Literary Criticism of Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment is loosely a reflection of Dostoevsky’s life. The characters in this book resemble those in his personal life, and the novel is a manifestation of the Dostoevsky’s inner thoughts and emotions after imprisonment.

Dostoevsky was charged of committing actions that criticized the government, church, and tsar, and he was sent to imprisonment in Siberia. While in Siberia, he came to realize that “the criminal himself decides to accept torment in order to redeem his act... criminals had a spiritual need to be punished” (Dartmouth College). Dostoevsky embed his ideas and morals in Raskolnikov which led to the confession of this character’s murders. He believed that confession was the ultimate punishment because the mental struggles leading up to the confession, as depicted with Raskolnikov, proved to be the agonizing when confronting the self. In many ways Dostoevsky molds his way of thinking into Raskolnikov. Dostoevsky had believed in free speech and his intentions were innocent; he had no desire in a revolution. However, the government declared he was guilty, and thus he believed that “taking a new step, uttering a new word is what men fear most” (pg.2).

In 1864 Dostoevsky's brother, Mikhail, had died, so Dostoevsky took on his brother’s debts, and along with his own financial troubles, Dostoevsky remained in debt for many years which parallels Raskolnikov’s character who was always poor. Through Raskolnikov’s character, Dostoevsky was able to show the bitterness he had towards his situation. While in prison, Dostoevsky wrote, “There were moments when I hated everybody I came across, innocent or guilty, and looked at them as thieves who were robbing me of my life with impunity. The most unbearable misfortune is when you yourself become unjust, malignant, vile; you realize it, you even reproach yourself – but you just can’t help it”, which were some of the traits he uses to characterize Raskolnikov (Dartmouth College). For example in the novel, Raskolnikov had severe mood swings: “suddenly a  strange surprising sensation of a sort of bitter hatred for Sonia passed through his heart...his hatred vanished like a phantom” (pg.321). This shows how difficult Dostoevsky believes self-discipline proves to be which explains why the punishment of confession is so tormentful.

Katerina Ivanova highly resembled Dostoevsky’s mother, and her character reveals Dostoevsky’s inner feelings toward his own mother. Dostoevsky’s mother bore many children, had a tyrannical husband, and died of tuberculosis. He had hated her, and he was jealous that her love went to his siblings. However in the novel, Katerina is depicted as a person who would do anything to keep her children from starving and as a wife that was suffering from the actions of her husband. This reveals that Dostoevsky had at times pitied his own mother, and through Sonia’s words about her mother such as “she is quite like a child... her mind is quite unhinged, you see... from sorrow”, Dostoevsky tries to defend her (pg. 251). As said by Holquist, “Such anger and compassion for his mother might account for Dostoevsky's complex rendering of women as saints and whores.” This type of characterization can be seen through Sonia. Dostoevsky illustrates Sonia as a young woman that is forced into prostitution as her last option to support her sick mother and young siblings.

The knowledge of Dostoevsky’s background and days of confinement explains the ideals and themes of Crime and Punishment. Raskolnikov talks of Napoleon and great people who do not have to be punished for their crimes. They are not punished because they do not not feel sorry for the victim since they believe the sacrifice was needed in order for great accomplishments (pg. 210). Here Dostoevsky makes a philosophical point. It is up to the individual to decide whether he has committed wrong and thus go through the process of confession. People define their own standards of crime, and even if others accuse them of guilt, penalizing judgements such as time in jail are not true forms of punishment. The lessons learned through self discipline and confession dictate true mental punishment which eventually leads to spiritual enlightenment.

Citations

Dartmouth College. "The Brothers Karamazov." The Brothers Karamazov. Dartmouth College, 4 Jan. 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. <http://www.dartmouth.edu/~karamazov/resources/?page_id=513>.

Dostoyevsky, Fyodor, and Constance Garnett. Crime and Punishment. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2001. Print.

Holquist, Michael. "'The Freud of Fiction'? : DOSTOEVSKY The Author as Psychoanalyst by Louis Breger." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 03 June 1990. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. <http://articles.latimes.com/1990-06-03/books/bk-957_1_dostoevsky-breger-freud>.