Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment is a psychological novel exploring crime and inner conflict. Was Raskolnikov’s choice justified? Can his crime be forgiven?

Crime and Punishment Synopsis

Raskolnikov, a young man living in an old boarding house in St. Petersburg, is contemplating murdering an old woman who runs a nearby pawnshop. However, he lacks the courage to carry out the act. He happens to meet Marmeladov, a retired official and Sonya’s father, at a tavern and drinks with him. Marmeladov is an alcoholic and unemployed. Raskolnikov helps the drunken Marmeladov home, but Marmeladov’s wife, Katerina, scolds him for drinking with her husband. Raskolnikov takes out money and leaves it on the windowsill of Marmeladov’s room. The next morning, Raskolnikov receives a letter from his landlady Nastasya, informing him that his mother writes his sister Dunya is to be married. Raskolnikov rages that Dunya is to marry the elderly lawyer Luzhin for the family’s sake. Enraged, he heads out to find his friend Razumikhin, but, not in his right mind, wanders aimlessly and returns to the boarding house. After a brief nap, Raskolnikov dreams a nightmare: a horse pulling a cart is surrounded by drunken men and beaten with whips. Waking from the dream in anguish, he goes out into the street again. There, in a market alleyway, he overhears a conversation between Lizaveta, the pawnbroker’s sister, and a merchant. Lizaveta is making plans to meet the merchant again at the market tomorrow evening at seven o’clock. Lizaveta is the only sister living with the old woman. If Lizaveta is at the market at 7 PM, the old woman will be left alone at the pawnshop during that time. Raskolnikov considers overhearing this conversation unexpectedly a sign from God. The next day, he hides an axe inside his coat and goes to the pawnshop. Arriving at the pawnshop, Raskolnikov pretends to pawn an item, then strikes the old woman with the axe, killing her. He then finds the key in her inner pocket, pulls out the trunk from under the bed, and stuffs the gold inside into his own pockets. But just then, the old woman’s sister, Lizaveta, who had been out, entered the pawnshop and saw the murdered body. Panicked, Raskolnikov killed Lizaveta with the axe too and hurriedly fled the pawnshop.
Returning home, Raskolnikov hides the stolen items from the pawnshop the next day by peeling back the wallpaper in a corner of his room and stuffing them inside. He tries to throw out the bloodstained clothes but is overcome by chills and lies down in bed. Shortly after, he receives a summons to appear at the police station. Overcome with despair, Raskolnikov heads to the station. Contrary to his fears, however, the summons concerns overdue rent, unrelated to the pawnshop murders. Relieved, Raskolnikov prepares to leave the station when he overhears the newly arrived police chief and an officer discussing the pawnshop murders. Overhearing their conversation, Raskolnikov faints. When he regains consciousness, the policeman abruptly interrogates him about his whereabouts at the time of the pawnbroker’s death. Perhaps moved by Raskolnikov’s frail appearance, the police chief tells the policeman to stop and sends Raskolnikov home. Back home, consumed by anxiety that his apartment might be searched, Raskolnikov hides the stolen items from the pawnshop near a deserted riverside. He then visits his friend Razumikhin. Raskolnikov rambles incoherently before Razumikhin and returns to his lodgings. Finding Raskolnikov’s behavior strange, Razumikhin follows him. After entering his home, Raskolnikov loses consciousness for three days. During this time, Razumikhin and medical student Zosimov care for him. When Raskolnikov regains consciousness, he anxiously asks Razumikhin if he spoke nonsense in his sleep. Lazumihin discusses the pawnbroker’s wife murder with the medical student Zosimov, who is nearby. After sending them away, Raskolnikov returns to the pawnshop. He looks into the old woman’s room and then steps out onto the street. There, he discovers Marmeladov, who has been hit by a carriage, and takes him home. There, he meets Marmeladov’s daughter, Sonya. Marmeladov eventually dies, and Raskolnikov gives 25 rubles to Sonya’s sister, Katerina, before leaving Sonya’s house. At this moment, Raskolnikov encounters the police chief again, who has come to handle Marmeladov’s case. Sonia’s sister, who has come out of the house, asks Raskolnikov for his address and name, saying Sonia told her to ask. She then says she will pray for him for the rest of her life. Hearing this, Raskolnikov gains a sense of self-worth. Now Raskolnikov begins to justify the murder of the old woman.
Returning home, Raskolnikov sees his sister Dunya and his mother. Dunya has come to discuss marriage matters. Raskolnikov tells Dunya he hopes she won’t marry Luzhin. Lazumihin, who is nearby, gets angry at Raskolnikov for speaking harshly to Dunya. Lazumihin takes Raskolnikov’s mother and sister to the hotel where they are staying. The next day, Dunya and her mother visit Raskolnikov again. Feeling better than yesterday, Raskolnikov warmly welcomes them. Shortly after, Sonya comes to see Raskolnikov. She asks him to attend her father’s funeral. Raskolnikov readily agrees and asks Sonya to show him the address. Sonya points out the address and leaves Raskolnikov’s lodgings. Sonya finds herself drawn to Raskolnikov. Hearing that the investigating magistrate is examining people who have pawned items, Raskolnikov decides to go see the magistrate himself. Learning that his friend Razumikhin is related to the judge, Raskolnikov goes with him to the home of Porfiry, the investigating magistrate. Raskolnikov intends to meet Porfiry and explain everything, but Porfiry has already completed his investigation into Raskolnikov. He mentions being deeply impressed by a paper Raskolnikov submitted two months prior titled “On Crime.” The essay argued that extraordinary individuals do not become criminals. Porfiry expresses interest in Raskolnikov’s essay and asks what he was doing at the time the pawnshop murder occurred. Razumikhin states that Raskolnikov visited the pawnshop before the incident and then leaves Porfiry’s house. That night, Raskolnikov suffers from a nightmare in which he murders the pawnshop old woman. One day, a man visits Raskolnikov’s apartment. It is Svidrigailov, the landlord from the house where Dunya worked as a tutor. Svidrigailov asks Raskolnikov to arrange a meeting with Dunya and then leaves. Shortly after, when Razumikhin arrives, Raskolnikov goes to meet his mother and sister Dunya, who are staying at an inn. Raskolnikov tells Dunya that Svidrigailov and his wife left money for them, but Dunya says she cannot accept it and declares she will marry Luzhin. However, Raskolnikov objects to her marrying the much older Luzhin. Luzhin, who was present, insults Raskolnikov in front of Dunya. Disappointed, the mother and Dunya drive Luzhin out of the hotel. Dunya swears to Raskolnikov she will never see Luzhin again. Raskolnikov tells Dunya and her mother he has done all he can, entrusts matters to Razumikhin, and leaves. Raskolnikov goes to find Sonya. He asks her to read the passage from the Bible about Lazarus being resurrected. After Sonya finishes reading the Bible, Raskolnikov, seeming to have made a decision, hints at being the murderer of the pawnbroker’s old woman and leaves Sonya’s house. However, at that moment, Svidrigailov, who was staying at Sonya’s house, overhears their conversation. The next day, Raskolnikov goes to the office of Porfiry, the investigating magistrate. Raskolnikov shouts at Porfiry, telling him to arrest him normally if he is certain he is the murderer. At that moment, Nikolai, who had been mistakenly suspected of killing the old woman, enters the office, kneels down, and confesses to Porfiry that he killed the old woman. Raskolnikov is stunned. Released from suspicion as the murderer, Raskolnikov goes to find Sonya. He then confesses everything to Sonya, telling her he killed the old woman. Sonya urges Raskolnikov to turn himself in. Returning home, Raskolnikov agonizes for several days. When Dunya visits, he bids her farewell, wishing her well with Razumikhin. That night, walking the streets, Raskolnikov discovers Katerina collapsed on the sidewalk. He and Sonya carry her to Sonya’s house. Katerina apologizes to Sonya, entrusts her with the children, and dies. At that moment, Svidrigailov, waiting outside the door, threatens Raskolnikov, claiming to know everything about the pawnshop murder and demanding Raskolnikov allow him to continue seeing Dunya. Shortly after, Investigating Magistrate Porfiry arrives, tells Raskolnikov he is the murderer, and gives him time to turn himself in. Meanwhile, Svidryagin summons Dunya, promising to tell her her brother’s secret. Svidryagin tells Dunya that Raskolnikov murdered the old woman and offers to help Raskolnikov escape abroad if she stays with him. But Dunya rejects his proposal. Instead, she fires a pistol at Svidryagin as he approaches her. The bullet misses him, but Svidrigaïlov, realizing he cannot change Dunya’s mind, shoots himself with his pistol the moment she leaves the room. Raskolnikov goes to his mother to beg forgiveness, then heads out into the street to find Sonya’s house. He asks Sonya to pray for him one last time before stepping out onto the street. Kissing the ground, Raskolnikov goes to the police station and turns himself in. Thanks to his surrender, his sentence is commuted, and he is sentenced to eight years of hard labor. Raskolnikov is imprisoned in a Siberian penal colony, and Sonya follows him. After eight years, Raskolnikov will start a new life with Sonya.

Crime and Punishment Review

Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky, a representative work of 19th-century Russian literature, is a psychological novel that follows the mind of a young man named Raskolnikov who murders an old pawnbroker. While the content can be broadly divided into four parts, it can also be split into three sections centered on Raskolnikov’s emotions. The first part covers his emotions up to the moment he murders the old woman. The second part details his emotional journey after the murder, from being tormented by guilt to justifying the killing. The third part follows his process of confessing everything and deciding to turn himself in. Examining the path leading up to Raskolnikov’s murder reveals he experiences deep internal conflict before carrying out the act. The author attributes his reasons for killing the old woman to hatred for those who possess and to a strong sense of self-love. Therefore, the author places two episodes. One is Raskolnikov’s encounter with Marmeladov. Marmeladov is tormented by his alcoholism, which has forced his daughter, Sonya, onto the streets. Seeing Marmeladov, Raskolnikov feels pity for the poor. The other episode involves his sister, Dunya. Dunya intends to marry the wealthy Ryzhin for the family’s sake. Raskolnikov opposes Dunya’s marriage. His reason for opposing it is his unwillingness to be enslaved by money. The idea that his sister would marry for money, for his sake, is unbearable to his strong sense of pride. Through these two episodes, Raskolnikov carries out the murder.
After killing the old woman, Raskolnikov also experiences severe inner conflict. The drama’s development then proceeds in a direction that maximizes Raskolnikov’s inner conflict. After committing the murder, he wakes from sleep to find a summons from the police station. He attends, his heart pounding, only to discover it concerns not the pawnshop murder but his overdue lodging fees. Suspense arises from this moment. The reader knows Raskolnikov is guilty. But the police chief and inspector, his opponents, do not. The suspense of “What if he’s discovered?” sparks interest. This tension escalates further with the appearance of Judge Porfiry. Thus, Crime and Punishment is exceptionally well-crafted in its structure, more so than any other masterpiece novel. It feels like watching a movie plot unfold, making it hard to look away until the very last page. The drama after the murder unfolds as Raskolnikov, tormented by guilt, seeks to justify his guilt. This is why the episode of Marmeladov being run over by a carriage appears. Marmeladov’s death leads Raskolnikov to meet Sonya. He then gives her sister a small sum of money, and unexpectedly, she says she will pray for Raskolnikov. Having never felt acknowledged by anyone before, Raskolnikov regains his confidence through this event. Meeting Sonya also gives him a will to be happy, leading him to begin justifying his crime. Yet guilt and fear still grip him. This is why he seeks out the investigating magistrate. Hearing that the magistrate investigates people who pawn items, he hopes to prove his innocence and escape his fear. But upon meeting the magistrate, Raskolnikov is instead overcome by even greater dread. The magistrate seems to see right through Raskolnikov’s soul. After meeting the magistrate, Raskolnikov gradually comes to admit his crime. And Sonya plays an increasingly active role in transforming his emotions. Though she sells her body, Sonya is honest and beautiful. Seeing her, Raskolnikov cannot accept his own deceit. So, even after the pawnbroker confessed to being the culprit, he goes to Sonya and pours out all his secrets. The protagonist, though he committed murder, possesses an inner will directed toward goodness.
At the novel’s conclusion, Raskolnikov turns himself in and faces punishment. His sentence is reduced due to his remorse and the recognition that he was in a state of diminished mental capacity at the time of the murder. This ending reveals the author’s affection for the protagonist. It is said that Dostoevsky was in dire financial straits when he wrote Crime and Punishment. Having squandered his life through gambling, he may have been seeking forgiveness for his past actions through this novel. The main plot is the drama between Raskolnikov and Sonya. However, the novel devotes as much space to the subplots as it does to the main plot. The most representative subplots are those of Dunya and Lyudin, and Svidryagin. Particularly in the drama between Dunya and Svidryagin, Svidryagin’s death serves to quell the internal conflict within the protagonist, Raskolnikov.
Dostoevsky, beginning with The Poor Folk in 1846, went on to create great novels such as Notes from Underground, The Idiot, The Possessed, and The Brothers Karamazov. Among these, Crime and Punishment can be considered his greatest masterpiece.