Dostoevsky uses Raskolnikov’s first dream, which takes him back to a troubling event in his childhood, to bring forward a physical representation of the two sides to Raskolnikov’s dilemma. He relates the characters from the dream to corresponding characters in his situation. The old mare represents the old pawnbroker, as victim of the slaughter. The cruel drunkard Mikolka and the young boy Raskolnikov are portrayed as Raskolnikov’s inner struggle between his morality and his firm belief in his ‘superman’ theory, that unlike ordinary people, ‘supermen’ are entitled to break existing laws and make their own laws. This ‘superman’ theory, and Raskolnikov’s views on it change throughout the novel, and this initial recognition of what it means in his spiritual journey is important for Raskolnikov’s character development.
The second and third dreams present a very important connection with the turning point in Raskolnikov’s beliefs. In his second dream, Raskolnikov sits in his room, listening with horror to the landlady being beaten up by Ilya Petrovich. Unlike in the first dream when he as a young boy tried to prevent the cruel murder of the mare, he sits dormant, in fear, hearing the landlady being beaten up. This dream, following the murder of the old woman, causes him to rethink about whether or not he should have done what he had done. The third dream furthers this development of morality when Raskolnikov, in his dream, is unable to kill the old woman. In this dream, the old woman symbolizes Raskolnikov’s sin and its unceasing presence in his mind. At this point in the novel Raskolnikov realizes that he is not one of the extraordinary men that he thought he was. He has guilt and some regret over killing the old woman.
After he confesses and is sent to Siberia, Raskolnikov begins to fall ill. The other prisoners want to kill him, and it causes him to think whether or not the punishment is worth it. In his final dream, a virus sweeps the country. The virus causes its victims to suffer a madness except for a select few who are destined to have new life, to renew and purify the earth, but who could not be heard or seen. This gets Raskolnikov thinking that he is not one of the ‘superhumans’ he thought he was. In his dreams and through his subconscious beliefs, the reader can see that Raskolnikov does have feelings of deep guilt, although he is an egoist and doesn’t say it himself. Through his dreams, Raskolnikov himself recognizes that his initial beliefs are wrong. Dostoevsky adds a great deal of suspense and excitement through the steady spiritual journey Raskolnikov takes to finally decide that his initial beliefs are wrong.