Crime and Punishment

Through the story of the brilliant but conflicted young Raskolnikov and the
murder he commits, Fyodor Dostoyevsky explores the theme of redemption through
suffering. “Crime and Punishment” put Dostoyevsky at the forefront of Russian
writers when it appeared in 1866 and is now one of the most famous and
influential novels in world literature. The poverty-stricken Raskolnikov, a
talented student, devises a theory about extraordinary men being above the
law, since in their brilliance they think “new thoughts” and so contribute to
society. He then sets out to prove his theory by murdering a vile, cynical old
pawnbroker and her sister. The act brings Raskolnikov into contact with his
own buried conscience and with two characters — the deeply religious Sonia,
who has endured great suffering, and Porfiry, the intelligent and discerning
official who is charged with investigating the murder — both of whom compel
Raskolnikov to feel the split in his nature. Dostoyevsky provides readers with
a suspenseful, penetrating psychological analysis that goes beyond the crime —
which in the course of the novel demands drastic punishment — to reveal
something about the human condition: The more we intellectualize, the more
imprisoned we become.