Final

     Raskolnikov’s Coping of The Murders

A character from The Sense of An Ending stated, “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 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. Raskolnikov believes society can be split into two categories: the “ordinary” and the “extra-ordinary” (Dostoevsky, 310).

In order to fully comprehend Raskolnikov’s criminal acts and how they impacted his mental state, it is crucial to observe who he was before taking the life of two women. Mentally, the twenty-three year old college dropout believes he is superior and belongs to the extraordinary class. Raskolnikov has elevated himself to this upper class because he views himself as educated, intelligent, and analytical, while in reality, he shows an antisocial demeanor that “ceases to be aware of his surroundings” (5). He views himself as walking with dignity down the street, however, all passersby see a disheveled man rambling to himself erratically. Driven by “a morbid sense of fear”, Raskolnikov retreated from society, isolating himself from everyone else, and increasing his state of paranoia (5). It is difficult for him to meet new people due to his lack of social skills and because he had a mental disregard to everyone in the ordinary class. Due to his poverty level, he lives amongst the “ordinary” who he would refer to as lice. He convinced himself that he did not identify with this group of individuals because in his mind, he was superior. He needed to have a clear distinction between himself and “them”.

 In analyzing Raskolnikov it is not only vital to understand his beliefs and actions, but to understand the meaning behind his name. This dark, twisted man “for sometime now, he had been in a tense, irritable state of mind” (5). The Russian root, “raskol” means “split” which is clearly alluded at in the beginning of the novel due to the multiple contradictions seen: educated yet college dropout and logical and detailed thoughts yet erratic and paranoid (Shmoop, 2014).

Criminal psychology has discovered that murders are committed due to emotional, social, religious, economic, or political motivations (Sohal). The detail oriented, mechanical, and educated Raskolnikov ensured “a rehearsal of his undertaking” was outlined step by step on how to rid society of a “louse” (Dostoevsky, 8). When speaking to an officer on the street, Raskolnikov described the pawnbroker as a “horrible, stupid, consumptive old woman” whose life is worth “thousands of lives rescued from corruption and decay” (80). Angered by the pawnbroker, Alyona, Raskolnikov assumed she was taking advantage of others and of him thus benefiting from other’s precious items when she could easily live off her late husband’s pension. Viewing her as a waste in society, Raskolnikov took the law into his own hands. When he decided that the night had come to make his “rehearsal” into a reality, his erratic personality took control, when things did not go according to plan. Losing his head and almost making “a fatal blunder”, Raskolnikov was surprised when his nerves started to get the better of him (93). Even though he was strongly motivated, his mental state began to impact his physical strength in the moment, but he still managed to undo his coat, release the axe from the loop, “swung it up… barely conscious of what he was doing”, and with a strike to the back of her head, a life was ended and a murderer was born (94). Motivated out of personal revenge, he committed a murder out of emotional needs but convinced himself through his napoleon complex, that he was committing a brave act that would better society. He was doing it for the people, not for him.

When Raskolnikov had “no doubt that she was dead” there was a faint sound of footsteps entering the apartment (Dostoevsky 95). Taken off guard when Alyona’s sister, Lizaveta, stood in the middle of room “unable to utter a sound”, Raskolnikov “rushed at her with the axe” without thinking (97). The “blow landed right on her skull, blade-first” (98). In a matter of seconds, Raskolnikov’s actions changed dramatically; from mechanical to impulsive, calculated to rash, and premeditated to unrehearsed. From these behavioral changes, it is evident that Raskolnikov’s mental state is unraveling. In this moment, Raskolnikov is no longer benefiting mankind and committing a murder through his Napoleon complex, but has now taken the life of an innocent person. Therefore, he has now transformed into a criminal who has committed first-degree murder, punishable even by his own standards.

Mirroring Raskolnikov’s psyche shift, Alyona and Lizaveta’s apartment metamorphosed. No longer was the atmosphere peaceful, the walls clean, and the floorboards polished. Blood stained floorboards lied beneath his feet. Decapitated corpses occupied the space. Walls painted with blood. Taking his time to wash off the stolen axe and his hands, Raskolnikov started to “forget himself” and focused on things that did not matter (98). No longer in touch with reality, he does not act as if he is in a crime scene and begins to obsess over little details such as the blood stains on his socks because the “simple feeling of horror and revulsion at what he had done” sent him into a dream-like state (98). The longer he waited to flee the apartment the more absentminded Raskolnikov became. In analyzing this scene further, there is no sign of forced entry, showing that the victim knew the murderer and willingly allowed them into their home. Research has shown that when a murderer uses a “weapon of opportunity” from the crime scene it signifies that a positive relationship has turned sour in the heat of the moment (Kauflin, 2011). In this instance, however, the murder weapon, the axe, was brought to the crime scene and the murder was not act of rage in the spur of the moment but was premeditated. Even though the crime scene does not suggest revenge since nothing seemed to be stolen, it truly was revenge because Raskolnikov was “pushed to the brink by the victim”, Alyona to murder Lizaveta (Kauflin).  Raskolnikov felt threatened that his crime would not be seen as an extraordinary act if Lizaveta went to the police. He could not allow his un-punishable act to be classified as a crime due to a possible witness. His act of murdering one forced Raskolnikov to murder another in order to protect his identity. Based on the crime scene, an investigator would never come to the conclusion that the murder was out of an Napoleon mind set, since nothing was left at the scene of the crime by Raskolnikov to give a message. The crime scene had no meaning that matched Raskolnikov’s “logical” mindset.

Even though the crime Raskolnikov commits does not last long, the memory of that night stays with him forever. No matter what time period it is or where in the world it happens, if a murder is committed, then word will spread.  Raskolnikov, trapped in his Napoleonic mind set, spends most of his day and mental energy focusing on and rationalizing Alyona’s murder in order to give it meaning, thus making it an act benefiting mankind. Out of fear and anxiety, his mind obsessed over details relating to the murder which occupied a significant amount of his mental energy and waking hours. He cleaned his clothes over and over again. Ironically at this point in the novel while he might be showing high levels of anxiety and is seeking out the details, he is also withdrawing himself and showing depression like symptoms. His behavior of sleeping day on end and locking himself up in his apartment, symbolize his darkening mind. After all of the rehearsals, Raskolnikov realized that his plan had fallen to pieces and through his behaviors, it is evident that he himself is falling into pieces. His contradictory and manic-depressive like behaviors show how fragile his mental state is. He is barely able to hold onto the memory of his reasoning behind the murder symbolizing his loose grip on his own mind and life.  

Raskolnikov is haunted by the murder of Alyona but there were two murders that were committed that night. His mind completely dismissed the death of Lizaveta and there no time allotted to reflect on her death. This signifies his split outlook on that night. Behaviorally, he treats the two deaths differently: during the actual murder and how he copes with what he has done.  This discrepancy of actions eludes to his split personality “as if there are really two opposite characters in him, changing places with each other”(Dostoevsky 215). Raskolnikov goes from having a superiority complex when speaking to Porifry, the detective, about the investigation and defending his article. Yet in the midst of the conversation, Raskolnikov will suddenly have an insecure thought, thinking that Porifry suspects him only when moments earlier he had an arrogant assumption that he would never be caught and was proud of what he had done. Even though he is violent only one time over these two months, he views himself as kind, but in reality, he would rather harm than “speak his heart out in words” (215). This recurring number two, the two murders and the two months, emphasizes Raskolnikov’s split personality.

That night, he did not just take the life of two innocent women, but he also destroyed a part of his sanity. In the wake of this criminal behavior, Raskolnikov is forced to go through psychological steps in order to cope with who he had become and processes his emotional loss. Psychologists have noted that when trying to cope with a loss, one goes through the stages of guilt: denial, anger, helplessness, depression, and acceptance. “Paralysed by his recent loss of consciousness”, Raskolnikov no longer interacts with the outside world and has isolated himself in his apartment for unknown lengths of time. He further isolates himself consciously by sleeping and never having the idea of getting up, therefore, he is not only isolating himself from the outside world but isolating himself from his sanity and his nature to reflect on the details of the murder, thus sinking into a state of denial. He did not deny that he had killed Alyona but he mentally blocked out the memories of Lizaveta’s murder. To Raskolnikov, Lizaveta’s death was cruel and deserved punishment while Alyona’s murder was for the greater good. Raskolnikov’s behaviors coincide with the five stages of guilt, showing that Raskolnikov is suffering from guilt after the murders.

Raskolnikov’s isolation does not last too long due to the fact that he becomes increasingly bored with himself and his apartment. The more Raskolnikov sleeps, the more his dreams of the murder repeat but with different outcomes. To Raskolnikov, if he rejoins humanity and tries to act like a normal person then he will no longer be taunted by his mind. As he enters the outside world after weeks of isolation, Raskolnikov once again falls into a state of delirium and begins to hallucinate. The artisan, who Raskolnikov describes as the “man who’s come up from under the ground”, is a figment of his imagination that causes Raskolnikov to recheck his steps and rethink his “principle” for murdering Alyona (325). Even though Raskolnikov avoided being alone with himself, he never truly escaped the taunting of his mind.

The guilt Raskolnikov tries to suppress always returns and then when the murder is mentioned or when Raskolnikov learns that Sonya and Lizaveta were friends. Raskolnikov often justified Alyona’s murder with logical statements of riding society of a “louse” but could never justify Lizaveta’s murder because she was innocent. Raskolnikov’s guilt is not an addition to a physical punishment of his crime but is the only form of punishment Raskolnikov receives. The guilt causes him to isolate himself and eventually seek redemption through Sonya, the one person in Raskolnikov’s life who has not judged him and who has suffered the most. Raskolnikov’s mind constantly plays tricks on him to increase his guilt. No matter the time of day, Raskolnikov always feel as if his “dream did not yet appear to be over” (330).

Thoughout the novel, Raskolnikov has sudden thoughts of confessing to various people. The day after the murder, when Raskolnikov is summoned to the police, he imagines himself confessing but never follows through on the thought. Whenever Raskolnikov is left alone with Porfiry, he always has the intention of confessing but can never bring himself to confess. After seeing that someone else is taking the fault for his actions, Raskolnikov acknowledges the fact that he in fact murdered Alyona and Lizaveta. During his confession to Sonya, Raskolnikov he describes himself as a villain and having “a spiteful heart” (494). He accepts the fact that he had “no right to do it” and that he was “a louse like everyone else” and agrees with Sonya’s plan to pray and confess in public (502).  

Due to guilt, stemming from the act of two murders, Raskolnikov undergoes a series of psychological processes evident through his behavior from before the murder to after the murder. The behaviors he demonstrated can be classified into one of the five phases of dealing with loss according to psychology.  Through analyzing this process, it is proven that he is guilty for committing the murders and his grieving the loss of his uncriminal self. The murders forced Raskolnikov to go through a psychological change eventually leading to him burying a piece of himself and accepting who he truly is.

Works Cited

"Criminal law." LII / Legal Information Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2014. <http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/criminal_law>.

Dostoyevsky, Fyodor, and David McDuff. Crime and punishment. [Rev. ed. London: Penguin, 2003. Print.

Schurman-Kauflin, Ph.D, Deborah. "Profiling a Murderer." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. N.p., 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/disturbed/201110/profiling-murderer>.

Shmoop Editorial Team. "Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. <http://www.shmoop.com/crime-and-punishment/rodion-romanovitch-raskolnikov.html>.

Sohail, Dr. K. "SEVEN REASONS TO KILL." - Dr Sohail. N.p., 19 Feb. 2014. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. <http://www.drsohail.com/essays.aspx/essays/seven_reasons_to_kill>.