Dostoevsky Crime Punishment Dostoevsky\'s Crime

Dostoevsky Crime Punishment

Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment: Reflecting on Russian Society

All of Dostoevsky's main characters reflect the harsh life many Russians faced during the 1800s when Dostoevsky wrote his novel Crime and Punishment. The feelings of insecurity and the travesty of the characters including their inner turmoil and constant poverty reflect the reality in which the author lived, where many Russian people barely had the tools necessary to live rich and wholesome lives (Westwood, 1993). Indeed the culture of Russia is embedded not only in Dostoevsky's characters, but also in their circumstances, their poverty stricken ways and their inability to live life without concern for the Russian government (Westwood, 1993). Raskolnikov is the main character in Dostoevsky's work, Crime and Punishment. In this book the main character is portrayed as an introverted man attending university. Raskolnikov, attempting to test the theories he has about life, murders two women. During the novel, the character reflects on his own guilt and self-criticisms after completing the murder. This character may have reflected the life Dostoevsky lived in Russia; one that was filled with controversy and uncertainty, one that often drove men to prison (Westwood, 1993). The character as would any character in a novel, meets various people throughout the text that cause him to feel anxious because of his crimes, thus ultimately the main character confesses his actions and must then face the penalty of murdering the two women.

The pawnbroker, known as Alyona Ivanovna is an elderly pawnbroker, someone that lends money to those that are in need who trade their valuables for a small sum of money. The pawnbroker has a sister named Lisaveta who the author portrays as "senseless." She is murdered with her sister to satisfy the curiosity of the main character Raskolnikov. These characters symbolize the commonplace people that may have lived in Russia during the time of the novel (Westwood, 1993).

Another character worthy of mention is Marmeladov, who is an old retired clerk that had worked with the Russian government. This character talks to Raskolnikov in a tavern, telling him of his harsh life, and later dies. The clerk left his poverty-stricken family when he died, as they were poor because of his senseless ways and poor drinking habits. Raskolnikov attempts to help out the old clerk's family, because they are poor and without someone to care for them after Marmeladov's death. Other characters of note include Marmelodov's wife Katerina, who Dostoevsky portrays as an intelligent woman, although she is ill and constantly working to support her family. In the end she succumbs to consumption; his youngest daughter from his first marriage, named Sonia is a kind woman that ends up prostituting her body for money. The life of these women is much like the lives of many Russian women during Dostoevsky's period. Because so many were poor, they ended up prostituting or engaging in crime to help support their family or to put bread on the table (Westwood, 1993). This does not mean the women of Russia were considered unworthy of love and affection, something Dostoevsky notes in his novel. Although many would consider the actions of Sonia deplorable, the main character looks up to her, and considers her an innocent and kind-hearted woman. For this reason Raskolnikov tells her about the murder he commits, and it is this daughter that causes Raskolnikov to confess to the authorities what he did and face the penalties associated with murder. Other characters include the examiner or constable that takes charge of the murder investigation, Porfiry Petrovitch, is always on Raskolnikov's toes. He wants Raskolnikov to reform his ways to become a more upstanding person in Russian society. This idea is one familiar to Dostoevsky who lived in Russia during a time when men felt encouraged to adopt the Russian "way of life" (Westwood, 1993).