Connecting to Crime and Punishment

Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment, displays the transformation of a seemingly extraordinary character, Raskolnikov. Throughout the book, Raskolnikov fights to settle as an ordinary person. He convinces himself that he is more intelligent and generally better than the average human. Raskolnikov’s attitude may be traced back to my big question: in a culture where media and other people tend to shape us, how do we define our character and allow our true self to shine, by pondering the effects of other characters on Raskolnikov throughout. As Raskolnikov compares himself to a drunk, a greedy pawn broker, and a police man, he convinces himself that he is superior to them. The other characters in the book serve to further display Raskolnikov’s madness by promoting the internal conflict within him. Raskolnikov allows others to shape him into a madman. Although most of the novel focuses on Raskolnikov’s journey to confession, eventually Dostoevsky displays that although others may encourage change in one’s character, they can also bring one back to humanity. At the end of the novel Sonia begins to bring Raskolnikov out of his independent state and illustrates the importance of faith and human passion. If Raskolnikov was given the chance to create a “big question”, he would probably ask: If humans have the opportunity to achieve greatness or become economically successful, why is it that humanity ultimately seeks intangibles such as passion, faith, and love? Raskolnikov would be interested in the answer(s) to this question because throughout Crime and Punishment, he struggles to find true meaning and purpose for himself until the end when he comes to terms with humanity.