First Impressions: The book is written frankly and simply. The vocabulary, though, isn’t written as eloquently as, say, Madame Bovary. However, the reason is probably because Crime and Punishment was translated from Russian while Madame Bovary was translated from French. Still, I appreciated that I didn’t have to grab a dictionary every five seconds while trying to enjoy the book.
Simple Synopsis (Note- If you just read the synopsis and refuse to read the book itself, the analysis will not make any sense): Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov murders and old pawnbroker and her innocent sister. He is immediately struck with an illness because he feels so guilty. During recovery he runs into an old acquaintance, Razumikhin, who is eager to help out his sick friend. He also meets his sister’s fiance, Luzhin, who only wants to marry her so she can be forever submissive to him. Raskolnikov witnesses the death of Marmeladov, who spent all his family’s money on alcohol. Marmeladov’s daughter, Sonya, is the most innocent character in the entire book, but has to prostitute herself to support her family. Raskolnikov eventually takes quite a liking to Sonya, and promises to tell her who the murderer of the pawnbroker and pawnbroker’s sister is. By this time, Raskolnikov has almost confessed to Porfiry, the police inspector, twice. Meanwhile, another guy named Svidrigailov is watching him. Raskolnikov confesses to Sonya, and Svidrigailov overhears them and tries to sleep with Sonya. He fails and commits suicide. Sonya encourages Raskolnikov to confess to the police, which he eventually does and is sentenced to eight years in a Siberian prison. Sonya follows him there, and patiently waits for him so they can go off and rebuild their life. Of course, there’s much more too it than that, but you’re going to have to read the book for the details.
Raskolnikov’s Repentance: Currently, this is my favorite book. Period. I especially love the ending. While I was reading the book, I was positive that Raskolnikov was going to either go crazy or commit suicide, but he didn’t. He genuinely repented. I found that utterly fascinating. It’s like Dostoevsky was trying to tell people that humans are capable of doing terrible things and then repenting. Take King David, for instance. He committed adultery and murder, but God still forgave him. To me, Sonya is the god-like character in this book. She is willing to sacrifice everything to help her family, including her own body. She also sees the good in Raskolnikov. When he confesses, she doesn’t freak out and leave. She wants him to do the right thing, because somehow she knows that he isn’t a monster. Sonya is the one who gets Raskolnikov to confess, and she helps him realize that he can work past this.
Raskolnikov’s “Extraordinary Man” Theory: Throughout the book the reader is introduced to Raskolnikov’s theory that an “extraordinary man” can commit a crime without feeling any guilt. Of course, Raskolnikov feels massive amounts of guilt for murdering two people. Although this is a big part of the book, this wasn’t my favorite aspect of it. I understand the irony mentioned several times. Personally, I like Raskolnikov’s interaction with the characters which helps him ultimately discover who he really is.
Svidrigailov: This character is the perfect foil for Raskolnikov. It is implied that he has killed several people (including poisoning his wife to be with Raskolnikov’s sister!) without feeling any guilt. In fact, he is the “extraordinary man” that Raskolnikov aims to be. But, Svidrigailov commits suicide when he can’t seduce Sonya. I think this is how Raskolnikov would have ended up if Sonya hadn’t been there to remind him that he’s a good person within.
Luzhin: This character wanted to marry Raskolnikov’s sister, Dunya, but didn’t (thank God!). I believe this kind of person is what girls at my school would call “a pig.” All he cares about is himself. He only wants to marry Dunya so he has someone who will be in submission to him the rest of his life. However, the line in the book that made me laugh the most was the one that says Luzhin spends a good amount of his time examining himself in the mirror. So, he had some use. He’s the guy that every “nice guy” thinks that all the girls pursue. I know that’s true in a lot of cases, but in Crime and Punishment, Luzhin does not get the girl. Razumikhin does. Razumikhin is the nice guy. That’s right folks! In this book, the nice guy gets the girl without being stuck in the friend zone first! I know! I was shocked too!
My Favorite Theme: The “alienation from society” is the most interesting theme in the book that I had the most fun researching. Pretty much, Raskolnikov thought several different times that he needed to be away from people. At one point he even told Razhumikhin to watch over his mother and sister while he was having a breakdown. But those times were when Raskolnikov needed people the most. Gradually he came to realize that. I love this theme because there’s so many people on this earth that feel like the only way they can fix their problems is by isolating themselves. Raskolnikov is the perfect example showing why that doesn’t work. He became confused and irrational when he wasn’t around people, but when he is with Sonya, she is able to help him work through the guilt. Dostoevsky makes it clear that he strongly believes that all humans need love and compassion to function properly, even if they won’t admit it themselves.
My Favorite Motif: Almost every character in the book is poor. Take the Marmeladov’s (Sonya’s family) for instance. Sonya herself is compassionate enough, but her family is the happiest in the book overall. Of course, they are deeply upset when Marmeladov dies, but the whole family has compassion toward one another. Raskolnikov’s mother and sister have also accepted that they are poor and have grown from it. The book brings out that although they are poor, they make their best efforts to dress in nice clothes. They aren’t doing so to give the impression they’re rich, rather they want to look as lady-like as they can with what they have. Dostoevsky uses poverty to bring families together and help people use what they have to their highest advantage. Once again, it is shown that money isn’t everything.
My Favorite Symbol: Any Bible references in books make me giddy. When I discovered that the story of Lazarus is used to describe Raskolnikov, I was ecstatic. It completely makes sense. When Raskolnikov commits the murders he, in a sense, “dies.” Over the course of the novel, Sonya helps “resurrect” him by getting him to confess and come back to humanity. I absolutely love it when authors subtly use the Bible to foreshadow their book. It also characterizes Sonya by giving her the role of Jesus, showing how innocent and good-hearted she is.
Overall: I definitely want to read this book again, because I’m sure I’ve missed some symbol that the research I’ve done hasn’t already uncovered. Crime and Punishment gives the point that not all humans are bad through and through. Some of them are repentant and try to do good in their lives after committing a terrible crime. After I was done reading the book I no longer thought that all humans are terrible. Some have good hearts.
Of course, further discussion of this book in the comments is strongly encouraged, as I love discussing literature with anyone. As long as you’ve read the book. All the way through.
Simple Synopsis (Note- If you just read the synopsis and refuse to read the book itself, the analysis will not make any sense): Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov murders and old pawnbroker and her innocent sister. He is immediately struck with an illness because he feels so guilty. During recovery he runs into an old acquaintance, Razumikhin, who is eager to help out his sick friend. He also meets his sister’s fiance, Luzhin, who only wants to marry her so she can be forever submissive to him. Raskolnikov witnesses the death of Marmeladov, who spent all his family’s money on alcohol. Marmeladov’s daughter, Sonya, is the most innocent character in the entire book, but has to prostitute herself to support her family. Raskolnikov eventually takes quite a liking to Sonya, and promises to tell her who the murderer of the pawnbroker and pawnbroker’s sister is. By this time, Raskolnikov has almost confessed to Porfiry, the police inspector, twice. Meanwhile, another guy named Svidrigailov is watching him. Raskolnikov confesses to Sonya, and Svidrigailov overhears them and tries to sleep with Sonya. He fails and commits suicide. Sonya encourages Raskolnikov to confess to the police, which he eventually does and is sentenced to eight years in a Siberian prison. Sonya follows him there, and patiently waits for him so they can go off and rebuild their life. Of course, there’s much more too it than that, but you’re going to have to read the book for the details.
Raskolnikov’s Repentance: Currently, this is my favorite book. Period. I especially love the ending. While I was reading the book, I was positive that Raskolnikov was going to either go crazy or commit suicide, but he didn’t. He genuinely repented. I found that utterly fascinating. It’s like Dostoevsky was trying to tell people that humans are capable of doing terrible things and then repenting. Take King David, for instance. He committed adultery and murder, but God still forgave him. To me, Sonya is the god-like character in this book. She is willing to sacrifice everything to help her family, including her own body. She also sees the good in Raskolnikov. When he confesses, she doesn’t freak out and leave. She wants him to do the right thing, because somehow she knows that he isn’t a monster. Sonya is the one who gets Raskolnikov to confess, and she helps him realize that he can work past this.
Raskolnikov’s “Extraordinary Man” Theory: Throughout the book the reader is introduced to Raskolnikov’s theory that an “extraordinary man” can commit a crime without feeling any guilt. Of course, Raskolnikov feels massive amounts of guilt for murdering two people. Although this is a big part of the book, this wasn’t my favorite aspect of it. I understand the irony mentioned several times. Personally, I like Raskolnikov’s interaction with the characters which helps him ultimately discover who he really is.
Svidrigailov: This character is the perfect foil for Raskolnikov. It is implied that he has killed several people (including poisoning his wife to be with Raskolnikov’s sister!) without feeling any guilt. In fact, he is the “extraordinary man” that Raskolnikov aims to be. But, Svidrigailov commits suicide when he can’t seduce Sonya. I think this is how Raskolnikov would have ended up if Sonya hadn’t been there to remind him that he’s a good person within.
Luzhin: This character wanted to marry Raskolnikov’s sister, Dunya, but didn’t (thank God!). I believe this kind of person is what girls at my school would call “a pig.” All he cares about is himself. He only wants to marry Dunya so he has someone who will be in submission to him the rest of his life. However, the line in the book that made me laugh the most was the one that says Luzhin spends a good amount of his time examining himself in the mirror. So, he had some use. He’s the guy that every “nice guy” thinks that all the girls pursue. I know that’s true in a lot of cases, but in Crime and Punishment, Luzhin does not get the girl. Razumikhin does. Razumikhin is the nice guy. That’s right folks! In this book, the nice guy gets the girl without being stuck in the friend zone first! I know! I was shocked too!
My Favorite Theme: The “alienation from society” is the most interesting theme in the book that I had the most fun researching. Pretty much, Raskolnikov thought several different times that he needed to be away from people. At one point he even told Razhumikhin to watch over his mother and sister while he was having a breakdown. But those times were when Raskolnikov needed people the most. Gradually he came to realize that. I love this theme because there’s so many people on this earth that feel like the only way they can fix their problems is by isolating themselves. Raskolnikov is the perfect example showing why that doesn’t work. He became confused and irrational when he wasn’t around people, but when he is with Sonya, she is able to help him work through the guilt. Dostoevsky makes it clear that he strongly believes that all humans need love and compassion to function properly, even if they won’t admit it themselves.
My Favorite Motif: Almost every character in the book is poor. Take the Marmeladov’s (Sonya’s family) for instance. Sonya herself is compassionate enough, but her family is the happiest in the book overall. Of course, they are deeply upset when Marmeladov dies, but the whole family has compassion toward one another. Raskolnikov’s mother and sister have also accepted that they are poor and have grown from it. The book brings out that although they are poor, they make their best efforts to dress in nice clothes. They aren’t doing so to give the impression they’re rich, rather they want to look as lady-like as they can with what they have. Dostoevsky uses poverty to bring families together and help people use what they have to their highest advantage. Once again, it is shown that money isn’t everything.
My Favorite Symbol: Any Bible references in books make me giddy. When I discovered that the story of Lazarus is used to describe Raskolnikov, I was ecstatic. It completely makes sense. When Raskolnikov commits the murders he, in a sense, “dies.” Over the course of the novel, Sonya helps “resurrect” him by getting him to confess and come back to humanity. I absolutely love it when authors subtly use the Bible to foreshadow their book. It also characterizes Sonya by giving her the role of Jesus, showing how innocent and good-hearted she is.
Overall: I definitely want to read this book again, because I’m sure I’ve missed some symbol that the research I’ve done hasn’t already uncovered. Crime and Punishment gives the point that not all humans are bad through and through. Some of them are repentant and try to do good in their lives after committing a terrible crime. After I was done reading the book I no longer thought that all humans are terrible. Some have good hearts.
Of course, further discussion of this book in the comments is strongly encouraged, as I love discussing literature with anyone. As long as you’ve read the book. All the way through.
ahhh i love how you analyzed the book...you broke it down perfectly. I too loved the ending since it was a very happy ending despite the not so happy beginning and middle. I was very surprised Raskolnikov did not commit suicide and in the end he became a better person.
ReplyDeleteTry the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation on the re-read if you read a different one. Nice summary, been too many years for me to say anything worthwhile about it though.
ReplyDelete