Why Should One Read One of The Best-Known Works of Russian Literature: "Crime and Punishment"?

Over 150 years ago Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky tried to address the question of what drives someone to kill in cold blood and what kind of society breeds such a person? In his pre-eminent novel, Dostoyevsky tells the story of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, a young law student in Saint Petersburg. Raskolnikov lives in abject poverty, and at the start of the story, he has run out of funds to carry on with his studies. Moreover, letters from his rural home only add to his anguish and misery when he realizes how much his mother and sister have sacrificed for his success. Increasingly desperate after selling the last of his valuables to an elderly pawnbroker, he resolves on a plan to murder and rob her. But the impact of carrying out this unthinkable act proves to be more than he was morally prepared for.

It seems important to note that the novel's scope reaches far beyond Raskolnikov's inner turmoil. From dank taverns to dilapidated apartments and claustrophobic police stations, the underbelly of 19th century Saint Petersburg is brought to life in Dostoyevsky's exceptional novel. This harsh and frigid portrait of Russian society reflects the author's own complex life experiences and evolving ideas.

The book is also deeply concerned with the notion of morality. One of the most remarkable things about "Crime and Punishment" is its ability to thrill despite the fact that the details of the central murder are revealed in the first act. Raskolnikov's crime is clear and apparent. However, it is only through Dostoyevsky's absorbing account of the ensuing social and psychological turmoil that we learn the true nature of his punishment and the possibility of redemption.

The main concept that is analyzed throughout Crime and Punishment is that Raskolnikov believes himself to be exceptional, with the right to murder an old pawnbroker that is in his view a parasite to society. But after doing so, he is consumed by a guilty conscience and starts to rethink his superiority. After he commits the crime, he is troubled deeply by his actions and he becomes sick. Raskolnikov is trapped in his conscience, and he isn't able to free himself. Dostoyevsky strives to discredit the theory of a superior being by showing how much it can make one suffer and lead to destruction.

References:

Dostoyevsky, F., 2017. Crime and punishment. Oxford University Press.

Kliger, I., 2010. Shapes of History and the Enigmatic Hero in Dostoevsky: The Case of Crime and Punishment. Comparative Literature, 62(3), pp.228-245.

Dostoevsky, F. and Garnett, T.B.C., 1963. Crime and Punishment (p. 250). Bantam.