Themes: Guilt and Innocence

Crime and Punishment primarily delves into the theme of a guilty conscience. For Dostoyevsky, punishment transcends physical actions or conditions. Much like Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, punishment is a natural outcome of being aware of one's guilt. Guilt involves recognizing wrongdoing and feeling estranged from both society and God. From the beginning of the novel, Raskolnikov (whose name originates from the Russian word for "schism")...

Themes: Atonement and Forgiveness

The themes of atonement and forgiveness are closely connected to notions of guilt and innocence. Dostoyevsky's title suggests that punishment is the inevitable outcome of crime. However, punishment transcends legal judgments and prison sentences. In Dostoyevsky's view, the real punishment for a criminal is not just incarceration. Legal repercussions alone cannot fully address crime. The true punishment arises from the criminal's conscience and...

Themes: Ubermensch ("Superman")

Raskolnikov's reasoning for his crime is influenced by a theory he has formulated. In an essay he writes, he argues that humanity is divided into two categories: ordinary people and extraordinary individuals, or supermen. While regular people must adhere to the law, "supermen"—who are rare at any time—are entitled to defy existing laws and establish their own. Raskolnikov cites the French leader Napoleon as the quintessential example of a...

Themes: Narrative

Crime and Punishmentis told from a third-person perspective, but Dostoyevsky often changes the narrative focus throughout the novel. This work is widely regarded as the first psychological novel, and in many segments, Dostoyevsky explores the mental state of the main character, Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov. In passages that describe Raskolnikov's brooding, the murder, and his encounters with Inspector Porfiry Petrovich, Dostoyevsky immerses...

Themes: Setting

The events of the novel take place in St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia, during the summer of 1865, with a brief epilogue set in Siberia. Crime and Punishmentstands out as a distinctly urban novel. By selecting an urban setting, Dostoyevsky was pioneering a new direction in Russian literature. While earlier Russian writers like Gogol, Turgenev, and Tolstoy often chose rural estates as their settings, Dostoyevsky opted to set his story entirely...

Themes: Structure

Crime and Punishmentis organized into six main sections plus an epilogue, with each section containing multiple chapters. Typically, each chapter centers around a distinct dramatic event. This episodic format is largely due to the novel's initial publication as a serial in a magazine. Magazine readers favored installments that were complete in themselves and rich with dramatic incidents. Many chapters end with the sudden and unexpected...

Themes: Coincidence

Much like other notable novelists from the nineteenth century, Dostoyevsky often uses coincidence to move the plot forward. Many key events in Crime and Punishmentrely on coincidences that might appear unlikely to modern readers. However, during Dostoyevsky's time, coincidence was a commonly accepted literary technique. He does not try to justify these coincidences; instead, he presents them simply as facts. This method allows him to quickly unite...

Themes: Symbolism and Imagery

As previously noted, Dostoyevsky's writing style merges narrative realism, dramatic scenarios, and deep psychological exploration. He also uses symbolism and imagery not just for their visual appeal, but to highlight particular elements of his characters' psychological makeup. A key symbolic technique he uses is the pairing of specific characters. Early in his writing career, Dostoyevsky introduced the idea of the "double," indicating that a...

Themes: Overview

At first glance, Crime and Punishment appears to be a classic...