The Cycle
Landon Thomas
Crime and Punishment Final Essay
Period 2
Raasch
The book Crime and Punishment is a story of a young man named Raskolnikov
who seems to be a victim of his own abnormal ideals. As Raskolnikov transgresses
moral boundaries inherent in his Russian society, he goes through various stages of
changing personality and mental acuity. These five stages are: before the murder, after
the murder, after the illness, after the confession, and after the repentance. During each
stage, Raskolnikov almost acts like an entirely different man from the stage before.
The first stage Raskolnikov goes through is his life leading up to the murder. At
this point, Raskolnikov is an idealistic, but disturbed man. Throughout part one, he is
disturbed by his own horrible thoughts of murdering the pawnbroker. He renounces
those murderous thoughts several times throughout part one. For example, on page
seven, he states, referring to his own thoughts of murder, “‘Oh, God, how loathsome it all
is! and can I, can I possibly. . . . No, it’s nonsense, it’s rubbish!’ he added resolutely.
‘And how could such an atrocious thing come into my head? What filthy things my heart
is capable of. Yes, filthy above all, disgusting, loathsome, loathsome!—and for a whole
month I’ve been. . . .’ But no words, no exclamations, could express his agitation.”
Raskolnikov is obviously very distraught at this point, but apparently, this wretched
mentality has been occurring for a whole month in his life.
Raskolnikov had thoughts of murdering the pawnbroker several times throughout
part one, but every time he renounced such thoughts, he would restore them as valid
within a short amount of time afterwards. In chapter five, Raskolnikov once more
restored those lethal thoughts. “He thought of nothing and was incapable of thinking; but
he suddenly felt in his whole being that he had no more freedom of though, no will, and
that everything was suddenly and irrevocably decided. Certainly, if he had to wait whole
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years for a suitable opportunity, he could not reckon on a more certain step towards the
success of the plan than that which had just presented itself.” [56] Unfortunately for the
pawnbroker, after this point, Raskolnikov never seriously doubted his own resolve until
after the murder. Raskolnikov’s severe, bipolar attitude indicates that Raskolnikov was
never sure of himself. He never knew whether he really wanted to go through with the
murder or not.
The event that initially encouraged him to commit the crime was the conversation
between the officer and the student. The student was telling the officer how it would be
acceptable, or even admirable, to kill the pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanovna. This occurred
during a flashback to a month earlier when Raskolnikov first got the idea to kill the
pawnbroker. Raskolnikov did not treat this conversation as a mere coincidence (as he
had pondering that thought earlier that day), but as a definitive sign that it was his right
and even his responsibility to kill the pawnbroker. The sentence, “This trivial talk in a
tavern had an immense influence on him in his later action; as though there had really
been in it something preordained, some guiding hint. . . .” [59] shows this. The narrator
even admitted that conversation was “trivial talk”, but Raskolnikov was in such a
confused state that this mere coincidence was enough to convince him that the homicide
had to occur.
There was a dream in part one that Raskolnikov had that deeply frightened him.
This dream was probably a flashback to Raskolnikov’s younger life, as there were some
strong implications in chapter five that pointed to this. The narrator described the
meaning of the dream perfectly. On page forty-eight, the narrator described his theme
this way, “In a morbid condition of the brain, dreams often have a singular activity,
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vividness and extraordinary semblance of reality. At times monstrous images are created,
but the setting and the whole picture are to truthlike and filled with details so delicate, so
unexpected, but so artistically consistent, that the dreamer, were he an artist like Pushkin
or Turgenev even, could never have invented them in the waking state. Such sick dreams
always remain long in the memory and make a powerful impression on the overwrought
and deranged nervous system.” The narrator indicated the point of the dream very well in
this statement. The dream showed that Raskolnikov had a lot of turmoil within himself.
He was still wrestling with the thought of whether he should kill the pawnbroker or not.
Eventually, Raskolnikov is pushed over the edge and he commits a cold and
calculated murder. All of his above actions and thoughts indicate that he was not entirely
sure if murdering Alyona was the just thing to do. This shows that, although he had
strong convictions and beliefs, he did not believe in himself enough to be able to actually
go through with the moral transgression his beliefs required of him and to live with that
choice.
The second phase of Raskolnikov’s life during Crime and Punishment was what
occurred to him immediately after the murder. This phase is distinguished by the fact
that Raskolnikov was ill throughout most of it. This stage occurs through part two into
part three, chapter three. After that point, Raskolnikov does not seem to be ill any more.
Immediately after the murder, Raskolnikov’s punishment has already begun. He
immediately becomes very ill and he is so mentally confused and lost that he exclaims,
“Surely it isn’t beginning already! Surely it isn’t my punishment coming upon me? It
is!” [81] This is a very important line. Not only does it show that Raskolnikov is already
suffering for his crime, but it indicates that he expected or even knew that his punishment
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was inevitable after the murder. Raskolnikov knew that he would suffer for his crime,
but he committed it anyway. This odd point just exemplifies how unsure he was of his
own convictions. He knew he was not an extraordinary man, but wanted to be one so
badly that he was willing to sacrifice his mind to prove his theory (to others and himself).
Perhaps he was sure of his convictions after all.
Whether or not Raskolnikov is sure of himself or not, he was definitely in a sorry
state of affairs throughout this second stage. In chapter two, Raskolnikov has a second
horrible dream. This time, the dream is about Ilya Petrovich beating his landlady,
Praskovya Pavlovna. He never actually saw any of this, but he heard it all perfectly clear
through his door. This probably was not a dream. He was probably awake when this
happened, but he is in such a feverish delirium that he imagined it all. There was no clear
time when Raskolnikov woke up before Natasya came in, also indicating that he was
awake when it thought it happened. This daydream shows that Raskolnikov does not
even have to be asleep to have bad dreams or hallucinations, which demonstrates how
incredibly distraught he is at this time. Natasya comes in and tries to convince him it
never happened, but he hardly believes her.
Raskolnikov is delirious through most of this stage, and he makes several odd
decisions along the way. In part two, chapter three, he initially refuses a sum of thirtyfive roubles from his mother, without practical reason. In chapter five, he completely
insulted Luzhin, who, at the time, seemed like a Godsend to the Raskolnikov family. In
chapter six, Raskolnikov made one of the strangest decisions in the book. He practically
admitted his guilt to Zametov, a worker at the police station where Porfiry and Ilya
Petrovitch were located. In chapter seven, Raskolnikov made an unusual choice when he
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left a rather large sum of money for the Marmeladov family. This seems to be
uncharacteristic for Raskolnikov, given his ideals, but the real stupid part about it on his
part was that he left twenty roubles, the exact amount of money that he stole from the
pawnbroker. This could have raised suspicions as well. Raskolnikov continued to act
strangely into part three. In the first chapter, he told Dounia that she could not marry
Luzhin. They left in despair, thinking that he was simply delirious and did not mean
what he was saying. “‘He is raving.’ Razumihin cried tipsily, ‘ or how would he dare!
To-morrow all this nonsense will be over. . . .’” [172] In chapter three, Raskolnikov
again ordered Dounia not to marry Luzhin.
All of these examples of odd behavior in Raskolnikov show that during this stage
during the book, he is so incredibly distraught about the murder that he becomes ill (this
sickness is probably derived from hypochondria more than anything else). He simply
could not take the pressure and emotion pain of killing those women, so he slips into a
delirium that lasts for several chapters. At this point one thing is clear: Raskolnikov is
not as extraordinary as he may have once thought.
The rest of the book until the end of part six falls into the third stage: after illness.
Raskolnikov seems to display increasing paranoia throughout this stage. His illness does
not play a very significant role throughout the rest of the book, but he is definitely not at
peace with himself yet. There are several examples of paranoid behavior exhibited by
Raskolnikov in the following chapters. His first display of paranoid behavior was at
Porfiry’s party. He overcompensated for his extreme discomfort (he was in the den of the
jackals, after all) by trying to appear casual. Unfortunately, this attempt translated into
hysterical laughter that may have drawn more attention to him than originally attempted.
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Two quotes best sum up the rouse (both refer to Raskolnikov’s laughter): “The
extraordinary ferocity with which Razumihin received this ‘spontaneous’ mirth gave the
whole scene the appearance of most genuine fun and naturalness.” [217] and
“Raskolnikov was still laughing, with his hand in Porfiry Petrovitch’s, but, anxious not to
overdo it, awaited the right moment to put a natural end to it.” [217]. These two
sentences imply that his plan worked, but, in the end, many of the officers there still
suspected him of murder.
Raskolnikov tells Razumihin about this suspicion in the next chapter and
Razumihin even agrees that Raskolnikov’s analysis may be correct. “‘You are
suspicious. That is why you weighed their words . . . h’m . . . certainly, I agree, Porfiry’s
tone was rather strange, and still more that wretch Zametov! . . . You are right, there was
something about him—but why? Why?’” [233]
Raskolnikov had yet another bad dream, this time in part three, chapter six. He
dreamed that he was walking along the street and someone beckoned Raskolnikov to
follow him. He eventually led Raskolnikov into the pawnbroker’s apartment, after which
Raskolnikov lost sight of him. Raskolnikov found the pawnbroker in the corner, alive
and well, but doubled over so he could not see her face. He immediately had the instinct
to kill her with an axe (that magically appeared in his coat). After one swipe, she
remained doubled over, but laughing at him. He then realized there were people all
around him in the apartment whispering and laughing at him. He struck her several more
times, but she was uninjured and each time her laughter and the whispers and laughter of
the others grew stronger. He ran out of the apartment in a frenzy, but ran straight into a
hallway crowded with people. They were all staring at him expectantly. His movement
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became frozen, then he woke up. The significance of this dream is that the murder is still
haunting. Through his paranoia, he may be fooling several people and staying one step
ahead of the police in avoiding arrest. However, this dream shows that this brilliant game
of cat-and-mouse is irrelevant because Raskolnikov simply cannot live with himself after
he committed such atrocities. Porfiry was right. Raskolnikov’s guilt would lead to his
confession, not the police’s investigation.
Up to this point, Raskolnikov displayed a very paranoid personality. After that,
Raskolnikov does a number of good deeds for his family and others that eventually leads
to his confession. During this process, Raskolnikov helped his family by permanently
erasing the evil Luzhin from the minds of his mother and sister. He also made some final
amends with them near the end, as well. Even though he was a murderer, he still cared
for them very deeply.
His confession was inevitable, as Porfiry had observed early in the book. Once he
confessed to Sonia, it would only be a matter of time before he would report to the
authorities. Sonia’s encouragement finally led him to the confession, both in her
apartment and outside the police station.
The next stage, after confession, takes place in the epilogue, where Raskolnikov is
living in a Siberian prison camp. Raskolnikov was still not at peace with himself. The
confession was not enough. Raskolnikov still had just as much turmoil within himself as
he did throughout the whole book. He even became ill again and had another horrible
dream. He dreamed about a virus that infected all of humanity. The effects of this virus
caused its victims to take up arms and fight each other. There was so much
pandemonium that people would kill anyone and everyone they came across. The virus
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was so maddening that even armies that were established to kill could not maintain their
organization, as the people within the ranks would soon fight amongst themselves.
Eventually, all humans perished except for a select few who were spared. These chosen
would rise up and start a new and better humanity for its peoples. This dream showed
that Raskolnikov was still not at ease with himself. Another problem he was having was
he was becoming reclusive in prison and his fellow inmates were beginning to seriously
hate him for little apparent reason. This was not redemption and salvation for
Raskolnikov. This was a life that was causing just as much inner turmoil as his life
before he confessed.
There was still one more step Raskolnikov had to complete before his punishment
was complete and he could return to society as an equal again. This was the last step in a
process of three steps that would lead to his renewed health and well-being. First, his
family and friends forgave him for his crime. This occurred when they all displayed
infinite love even after they learned of his horrid crime. The second step was that society
forgave him. This happened when he confessed at the police station. The third and final
step that would lead to his redemption was that he had to recognize his error in both his
actions and his ideals, and he had to forgive himself. This happened during the very end
of the epilogue. When he fell to Sonia’s knees at the end of the book, he finally was to
the point where he could love again, both himself and others. Right at that point, he
entered stage five: after redemption. He repentance was complete. He needed no more
punishment, as he was now forgiven on all accounts. The story was over: Raskolnikov
was alive again. Even though he had some twisted ideas in the past, when he completed
this last step, it proved that he could reach atonement. Everything in his life would
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improve after that point. The bouts of fever would end, as would the dreams. He would
be at peace. Most importantly, however, he could fully enjoy life with the woman he
loved at first sight. At the end of the book, everything was complete. The cycle of Crime
and Punishment was at an end.
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