Comparing Dostoevsky's Crime And Punishment

Typically, the actual crime and punishment itself are the focal points in most novels, but in Crime and Punishment, they are hardly mentioned compared to the rest of the novel. While the criminal’s motives and thought process behind a crime is important, the offender’s psyche after the deed is just as important as seeing an insight to the person as a human not just as a criminal especially in regards to Raskolnikov. The deteriorating state of Raskolnikov’s mind due to his stubborn ideologies of nihilism, utilitarianism, and rational egoism is a pivotal point Dostoevsky uses to emphasize how personally inflicted torment is worse than the lawful repercussions. Due to Raskolnikov’s obsession with justifying his actions with his ideologies, he

Instead of being elated to see his mom and sister after three years, Raskolnikov faints and irritably cries, “I can’t bear this, I just can’t. Stop tormenting me! That’s enough, just leave…I can’t bear it” (Dostoevsky 183)! He does not care about the effect of his outburst on his mother and sister but rather be in silence and think more about his ideologies. He pushes his family away and gives up having that close family bond due to being absorbed in thoughts about the crimes, being caught, and justifying his actions that ultimately isolates him from a healthy friendship as well. Razumikhin pinpoints Raskolnikov’s disregard for others when he describes him as, “Sometimes, though…not hypochondriac at all, just cold and unfeeling to an almost inhuman degree…” (Dostoevsky 200). Razumikhin has been a very good friend to Raskolnikov by being there

Raskolnikov is so preoccupied with protecting his ideologies that he mentally drives himself insane and physically gets himself sick. He is not concerned with his outward appearance but rather to avoid society and spend time thinking and justifying his rationale behind his crime. He is so poorly dressed and dirty that, “…[people] could very easily have taken him for a beggar, a real copeck collector…” (Dostoevsky 107). He hardly eats, which also adds to his frequent fainting. Also, Raskolnikov has many psychological breakdowns and is always tired. He also realizes his self-inflicted torture as he mutters to himself that, “I’ve tormented myself, torn myself to pieces, and don’t even know what I’m doing…Yesterday, the day before, all these days- on torment after another…” (Dostoevsky 104). Thus, he is very lost and his earlier conceptions about his ideologies might actually not be right. People also think he has gone mad with his temperament, incoherent, and emotional state. Raskolnikov is suffering a lot and beating himself up: “But as for that – well, he’d completely forgotten about that; yet not a minute passed without him remembering that he’d forgotten something that mustn’t be forgotten – and he went through agony trying to recall it” (Dostoevsky 111). This quotation