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Sofia Waterhouse 

      AP English Literature

Term Paper: Crime and Punishment

          Raskolnikov has always been a prideful man, prideful enough to reject God. After the murder Raskolnikov is overcome by his guilt knowing that he has committed one of the greatest sins. He chooses to ignore God and live in sin until Sonya reassures his faith in God and helps Raskolnikov confess his faults. Before Raskolnikov perpetrated the murder, he had never alluded to believing or following any sort of religion. The thought of eternal punishment or a "God-like" figure never came across his mind as he thought of his hatred towards the old pawn broker, Alyona Ivanovna. Raskolnikov was enraged by the thought that this women had so much money which could ultimately benefit so many of the unprivileged members of society. Captivated by his anger towards her lack of selfness, Raskolnikov convinces himself that he is doing his city a favor by murdering "the old louse". Raskolnikov then assumes all powers of God himself as he takes matters into his own hands and decides when one deserves to live or die. Needless to say, the guilt eventually begins to plagues Raskolnikov as the news of the murder circulates the town. Raskolnikov is now petrified that people will suspect him of the murder. He abandons the idea of taking the money for those who need it and leaves all of the expensive items behind; defeating the whole purpose of the murder in the first place. His mental instability worsens causing Raskolnikov to become physically ill due to his inability to cope with his spontaneous maneuver to get rid of the old pawn broker. At this point, Raskolnikov has lost all connection with not only himself, but God as well. When others inquired about his religious standpoint Raskolnikov always claimed to be a strong believer of God, but never acted upon this claim. He enables himself to isolation from most of his friends and family as he battles with his own conscious. Eventually, Raskolnikov knows that he can not continue to live in this manner. He is now desperate for salvation and longing to clear his conscious. Raskolnikov finds himself caught between Svidrigailov and Sonya. The two have complete contrasting intentions for Raskolnikov but he is determined to end this situation the righteous way. Together with the help of Sonya, Raskolnikov is able to confess his sins and restore his neglected relationship with God after having cleansed his conscious once and for all.    
             Raskolnikov's judgement is clouded by fury and determination as he storms off to the pawnbrokers home. He carelessly enters the home and kills the old lady along with Lizaveta without a second thought. It was not until the apartment floor was covered with blood that Raskolnikov realized the severity of his actions. Before leaving, Raskolnikov takes off his cross and throws it onto the dead corpse, making it clear that he is willing to live a life separated from God. At this moment Raskolnikov was overcome by panic and rushed out of the apparment hiding the minimal evidence that remained on his body. Raskolnikov's first concern was that others would soon figure out about his monstrous actions and rumors along with judgement would spread quickly. Although Raskolnikov did an outstanding job at keeping his murder a secret, it seemed as if he was trying to reveal his secret to anyone around him. He constantly contradicted himself; while spending so much time hiding all evidence and avoiding being anywhere related to the crime, Raskolnikov also tried to expose the truth about the crime. The guilt kept increasing and eventually became too much to bear. Raskolnikov self-consciously tried to expose himself by writing articles related to the crime and openly admitting his hate and desire to murder the pawnbroker to others around him in order to relieve himself from his own guilt. Raskolnikov wanted others to know what he was capable of, but most importantly, Raskolnikov was desperate for help. He was too prideful to admit his sins in the first place,  so turing back to God at this moment would be too shameful. This increasing guilt caused Raskolnikov's metal insanity. His "sickness" drew attention to himself and friends and family became concerned. Not knowing where to turn, Raskolnikov pushed all of them away knowing that they would be in disbelief if they ever discovered that he was a murderer. As Raskolnikov lost touch with everyone who ever cared about him, including God, he decided to run away. He believed that running away from his problems would ultimately make the pain and guilt go away as well. Raskolnikov went out to seek the only person who remained in his life at the moment, Sonya. He confessed to the crime and later begged her to run away with him. When he realized that she was hesitant to leave, he picked up a Bible and asked her to read the Biblical passage of Lazarus to him. Shocked by his demands, Sonya picked up the book and read the passage to Raskolnikov. After she finishes the reading Raskolnikov left immediately. Although he never mentions anything about the passage it is implied that Raskolnikov clearly sees a connection between himself and Lazarus. In this passage, Lazarus is a dead man who is miraculously raised from the dead by Jesus himself. Raskolnikov relates this passage to his relationship with Sonya. Sonya acts like a Christ figure towards Raskolnikov. She begins to fill his life with love and humility once again and prays for Raskolnikov's resurrection from a life full of sin.
          A while after Raskolnikov commits the murder of the old pawnbroker, a strange man named Svidrigailov appears in Raskolnikov's apartment as Raskolnikov wakes up from a nap. The man is very vague throughout the first conversation they have but Raskolnikov is immediately aware that Svidrigailov somehow knows something about his secret. As the two continue to get to know each other Raskolnikov learns about Svidrigailov's true personality. Svidrigailov tries to tell Raskolnikov that they both have something in common; they both have an impure and immoral past behind them. Svidrigailov even states, "Wasn't it true when I said we were both apples from the same tree?" (Dostoevsky 290). Regardless of the sinful past they both share in common, there is a crucial difference between the two men. All of the sinful acts that Svidrigailov has carried out were for his own selfish pleasure and entertainment, while Raskolnikov's main motive to kill the pawnbroker was to take a stand for the poor people in the community who were not being helped. Yet, as Raskolnikov continues to spend time with Svidrigailov he brings out Svidrigailov's evil and darkness onto his own self. This continues to push Raskolnikov further away from God as well as eternal salvation. Eventually Raskolnikov realizes the negative impact Svidrigailov has on him and turns to Sonya once again for advice. Sonya depicts the complete opposite of Svidrigailov and gives off a contrasting impact towards Raskolnikov's life. At first Raskolnikov decides to turn to Sonya because she is a sinner as well. Raskolnikov accuses Sonya of being a sinner because she is a prostitute. Although her actions are considered a sin in the eyes of society, Sonya results to giving up her body in order to keep her family alive. She carries out these actions in the most selfless way possible and maintains a strong belief in her faith throughout her entire life. When Raskolnikov turns to her for help she encourages him to do the same thing in order to finally reach salvation. Sonya is able to bring back humility into Raskolnikov's life. With her help Raskolnikov has turned to a life of love and hope, leaving behind his prideful attitude. He accepts his actions as sinful and is prepared to accept all consequences fully aware that afterwards he will finally be forgiven by God and relieved of all guilt. Unlike Raskolnikov, Svidrigailov did not intend to seek salvation. After a series of nightmares reliving his past and a forceful rejection from Dunya, Svidrigailov finally realized the ruthless criminal he really is. While Raskolnikov sought to obtain forgiveness and rebuild his relationship with God, Svidrigailov resulted to committing suicide. Because of Sonya, Raskolnikov was able to avoid this path. Regarding the cowardly actions Svidrigailov committed in order to escape his inner guilt and pain and Raskolnikov's brave confession in order to finally obtain salvation depict the two different extremes of living with a guilty conscious and a life full of sin.
          Raskolnikov makes his way down to the police station on his own. The biggest concern he has is what the public will think of him when they discover what he has done. He fears the judgement he will be forced to face, knowing how God's judgement had effected him. Regardless, Raskolnikov keeps on walking to the police station taking notice of the city around him aware that he will no longer be a free man. He finally arrives to the police station and meets Petrovich. Ironically, Petrovich apologizes for blaming Raskolnikov as the murderer, causing Raskolnikov to storm out of the station. When he first steps outside the first thing in his sight is Sonya watching him. Although he is now certain that he can get away with his murderous act, Sonya serves as a reminder that this is his final chance to be a good person again and reconnect with God. Raskolnikov realizes that he also must confess in order for his own well-being so he can finally be relieved of all guilt and remorse. Petrovich is surprised to see Raskolnikov walk back into the station and even more surprised when Raskolnikov confesses to the murder of Alyonna Ivannova. The novel ends shortly after Raskolnikov openly confesses. Dostoevsky never reveals the law enforced punishment that Raskolnikov must face. Regardless, the whole novel consists of the psychological torment Raskolnikov endures due to his sinful acts once he choses to turn away from God. Luckily, with the help of Sonya Raskolnikov is able to resurrect from his madness and find a way to make things right. "This is the beginning of a new story, though; the story of a man's gradual renewal and rebirth, of his gradual transition from one world to another, of his acquaintance with a new reality of which he had previously been completely ignorant." (Dostoevsky 566). Raskolnikov has had a complete change in character throughout the course of the book. The prideful young man we were first introduced to has now humbled down and accepted his faults. Despite his physical and mental state Raskolnikov was able to overcome the temptation of running away from his problems and decided to face them regardless of what society would believe. His reassured faith in God the help and love he has received from Sonya have transformed him into a completely different man for the better. Raskolnikov ultimately releases all the suffering and torment he has endured and is prepared for a new way of life.

Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. . Reprint. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 1999. Print.