thesis paper 1

          A character from The Sense of An Ending stated that “Mental states may often be inferred from actions” (Barnes, 10). While this quote is said in one book, it is very applicable to the infamous Raskolnikov from the classic, Crime and Punishment. This famous novel focuses on a series of events that occur due to the main character committing two murders early on in the story. Raskolnikov’s, psychological state can be defined by examining his character before, during, and after the murders he commits. Through analyzing certain events in the story and psychoanalyzing Raskolnikov’s mental state, it can be inferred through his actions that the murders initiated a cycle of guilt, forcing him to process his emotions in phases.       Crime is defined as “a violation of a law in which there is injury to the public or a member of the public and a term in jail or prison, and/or a fine as possible penalties” (Legal Dictionary, 2005). What constitutes a criminal act depends on the country, the current laws in place, and the time period. However, the one crime that transcends throughout all periods of time and across the globe is murder, “intentionally causing the death of another person without extreme provocation or legal justification” or “the causing of the death of another while committing or attempting to commit another crime ” (Cornell Law) Raskolnikov believes that there are exceptions to whether someone has committed a crime or not which is completely different than how the legal system views crime. At one point in the novel, the detective Porfiry, was questioning suspects regarding the murders of Alyona and Lizaveta and began questioning Raskolnikov about his article “On Crime”. In his moment of rage, Raskolnikov argued that murder or any crime should not be punishable if the murderer or criminal is from the upper or “extraordinary” class since this category commits murders to benefit society, like Napoleon. According to his viewpoint, society can be split into two categories: the “ordinary” and the “extra-ordinary” (Dostoevsky, 310).        The twenty-three year old Rodin Raskolnikov dropped out of college after a year because he believed that he could save his mother money and that he was too smart to waste his talents sitting in a classroom. Raskolnikov is “isolated from everyone else, that he was actually afraid of meeting anyone at all” and had a “morbid sensation of fear” whenever he was placed in a new environment or had to encounter something new even thought he is eager for new information. He is a very egotistical person and believes he is intellectually above everyone around him which causes him to fear most human connections. In addition to being antisocial and fearful, Raskolnikov does everything almost “mechanically” and is not “aware of his surroundings” (5).