Crime and Punishment

WHAT CREATES MAN'S WORLDVIEW?

I think that Crime and Punishment has had the most support for this question of any novel the class has read thus far. Not only does Dostoyevsky create a world with complex characters, but the entire novel surrounds the question of ‘Why does Raskolnikov kill the Pawnbroker?’, a question that I think is answered primarily through how Raskolnikov sees the world.

At the beginning of the novel, Raskolnikov relates how he sees his place in the world – he sees himself as a genius, a man to whom anything can be granted. Raskolnikov believes that through the murder and robbery of the Pawnbroker, he can better not only his position in life but also better society. Raskolnikov undertakes his plot, and sets the novel in motion.

After the murder, Raskolnikov undergoes a change – he feels guilt and remorse over the murder of the old woman, and the unfortunate (but apparently necessary) murder of Lizaveta, the sister of the Pawnbroker. This guilt, along with a reunion with his family and a friend from the University, eventually lead Raskolnikov to change his view of himself and the world – Raskolnikov begins to believe that he is not a ‘Napoleon’ like he once believed, a thought that brings him closer and closer to his confession.

But Raskolnikov does not change his view of the world overnight. Even in the latter stages of the novel, Raskolnikov continually refers the Pawnbroker as a ‘louse’, and his torment between his capabilities and his reality leads him through stages of inaction, despair, and hatred not only for his family and friends, but eventually for himself.

In the midst of this torment, Raskolnikov grows closer and closer to Sonia, the prostitute-daughter of a drunkard Raskolnikov once met in a tavern. Almost inexplicably, Raskolnikov becomes further and further entwined with Sonia’s family, paying the debts caused by her father, and eventually for his funeral. Raskolnikov even steps in to avoid her honor when it is challenged by Luzihn, a shifty lawyer who has designs on Raskolnikov’s sister.

This closeness eventually comes to a head when Raskolnikov confesses his crime to Sonia. With her support, and promise to follow him to prison in Siberia, Raskolnikov eventually turns himself in to the authorities, and is sent to prison to suffer for his crimes.

Yet not even in prison does Raskolnikov change his view of the world. It is only after a year in prison, another illness, and the ‘fresh air’ of Siberia that Raskolnikov comes to his senses – “Life began to replace theory,” and Raskolnikov realizes that there is more to life; he falls in love with Sonia, returns to his faith, and the novel ends with great catharsis, knowing that Raskolnikov’s focus is no longer on himself, but on bigger and better pursuits.