Religion In Dostoevsky's Crime And Punishment

Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment is a psychologically charged novel in which the primary element that plagues the protagonist, Rodion Raskolnikov, is not a person but rather an idea; his own idea. Raskolnikov has an unhealthy obsession with rendering himself into what he perceives as the ideal, supreme human being, an übermensch. Raskolnikov forms for himself a theory in which he will live purely according to his own will and transcend the social norms and moralities that dominate society. Raskolnikov suggests that acts commonly regarded as immoral are to be reserved for a certain rank of “extraordinary” men. Raskolnikov’s faith

Dostoevsky litters the novel with the biblical allusion of Lazarus. Sonia disseminates the legend to the largely agnostic Raskolnikov: “ ‘And when he thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth’” (Dostoevsky 328). This reference to Lazarus serves to foreshadow Raskolnikov’s own redemption. In fact, Raskolnikov

By not following the rules established by Christianity, Raskolnikov is essentially making himself God, which is an internal struggle throughout the novel because Raskolnikov feels guilty about it. Although he commits murder, which is impermissible in a religious and societal context, Raskolnikov actually saw some value in religion. It is for

The “Search for justice” is a common characteristic of all of our lives, but it is perhaps best represented by the struggle with which Rakolnikov must face in Crime and Punishment. Faced with a bleak situation in his life, Raskolnikov must come to understand not the definition of justice in societal terms, but rather who is eligible to determine the meaning of justice and carry it out in the first place. Through his killing of the pawnbroker and her sister, Raskolnikov comes to realize that he is ineligible to deliver justice himself and must rely on the will of God to define his set of morals and standards.

Raskolnikov, the main character of the novel Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoevsky, actually possesses two completely contradicting personalities. One part of him is intellectual: cold, unfeeling, inhumane, and exhibiting tremendous self-will. It is this side of him that enables him to commit the most terrible crime imaginable - taking another human life. The other part of his personality is warm and compassionate. This side of him  does charitable acts and fights against the evil in his society.

In the novel “Crime and Punishment”, the author, Fyodor Dostoevsky gives the reader a glimpse into the mind of a tormented criminal, by his guilt of a murder. Dostoevsky’s main focal point of the novel doesn’t lie within the crime nor the punishment but within the self-conflicting battle of a man and his guilty conscience. The author portrays tone by mood manipulation and with the use of descriptive diction to better express his perspective in the story, bringing the reader into the mind of the murderer.

Often times in literature, we are presented with quintessential characters that are all placed into the conventional categories of either good or bad. In these pieces, we are usually able to differentiate the characters and discover their true intentions from reading only a few chapters. However, in some remarkable pieces of work, authors create characters that are so realistic and so complex that we are unable to distinguish them as purely good or evil. In the novel Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky develops the morally ambiguous characters of Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov to provide us with an interesting read and to give us a chance to evaluate each character.

After this reading of Lazurus, Raskolnikov expresses his need for Sonya as he states “ None of them will understand anything, if you start talking with them...but I understand. I need you, and so I've come to you” (Part 4. p.329). At this point Raskolnikov had abandoned his family and was now reliant on Sonya being his main support. Sonya took on the problems that Raskolnikov have even though she was dealing with her problems of family death, Katerina, and herself living in poverty. Raskolnikov knew that being alone was not healthy and Sonya was in the same situation, so he took

Dostoevsky did not specifically express belief nor disbelief in God. According to Philosophy in Russia, “Dostoevsky has been represented as a firm believer in God, whereas in a letter he said plainly that the existence of God was the principal question or problem which had tormented him throughout his life” (Copleston 163). Dostoevsky’s hesitant viewpoint also became present in his novel through his characters. For example, he characterized Raskolnikov with a similar unestablished faith, claiming on page 271 that “Perhaps God does not exist.” Raskolnikov struggles internally with guilt and shame that he questions his own beliefs. He speaks with Sonya shortly later, and confesses his belief to her that ‘Lord, I believe that thou art the Son of God, which should come into the world.” (Dostoevsky 276). Raskolnikov begins to have a change of heart about his faith once he is able to confess to another person and trust Sonya. Dostoevsky also incorporated his ideas of philosophy with the ideas of theology. He believed that people should be allowed to choose their religious preferences and faith. On the other hand, Dunya was presented as very devoted to a specific belief in God. She trusted God and used her faith as a form of reassurance when she stated “It was God himself who sent that man to us, although he comes straight from some drinking bout. I am sure we can rely on him” (Dostoevsky 172). Although she knows Raskolnikov is unreliable and irresponsible, she uses God as her source of certainty. Dostoevsky gives his characters the freedom to establish their own outlooks while expressing his belief in existentialism. Some of his characters are heavily devoted, while others are erratic with their position, reflecting Dostoevsky's beliefs in character

After the gruesome murder in Part 1 of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov becomes indecisive in his guilt, ethics, and even daily actions, and through the uncertainty he loses all the control he had in his life. He goes around debating whether he should turn himself in, the people he should tell, and his future actions. In his indecisiveness he begins to feel helpless, and through his friend’s death and his total exhaustion, it seems like he loses only more control. His day culminates, as he arrives home, only to realize he forgot his family’s expected arrival, and becomes inadequately prepared to deal with his family’s caring concern. After having so much power through the murder

Crime and Punishment, written by Fyodor Dostoevsky, is a novel about the actions of a man, his punishment, and his eventual redemption. Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, (Raski), is a man with many flaws. By the end of part one, he had already murdered two women, a pawnbroker, and her friend. This act is very important for it sets the tone for the rest of the plot. The majority of Dostoevsky’s book is about the suffering Raskolnikov endures and how, through his pain, Raski is able to achieve redemption. Among Dostoevsky’s use of many techniques, his use of literary motifs, and Christian allusions help to convey the importance of religion in redemption.

In Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky discusses justice, questioning who or what determines this ideal. Primarily, he focuses on a man named Raskolnikov, who murders two women and then wrestles with his motives. As Raskolnikov’s hopeless outlook drives him to madness, his friend Sonia reveals an alternative view of justice, which allows for redemption. Through analyzing his character’s viewpoints, Dostoevsky never explicitly defines justice; instead, he exposes his audience to different interpretations to form their own conclusions. However, by depicting Raskolnikov spiraling into madness, Dostoevsky guides his reader to reject justice as determined by man in favor of it established by a higher power.

Dostoyevsky most likely modeled Crime and Punishment after his own experiences. Since the two men's lives had striking similarities, many people believed that was evidence to prove their thinking. As Raskolnikov was overcome with tremendous suffering, sent to Siberia, and fell madly in love with a beautiful woman; so did Dostoyevsky within his lifetime. "I do believe that the character (Raskolnikov) was the epitome of Dostoyevsky's life." (Timoney)

The main theme of Crime and Punishment is estrangement from society. In the beginning, Raskolnikov distances himself from the people of the world. “It was not that he was a cowed or naturally timorous person, far from it; but he had been for some time in an almost morbid state of irritability and tension. He had cut himself off from everybody and withdrawn so completely into himself that he now shrank from every kind of contact.” He was poor but because of his egotistic view of his importance and his feelings of superiority to everyone else he “had ceased to concern himself with everyday

If I could meet Dostoevsky I would ask him what his inspiration for Crime and Punishment was. Sometimes I wonder if the novel was written to give us insight to how Dostoevsky felt about the world. Maybe he is using the character Raskolnikov to portray a part of him who feels alienated from the world, and is torn apart