BOOK REVIEW

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

BY-Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The novel “CRIME AND PUNISHMENT” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky gives a

very crisp knowledge about the concept of crime and the punishment associated
to the crime. The story revolves around Rodion Raskolnikov, the main character
in the novel. Without the extraneous tracks in classic Dostoyevskian style, it asks
a very simple question: if one murders the exact definition of evil, a nasty-vermin,
to save hundreds of innocents, how can it be labelled a crime, and who can select
a suitable punishment? The novel gives us a detail about the intention of a murder
or what were his circumstances for his actions. Here, in the novel Raskolnikov
commits a crime and is eventually chastised as a result of his actions. However,
the punishment depicted throughout the novel is not what you would expect.
Crime and punishment is a classic, and there is no doubt about it. It has
prearranged and calculated murder masquerading as mental illness, actual mental
illness, animal cruelty, abuse, violence, prostitution, deceitful confessions,
romance, tragic deaths, alcohol addiction, and poverty. Fear, doubt, and guilt are
important themes in the novel, which also touches on poverty, family, and
addiction. We also get to know about the types of crime existed in the 19th
century.
About the plot-
Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment is a gloomy portrayal of 19th-century
Russian society, the story of a gruesome murder and the murderer's subsequent
accumulation of remorse. The tale opens with a stunning depiction of a sweltering
July day in 1865. The novel's setting is primarily based on St. Petersburg's
destitute and unclean neighbourhoods. The mood is conveyed through vivid
depictions of scenery and people, with motifs of stiffness, stillness, sweat, grime,
and crowding. Everything exudes complete uncertainty and a scarcity of human
quiet. Raskolnikov, a brilliant but confused student, lives in a rented room of a
run-down apartment in St. Petersburg in the novel Raskolnikov. He devises a
cynical plan to assassinate Alyona Ivanovna, a pawnbroker. Raskolnikov is
forced to discuss and reconcile with his own moral quandaries as a result of the
crime. He spends a long time attempting to convince himself of his strategy. He
eventually determines that his target is an immoral person, and that he is
consequently obligated to murder her for the sake of society. He ultimately
commits after learning that his sister is planning to marry an undesirable man in
order to escape her own dire circumstances. He steals an axe and goes to the
money lender's apartment to murder her. Unfortunately, he also murders her half-
sister, who happens to be nearby. He is too shaken to steal anything more than a
few money and a watch, so he rushes into the streets. he rest of Dostoyevsky's
novel deals with the fallout from this crime, as Rodion's mental health deteriorates
and he tries to avoid the attentions of a police officer named Petrovitch.
This protagonist's psychological analysis extends beyond Raskolnikov's criminal
behaviour. As the novel progresses, it becomes evident that the actual purpose for
Raskolnikov's terrible crime is to prove that he is "special." However, one must
bear the consequences of his conduct. Raskolnikov's instincts begin to fail him at
this point. Raskolnikov is unable to maintain his composure after his crime. His
sense of being caged affects every area of his personality: he distances himself
from friends and potential romantic interests due to his negative self-image.
They're either too good for him, or he's too good for them. He eventually
persuades himself that if he isn't socially superior to those around him, he must
be morally superior. Intense agony and an overwhelming sense of shame
gradually catch up with him.
The climax of the novel reaches when the protagonist confesses in order to be
free of intense agony and overwhelming sense of shame inflicted on him by his
own guilt. As a result, he becomes a victim of what he has been attempting to
remove himself from: his own feelings.
Dostoevsky adapted a real-life crime plot for his novel. An Old-Believer
murdered two ladies with an axe, and his trial was widely publicised. It may have
been an engaging detective narrative, but the crime occurs early in the novel,
while the punishment plays a larger role. Raskolnikov punishes himself, and the
prison, in an odd way, turns out to be a relief from his mental anguish.
Crime and Punishment reminds us and emphasises the significance of
acknowledging and understanding our sentiments, as well as the dangers of
attempting to avoid them. Thus, the novel Crime and Punishment lead us to a
much easier path to understand the concept of crime and the state of mind of a
criminal.

Name of student
SHASHANK KUMAR SHUKLA
SM0122052