Redemption In Crime And Punishment

“Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do”– Voltaire. In Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, the main character is guilty of doing what he believes is the right way to go about dealing with problems, committing a crime. The man believes that by committing a crime he is doing something to help the world, while in reality he is committing a crime that will lead to suffering. Dostoevsky uses the theme of redemption through suffering to show that people are flawed but can be forgiven for sinful actions. Throughout the novel, Dostoevsky uses the idea that some men have a right to commit a crime if they can do something that helps the world. Rodya, the main character, proves this theory when he murders the pawn broker and her sister. By doing this he has a Napoleon like complex that allows one to

Rodya in the novel is in love with Sonya. Sonya must prostitute herself in order to support her family. She becomes a symbol for Rodya and represents the suffering that is in the world, this also creates a feeling of sympathy for Sonya and all the impoverished people that are living in misery. While she is suffering, Rodya is full of guilt for killing Sonya’s friend the sister of the pawn broker. When he tells Sonya what he has done, she says he must admit his guilt in order to be redeemed of his crimes. Dostoevsky shows that no one is outside of God’s love and can be forgiven of all sins. Rodya believes he is above the law and sees himself as someone who rids the world of all things evil and bad. With this in mind, he believes that by murdering the broker he is getting rid of an immoral person but in turn is committing a crime himself. Dostoevsky does this to show how the soul and mind have its own way of working and shows crime does not satisfy the soul. Fyodor Dostoevsky is able to show that while he committed sinful acts, by admitting guilt one may be