Raskolnikov's Motives In Crime And Punishment

In the novel “Crime and Punishment” written by Fyodor Dostoevsky, one of the questions being asked and discussed over the course of the novel is what motivated Rodion Raskolnikov to kill the pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanovna. This question is continuously posed throughout the novel, not only by the secondary characters but also by Raskolnikov himself. Many potential reasons for this "crime" are introduced throughout, which further complicates the already ambiguous reasoning behind his actions and his motives for the murder. The assumption which first arises is that he murdered the pawnbroker with the intention of increasing the wealth of his family, who are currently living a life of poverty. He feels a burden to provide for his family; this is demonstrated

The discussion of Raskolnikov’s article “On Crime” introduces the philosophical justifications for such a premeditated murder. Raskolnikov's philosophy of ordinary versus extraordinary individuals in society seems to strongly highlight his motives for killing the Ivanovna; he believes those who can transcend the law are extraordinary and superior, while those who abide by the law are ordinary and inconsequential. Raskolnikov does not know which class he belongs to prior to the murder therefore he kills the pawnbroker in order to determine whether or not he can be considered an extraordinary person. However, this still does not give him clarity and he is pursued by this uncertainty throughout the remainder of the novel. During his second interview with the Porfiry Petrovich, the magistrate in charge of investigating Ivanovna’s murder, he describes a guilty man suffering from agony and guilt as , “…sick, nervous and irritable!...And then how they all suffer from spleen!” (661-662), highlighting the exact distress Raskolnikov is currently in. It can be concluded that Raskolnikov belongs to the "ordinary" class as his mental condition, his state of mind, and his future were so predictable to

This theory supports a previously conversation between two gentlemen in a tavern, overheard by Raskolnikov, when one of them sarcastically stated, "Kill her [Alyona Ivanovna], take her money and with the help of it devote yourself service of humanity and the good of all” (138). During Raskolnikov’s meeting with Petrovich, it is pointed out that if he “carr[ies] out logically the theory [that Luzhin was] advocating [for] just now…people may be killed..." (304). This makes it tempting to conclude that Raskolnikov did in fact kill the pawnbroker for the good of society, but the entire idea is futile as he fails to utilize or preserve the items he steals from her after he murders