Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky | Summary & Analysis

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Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe provides an in-depth analysis of the plot, characters, symbols, and themes of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment.

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Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky's canonical exploration of the ramifications of a single immoral act, traces the tale of Raskolnikov, a down-and-out law student who decides to commit a murder.

Justifying his fatal attack on a pawnbroker by citing her immorality and the financial benefit of robbing her, Raskolnikov nonetheless descends into a spiral of guilt and must ultimately come to terms with his crime.

Many of the characters also embody both virtue and vice, leaning toward one or the other as the situation dictates.

Believing even a murderer has the potential to be a productive member of society, Porfiry presents a path to redemption. Sonia represents a path to confession and forgiveness; her compassion speaks to the importance of all humanity.

Set in an era of conflict between religious and secular morality, this parable provides harrowing psychological insight into the consequences of moral relativism.

Russian writer Dostoevsky is widely considered to be one of the great psychological novelists. In Crime and Punishment, first published in 1866, he explores anguish, analyzes human dilemmas, and examines the struggle between harsh social realities and religious belief. As a young man, Dostoevsky belonged to a radical socialist group, but in prison he returned to Christianity.

The drama contains many enduring themes, including the conflict between "rational" concepts of morality and religious morality; suffering, and whether it is necessary for redemption; and alienation, as isolation from society can breed unstable thoughts. Important symbols include Napoleon as the “exceptional man,” Sonia’s cross, and Raskolnikov's garret.

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