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.