Morality In Crime And Punishment By Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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During this time, St.Petersburg, the capital of Russia, served as a major economic center; this corrupt, criminal filled city is central to the novel. Poverty ran rampant and many unwanted drunks and the homeless wandered the streets while homes in St.Petersburg were crowded to the brim with large families. Many more families contained abuse and struggle with mental illness. In contrast, Siberia, the location of the prison Raskolnikov is sent to, is considered pure and a place of redemption. (Shmoop Editorial Team) Throughout Crime and Punishment, Dostoyevsky weaves the theme of crime and morality into Raskolnikov's inner struggle; Raskolnikov believes that the breaking of moral codes is a necessary evil to achieve greatness. More importantly, he believes that morals and laws can be broken if it is for the greater good of society. In murdering the pawnbroker, he believes he is bettering St.Petersburg and the lives of its residents. …show more content…

“can it be, can it be, that I shall really take an axe, that I shall strike her on the head, split her skull open…” (Dostoyevsky, Chp 5). He overhears plans that “...[the pawnbroker] on whose life an attempt was contemplated, would be at home and entirely alone.”; this gives him the perfect opportunity for murder. He truly commits himself to acting out his crime from this point forward. After he finally fulfills his plan, he is forced to face the consequences that result from murdering someone, whether the victim is greedy and corrupt or generous and innocent. (Themes in Crime and Punishment) Coming to terms with being no more special or worthy than anyone else puts him face to face with the fact that the murders were not justified. (Crime and Punishment Themes) Raskolnikov’s moral rehabilitation is hardly possible in St.Petersburg, where he is constantly surrounded by immoral deeds of others. (Themes in Crime and

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