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Crime and Punishment

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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Do you agree that Raskolnikov was redeemed at the end of Crime and Punishment?

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Raskolnikov's redemption in Crime and Punishment is suggested but not fully realized by the novel's end. He experiences a profound change, gaining acceptance from fellow inmates and beginning to embrace religious beliefs, as indicated by his interaction with Sonia and the New Testament. Dostoevsky implies that redemption is an ongoing process, requiring further transformation into a "new, unknown life," suggesting that complete redemption is a future possibility.

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One could argue that Raskolnikov is only ever fully redeemed when he starts to be accepted by his fellow inmates in the prison camp, who'd previously regarded him with suspicion and distrust. They can tell just by looking at him that he's experienced a profound change in his soul. What's more, there is a suggestion that Raskolnikov's restoration also extends to his relations with God. When Raskolnikov picks up the copy of the New Testament given to him by Sonia he feels that her religious convictions can now be his.

But perhaps redemption should be seen as an ongoing process, in which Raskolnikov's acceptance by his fellow convicts and his growing religious convictions are but stages. True redemption will entail his passing into another world altogether, an initiation into a "new, unknown life," as Dostoyevsky puts it. And that, as Dostoevsky makes clear, is a different story altogether.

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I think it is pretty clear that Dostoyevsky intends for us to think that Raskolinkov has been redeemed.  I think that we can see this in the following ways.

First of all, his dream of the virus matters.  I think it shows that he has realized that he is not superior to everyone else.  He is coming to realize that he is not the only person who understands the truth.

Second, the way he feels that last time that he holds hands with Sonya matters.  He feels that he truly loves her now.  I think this shows that he has changed compared to before when he felt revolted holding her hand.

Finally, right at the end, he picks up the New Testament (not the whole Bible -- just the part that emphasizes redemption).  At that point, Dostoyevsky tells us that his redemption would be a matter for another story.

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