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Crime And Punishment Analysis

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There are multiple times in Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky that Raskolnikov’s mentality towards his actions change drastically. Although the ending of Crime and Punishment may suggest that Raskolnikov has a chance at redemption, his mental state is far too inconsistent to come to this conclusion. In one chapter, Raskolnikov is remorseful and deeply regrets his actions, even telling himself that he will confess, but in another, he acts as if he never even committed the crime and he believes that there is no chance of him ever being caught for his wrongdoings. Raskolnikov’s first attitude towards what he has done is shown immediately after he murders Aliona and Lizaveta. After Raskolnikov commits the crime, he is in utter shock that he was actually able to go through with his intended actions. He …show more content…

At first, he is very concerned that the police will eventually find out that he was the person who actually killed Aliona and Lizaveta, but this fear was momentary. “‘It’s all double-edged. Now everything is double-edged.’ Raskolnikov repeated, and he left the room more boldly than he had at any time before” (349). This quote refers to when Raskolnikov realizes that the only evidence Porfiry has against him is his intuition, rather than hard evidence such as the murder weapon or the items Raskolnikov stole from the crime scene. The mentioning of his boldness as he walked out of his room truly emphasizes how he is more confident than he ever has been that he has no chance of being found guilty for his horrendous crime. It is as if he erases it from his memory and acts like it never even occurred. Raskolnikov’s mentality towards his actions radically changes between right after the crime was committed and after Nikolay confesses to the murders. His inconsistency of opinion is also shown greatly in the epilogue of Crime and

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