In Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov’s “madness” can be explained in
terms of a conflict of theories within himself….His final decision to make peace and
compromise his logic and spirituality is Dostoevsky’s endosement of a balance of the two.
…. Raskolnikov’s central delusion is his belief in his superman theory, which holds him
above the rest of mankind and exempts him from its laws….This madness can be seen as
reasonable because Raskolnikon does have an intellect and will that makes him superior in
many ways to….The fact that the reason behind Raskolnikov’s position does not ultimately
make it work or make it right shows that people have common emotional and moral
qualities that transcend the intellect and rationality.
Dostoevsky’s Crime and Pubishment explores sin, suffering, and salvation via an allusion to
the resurrection of Lazarus as well as that of Christ….Dostoevsky, through this central
allusion endorses both suffering as part of the road to salvation and piety itself.
…Dostoevsky utilizes recurring symbols and the motifs of “death” and “rebirth” to parallel
the Lazarus allusion to Raskolnikov himself….repeated references to the story and his
differing responses to it mark his moral progress….the allusion presents the idea that
realizing true morality from a state of disrepute comes through a kind of moral “rebirth” through true and selfless suffering.
…. The parallels of Lazarus’s and Raskolnikov’s stories are used to enhance Dostoevsky’s
point that no human conscience can escape consequences, and that the suppression of
psychological feelings in favor of philosophies and theories only leads to emotional death
that in the end renders life meaningless.