Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime And Punishment

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Crime And Punishment

Section 1: Significance of Title

The title Crime and Punishment is significant in the fact that Raskolnikov the main character commits and crime and faces punishment. This punishment is not just going to prison but psychological punishment too. His action haunts him the whole story. He does eventually go to jail though. This book shows that if someone commit’s a crime they will face punishment of some kind.

Section 2: Author

The author Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote his book Crime and Punishment from life experiences. He for example spent some a long time in prison for being part of a socialist party. He changed his views later on and it shows in some of his other characters. Dostoevsky was very poor and suffered from epilepsy. His main character Raskolnikov is suffers a lot like Dostoevsky did.

Section 3: Setting

The setting of the book is St. Petersburg Russia in the 1860’s. This also happens to be the time it was written. The book does have many true things of the time period in it too though. Many of the problems and ideas in the book are real and Dostoevsky took them from his personal experiences and beliefs.

Section 4: Plot

Raskolnikov, a former student who is very poor and sickly, is planning a crime. He goes by an old woman’s house to pawn a watch and stops at a bar afterwards meeting Marmeladov. Marmeladov is a drunk who has been on a five day drinking spree and has given up his job. He tells Raskolnikov of his family and takes him to his house where Raskolnikov is quickly told to leave.

The next day Raskolnikov gets a letter from his mother telling him that his sister is to be married to a rich man soon and they are coming to St. Petersburg. While in a local tavern he overhears some people talking about how the world would be better off without the old pawnbroker Aloyna Ivanova and later in the streets he hears she will be alone next evening. That night he doesn’t sleep well and next day he finds and axe and gets a fake item to pawn to her. Raskolnikov then goes to her apartment and kills her. While rummaging for money Lizaveta, the old woman’s sister, comes in and he kills her too. Raskolnikov then barely escapes with some luck. Next morning he franticly searches his clothes for traces of blood.

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