to ask for forgiveness from his wife and daughter Sonya. This scene is similar to Raskolnikov later asking for forgiveness for his sins and entering a police station to confess...