Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment is considered by many to be the first ofFyodor Dostoevsky's great books. Crime and Punishment is a psychologicalaccount of a crime. The crime is double murder. A book about such a broadsubject can be made powerful and appealing to our intellectual interests ifthere is a link between the reader, the action, and the characters.Doestoevsky makes all these links at the right places. The action takesplace between the protagonists and the antagonists. The protagonistsinclude Dounia, the Marmeladovs, Sonia, Razumhin, Porfiry Petrovich, andNastaya. The antagonists of the story are Luzhin, Ilya Petrovich, and thelandlady. Raskolnikov could be considered to be the primary protagonist,while Svidrigailov could be thought of as the primary antagonist. In every story the protagonist is the character that the readercares most about. In Crime and Punishment the reader cares about RodionRaskolnikov. He is the primary and most significant character in the novel.We are introduced to this complex character in Part 1. We get to know thepoverty stricken condition that he resides in, and we get to know hisfamily situation as we read the long letter from Raskolnikov's mother.
We are introduced to Raskolnikov's thoughtsabout mankind when we read about Raskolnikov's published article. He would like to commit any crime without remorse. Svidrigailov enters in the life ofRaskolnikov about half-way through the story. Hedivides man into two classes: the extraordinary man and the ordinary man. He could never have found the courage to kill an innocentperson. It is evident that Raskolnikov did not believe insociety's definition of crime and he proved this by murdering thepawnbroker. Along with fitting Raskolnikov's definition of the extraordinaryman, Svidrigailov also fits his definition of a criminal. We realize that if the victim wouldhave been someone other than an evil old pawnbroker the crime would neverhad taken place. Because of the ordeal that Raskolnikov went through after the crime, hewould never be able to hurt another soul as long as he lived. Rodion Raskolnikovand Arkady Svidrigailov are two exciting and original characters that havemany similarities and one critical difference that make them what they are. Society's morals and rules dictate that crime is wrong no matterwhat the circumstances. It is acknowledged that Svidrigailov isomnipotent in his own eyes. As it is necessary for a story to have a protagonist, it is alsoessential for an antagonist to be existent. About 90% of Crime and Punishment is about punishment,Raskolnikov's punishment. The most unappealing trait of Svidrigailovis the fact that he does not suffer from any moral doubts about his actions.
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Acceptance Essays
