Crime and Punishment

By Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Dostoyevsky was a 19th century Russian writer of several classics. Today, we review Crime and Punishment, published in 1866 and often lauded as one of the greatest novels of all time, although perhaps often overshadowed by his other work The Brothers Karamazov.

Dostoyevsky’s books fit into a wider philosophical, introspective picture and societal commentary. Often characters slot into other books and could be (or are) renamed. Notes from Underground can be considered a primer for Crime and Punishment, with the main character echoing Raskolnikov’s resentment and disdain for society, and aiming to enact change regardless of the hurt it does to other people as well as the loss of self it generates. Check out the review on that I’ve done if you’re interested in that entry point to Dostoyevsky.

It fits alongside The Devils, The Idiot and Brothers Karamazov as part of a greater, broader epic, with overlapping characters and themes.

Setting and Imagery

Set in St Petersburg, Raskolnikov, a former student, intelligent and proud but surrounded by poverty, is contemplating a crime. This is no ordinary crime thriller though. Raskolnikov eventually commits the crime, but has to deal with the moral after-effects of such an action. He is slaying his old ideals to pave the way for the new, but is the cost worth it? This represents the new utopianism and nihilism being driven from the West into Russia, at the expense of traditionalist, religious values.

Characters such as Pyotr Petrovich and Svidrigailov even start to talk in similar ways as their true nature is revealed, patronising Raskolnikov and trying to subdue him in their own cleverness. The weather becomes more prominent in imagery towards the end of the book, reflecting the dismal view of Raskolnikov’s situation.

Plot and characters

The book ventures through the interactions of Raskolnikov, his sister’s engagement to Luzhin, his fear of getting caught and changing moral attitude to his crime over time. He has reasons for committing the crime, and the book explores whether these really were his reasons or not. He gets entrenched in lies, getting caught, the anxiety of not knowing who knows. But much of this entails deeper psychological commentary on the human condition, Raskolnikov questions the difference between what he sees as the best, morally virtuous people being downtrodden by those above them whilst those higher in society commit sin all the time. He responds with resentment and lashes out as a result. Other characters, despite enduring much suffering, react differently such as Sonya, who remains hopeful with her traditionalist values and, despite all the troubles she puts up with, endures it stoically and it’s only in encountering Raskolnikov that perhaps this view is tarnished, perhaps a representation of the clash of nihilism with traditionalism.

By contrast, Svidrigailov represents extreme cynicism. He engages in fulfilling his every desire, without recourse to others, the opposite of Raskolnikov’s self-denial and guilt at what he’s done. Although distanced from traditionalist values, he rejects all morality and tears down everything around him, not seeing any good in it. He’s the cynical fleshy husk that is devoid of conscience, and denies life itself.

Through his interactions Dostoyevsky takes us through a social commentary, the moral dilemma of removing religion in a proto-Nietzsche vision of asking what fills the void of traditionalist religious values, and hinting at a critique of socialism.

Readability

The book is quite readable, but some of the language and dialogue can feel slightly belaboured from slightly archaic style. However, the language is not difficult. Many of the deeper themes and motifs might be missed, and so further reading or accompanying notes might be useful to truly follow the depth of the book.

Final Score

There’s a reason this is a classic. The imagery is timely, and ramps up towards the end to emphasize the feelings of pessimism. The characters have clearly defined perspectives, many of which evolve and change. The wider commentary on society, values, philosophy and themes of guilt and punishment are often subtle but penetrating. It’s a fantastic book, and one everybody should read for it's depth, insight and tension.

10/10