2: The Punishment of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov

The Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, obviously focuses on a crime, and a punishment. But this idea of the two function on multiple levels. Of course there is the literal level, in which Raskolnikov commits the crime of murder, and as a result suffers the punishment of banishment to Siberia. But, within a great work of literature such as this, the crime as well as the punishment is so much more than these. The truth with this idea is in looking at the crime in terms of the mind and conceptualization of Raskolnikov himself. Initially, he is confident in his actions and choices, due to his belief in his own moral superiority. He believed that his own moral awareness gave him the quality of great men who were above the typical moral constraints of the populace, frequently comparing himself to Napoleon. His justification for the crime was that he, as one such person, could kill for the greater good, without repercussion. But, as time goes on, his guilt grows and he questions the idea that "...it wasn't a human being I killed, it was a principle!" (Dostoevsky 274). His guilt and confusion drives him physically ill, wreaking havoc in his mind. His crime was not just a simple murder, but his self alienation from the rest of the world, which led him to such conclusions of superiority. His punishment was the slow, dreadful realization of what it was that he had done, and the costs of his mistakes. But the story does not end there. His literal punishment does not come until he confesses, "It was I who killed the official's old widow and her sister Lizaveta with an axe and robbed them" (Dostoevsky 531), which is not until the last lines of the novel. This was only allowed only through the actions of Sonya, Raskolnikov's love. Only through her emotional help and selfless action, is Raskolnikov able to see the error in his ways, seen when Raskolnikov realizes her love, "Raskolnikov felt and understood in that moment, once and for all, that Sonya was now with him forever and would follow him even to the ends of the earth, wherever his fate took him" (Dostoevsky 526). This would allow him to confess, literally sending him the end of the Earth, Siberia. And, Sonya followed, guiding Raskolnikov to his final redemption, throwing himself to Sonya's feet, "But all at once, in that same moment, she understood everything. Infinite happiness lit up her eyes; she understood, and for her there was no longer any doubt that he loved her, loved her infinitely, and that at last the moment had come..." (Dostoevsky 549). In this moment, Raskolnikov reaches the true end of his punishment, with the 'storybook' end of mutual true love.

1: The Curious Events Leading to a Murder

For this first quarter, I have selected Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. This is a prolific novel written in 1866, which explores the mind and psychology of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, a former St. Petersburg student turned murderer. In the start of this work, Raskolnikov is an impoverished and sickly, unemployed and depressed. He sees the reason for his current state as being Alyona Ivanovna. Ivanovna is the pawnbroker to whom he has sold most of his valuable items, such as his father’s watch and a ring given to him by his sister, gaining meager amounts of money in return. Raskolnikov, gaining true hate for the woman who he believes has stolen from him, begins to formulate ideas to take action against her. Raskolnikov had considered a plot to kill the pawnbroker, believing that the world would be better without her. Having considered the idea, he lacked the resolve to take final action. As he considers his plot, he overhears a curious conversation at a bar between a student and a soldier. They discussed Alyona Ivanovna, remarking about her worth as a human being, “you have a stupid, meaningless, worthless, wicked, sick old crone, no good to anyone and, on the contrary, harmful to everyone, who doesn’t know herself she’s alive” (Dostoevsky 65). They even consider how it might be morally justified to kill her. This discussion, as Raskolnikov realizes reflects exactly his own thoughts. This event pushed Raskolnikov to actually take some action towards his plot, a choice that he thought he would never actually take, thinking that “He could in no way imagine, for example, that one day he would finish thinking, get up, and - simply go there…” (Dostoevsky 70). But this is not the only time he is mysteriously helped on by coincidence. He realized that the broker’s sister, Lizaveta, would likely not be at Alyona Ivanovna’s apartment later that day. And in a final stroke of luck, right as he plans to leave, his plan to acquire an ax fall through. But worry not! Moments later he finds as ax left out near a locked tool shed. At this marvelous stroke of luck he remarks “If not reason, then the devil!” (Dostoevsky 72). Indeed, it is peculiar how many fortunate events befell Raskolnikov, leading to his undertaking of a murder. What is left to wonder is why the events leading up to the murder were carried out in that way? There is a purposefulness in the way that fate seems to ensure that Raskolnikov will commit this act. The remark given by Raskolnikov may be a clue to this, indicating a relationship between his devilish actions, and his cool rationalization of the act. It almost seems that these coincidences were some divine force, egging him onto take this action, putting him in the role of choosing whether or not to deliberately step off the path that would lead to the murder of Alyona Ivanovna. Another possibility is that these events are not quite so simple coincidences, and that it is Raskolnikov's choice of perception that causes him to believe that he is being forced upon this path by fate, even though the choice is always his own.