Crime and Punishment: a Case Study on Crime and the Anguish that Follows

Crime and Punishment (1866)- Fyodor Dostoevsky (408 pages)

The narrative of Crime and Punishment surrounds the tribulations of Rodion Raskolnikov, a young impoverished student living in Saint Petersburg. Raskolnikov struggles with his poverty and his place in society early in the novel before he ultimately commits a crime. This crime sets the stage for the rest of the novel as Raskolnikov attempts to come to terms with his horrific act and is plagued both mentally and physically by it. The book ends with a conclusion to his mental anguish and a potential recovery for him.

The writing style of Dostoevsky is not terribly complex, but the subject matter and names can make the reading difficult. Often the narrative follows Raskolnikov’s delirious state as he struggles to digest the consequences of his act. Raskolnikov being a learned, intelligent individual has long philosophical discussions with others on the morals behind potential crimes. Suffice it to say, these passages can be difficult to read and understand. Lastly, as an American, the names can be difficult to remember with names ranging from Raskolnikov to Razumikhin, Petrovich, and Svidrigailov.

This tale is ripe with themes, namely, believe it or not, crime, punishment, and redemption. The whole tale follows the psychological anguish that Raskolnikov is plagued with after his act, not only mentally but physically his body ails. Dostoevsky uses the character of Rasknolnikoff to analyze the psychological process that a criminal might go through from denial to grief, to confusion, acceptance, and potentially redemption. Many other characters aid this explanation including Svidrigailov, another criminal, who takes a different route than Raskolnikov in his final act, and Sonia, a girl who is instrumental to Raskolnikov’s recovery. Crime and Punishment is rich with discourse and philosophy on the impact of crime on a consciousness.

Crime and Punishment is a laborious read. Much like Raskolnikov struggles with his crime and coming to terms with it, I struggled to read Dostoevky’s tale. Between the delirious thoughts of Raskolnikov, the long philosophical arguments debating crime and punishment, and the sometimes confusing entrance of new characters I found myself often not looking forward to reading each day. If you have read some of my reviews, I often simplify my enjoyment to one question: did I breeze through the book or did it seem long? Crime and Punishment is only 408 pages but it felt long and drawn out at times.

Sometimes I choose books to read because I’ve heard they are enjoyable, other times because they are topical, and lastly other times because it is someone or something you should read. I think Dostoevsky is someone you should read. I was between The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment, then I found myself with easy access to Crime and Punishment, and the choice was made. Crime and Punishment is not the most enjoyable read as I have mentioned above, but I believe the thematic discourse on crime is second to none, and sometimes you just need to read at least one work from an author. Dostoevsky is a fantastic author and Crime and Punishment is an extremely interesting work, I think there are better reads out there but it is definitely worth adding to your reading list.

As always, my scoring breakdown is below. Thanks for reading!

Overall: 7.0, a great and worthwhile read but one that will test your brain.

Readability: 6, a lower score driven by the lengthy thematic passages and difficult names.

Thematic Questions: 9, a rich treatise on the ramifications of crime.

Enjoyment: 6, a difficult but overall enjoyable read that will stretch your thinking.