Dreams are considered a link to one's unconscious, offering explanations that "... the dreamer could not invent on his own in his waking state" (46 ). Sigmund Freud made great strides with the psychological implications of dreams in the late 19th century. But before Freud, Feodor Dostoevsky used dreams as a powerful psychological tool in his novel Crime and Punishment. Dostoevsky manipulates the dream of the dying horse of his protagonist, Raskolnikov (Rodion), to point the reader to the source of his isolation and also comments on Raskolnikov's later theories. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To demonstrate a distinct change in Raskolnikov's nature from before to after the event, Dostoevsky presents a very young Raskolnikov with traits that are noticeably absent from the adult version. At the beginning of the dream sequence, Dostoevsky describes Rodion's love for the church "with its green dome" (47). Rodion's spirituality is emphasized when he kisses the grave of his dead brother, whom he never met. The fact that Rodion shows great respect and affection for a person he has never known (much less loved) contrasts profoundly with the old Raskolnikov, who is so disgusted with all humanity that he is rude and biting even to his best friend . There is also an important connection between young Rodion's homage to his brother and his subsequent kiss on the market ground; Just as he shows his respect towards all people through his reverence towards his brother, he later atones for his crimes against humanity by performing the same action on a St. Petersburg street. The important point is that he already possesses this respect as a child, indicating that some event must alter his mindset, requiring him to regain it later in the novel. Furthermore, Rodion's reaction to the animal's beating is incredibly touching, as he cries and desperately tries to intervene, indicating that he is emotional, a quality that was also missing in the previous version. Rodion's innocence is emphasized as he is called "the child" (48). He is also described as clinging to his father, who makes his only appearance in this dream as he tries to protect his son. In this way, his father seems to offer young Rodion a kind of shield or security that he will lack in later life. It is logical to assume that Dostoevsky presents this dream to the reader to provide an explanation for Raskolnikov's schizophrenic personality. Vyacheslav Ivanov suggests that Raskolnikov (whose name comes from the word "Raskol", meaning "division" or "schism") renounces humanity and "divides" "... and so he himself becomes divided: the intellectual and the criminal Raskolnikov...or, on the contrary, the martyr of faith in humanity as a spiritual unity..." (Ivanov, 584). This image of Raskolnikov is in stark contrast to the young Raskolnikov who is presented as a spiritual, emotional and healthy child. Through the dream, Dostoevsky indicates that Raskolnikov went through an important event that produced the cold, nihilistic Raskolnikov known in the rest of the novel. In addition to producing a realistic image of cruelty, Dostoevsky creates significant connections to later events in the novel through his use of imagery and symbolism. The fact that the victim is an animal gives the drunken mob justification for their malicious beating, as they believe they are inherently superior. Interestingly, this mentality is similar to Raskolnikov's superman ideas later in the novel, adding irony to the event; Rodion becomes what he hates after meeting him. In theIn his essay "Raskolnikov's World", Joseph Frank further debunks Raskolnikov's "superman" theory on the grounds that...the feelings that inspired his selfless love for humanity cannot coexist in the same sensibility with those necessary for be a Napoleon, a Solon or a Lycurgus. Because the truly great man, possessed by the sense of mission, cannot have any thought to dedicate to the suffering of humanity which he tramples on for his own future happiness. (Frank, 577) Dostoevsky adds further irony to the dream by describing the crying eyes of the horse. These images are revisited during the crime scene where Raskolnikov's victim, Lizavetta, is described with his eyes right before he kills her. Dostoevsky's injection of irony into the dream shows his criticism of Rodion's superior attitude; Rodion is no better than the cruel drunks in his mentality and actions, although these qualities arise from his exposure to such evil. To strengthen the horse's connection to the novel's other victims, Dostoevsky invokes images of Sonya, the "eternal victim" (Rahv, 565), as he describes the horse as "small, thin, decrepit" (47) and with a the weight of others (48). Most importantly, however, is the fact that this event significantly changed Rodion's outlook on humanity. Dostoevsky allows us to see this event as powerful and healing through his presentation of the horse and the drunkards. The horse's death is long and painful and we see the child Rodion running helplessly in an attempt to end the suffering. One of the most heartbreaking images is that of Rodion kissing the horse's crying eye. It shows us a child with more compassion than a whole crowd of adults. Dostoevsky characterizes drunkards by painting their faces, clothes and eyes with the color red; "They took with them a fat, red-faced peasant girl, dressed in red cotton... young, drunk and red-faced like [Mikolka]... who, with bloodshot eyes, stood with the crowbar ..." (48-50). Dostoevsky uses red to indicate excess, in this case alcohol. This is an important point that the young Rodion seems to understandably overlook; the crowd is made up of drunks. The child does not understand that this horrible cruelty comes from a relatively small group of drunken tavern-goers, who are not at all representative of the world's population, and, as a result, has this childish idea that all humanity is cruel until adulthood . While this point gives us some insight into Dostoevsky's beliefs about the influence of childhood experiences, it also shows us how sinister this group of people must have appeared to the young Raskolnikov. If we choose to attribute this effect to Rodion's age, it can also be noted that his father found the event atrocious enough to attempt to protect his son from it as he probably sensed the effects of seeing such brutality. In conclusion, Dostoevsky's descriptions illustrate that the event was violent enough to cause a large emotional explosion in Raskolnikov and can therefore be regarded as painful and significant. Dostoevsky's placement of the dream sequence increases its significance in the novel. In his essay, Frank expresses admiration for Dostoevsky's skill while explaining why Dostoevsky chose to enter the tavern scene (where Raskolnikov overhears a young officer and a student discussing motivations for killing the old pawnbroker) immediately before the sequence of the murder. Frank explains, “The purpose of Dostoevsky's juxtaposition and telescoping of the timeline is obviously to undermine Raskolnikov's conscious motivation for the reader” (Frank, 575). The structure of..." (46).