Crime and Punishment | Essays and Criticism

  • Humanity in Crime and Punishment

    Essay discussing how Raskolnikov's plight is symbolic of Dostoyevsky's belief that those who seek a rationalistic solution to society's ills are doomed to failure if they neglect to understand the spiritual and emotional needs of humanity.

  • The Principles of Uncertainty in Crime and Punishment

    Essay asserting that not only is the motive for the crime unclear to the reader and the perpetrator, but time, space, and point of view as well deliberately lack clarity and objectivity.

  • Traditional Symbolism in Crime and Punishment

    Essay discussing pagan and Christian symbolism in Crime and Punishment. Chief among them are the imagery of water, vegetation, sun and air, the resurrection of Lazarus and Christ, and the earth.