Crime And Punishment Wealth Quotes

Pope Francis once said, “The worship of the golden calf of old has found a new and heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy which is faceless and lacking any truly human goal”. This quote explicates many of the ideals shown throughout Crime and Punishment by demonstrating that people worship money as a god. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky takes place in 19th century Russia. During this time, there are the rich and there are poor, with very few members of the middle class. Raskolnikov, the main character, is a peasant who is enraged with the treatment he receives from the world. His rage is aimed toward one person, a pawnbroker, who has cheated many fellow peasants out of their possessions for meager

He often illustrates this in his encounters with Dounia and her family by purchasing her extravagant gifts. Social hierarchy is extremely important to Luzhin; he feels that money can buy anything from marriage to happiness and anything in between. This inflates his ego, transforming him into a pompous man that believes that wealth is more important than love or friendship. After Dounia breaks off her engagement with Luzhin, he asks himself: "Am I to get married simply for the sake of the furniture?"(Dostoevsky 235), showing that he does not care about love. Love is a foreign concept to him; he only cares about finding someone who can take care of his needs. Not only does Luzhin use his money to buy people, he also tries to destroy people’s lives. Later in the novel Luzhin accuses Sonia of stealing: “immediately after your visit I found that a hundred-rouble note was missing from my table, in the room of my friend Mr. Lebeziatnikov"(Dostoevsky 438). Luzhin makes these false accusations in the hope that he may one day take his revenge for Rasklnikov decimating his engagement, being from a waethlier class he believs that everyone will take his side in the matter. Socioeconomics shapes Pyotr’s aspirations in life making him a cynical man that only cherishes materials. Money changes Sonia’s life as

Luzhin believes that his money gives him superiority over everyone. Sonia’s lack of wealth forces her into the world of prostitution in order to help her family. Finally, Raskolnikov’s poverty prompts him to commit murder in the pursuit of wealth. Just like in the novel, people in society are affected divergently either by the possession of money or the lack thereof. As a material society, people are constantly in the pursuit of more wealth. The rich seek to obtain more, and some poor look to find a way to take from the wealthy. In the end, socioeconomic status fuels the desires of many individuals, and jealousy and anger fuel their actions. This jealousy drives many people to commit acts that seem insane and can turn any peaceful society into one that has a war between the