Often in novels, the life of an author is reflected in his or her literature. For a writer experience can serve not only as a teacher, but also as the foundation of a story line. Some of the most well known authors have used this Romana Clef technique, for example, Charles Dickens in his famous novel, David Copperfield. The Russian author, Fyodor Dostoyevsky does this as well, in his novel Crime and Punishment. Various individuals and occurrences from Dostoyevsky's life influenced the novel and its characters and themes. This shows that an author's life serves as an inspiration to his or her writing and impacts the work as a whole.
             Dostoyevsky's own family and childhood experiences had a tremendous impact on him as well as his literary works. As the second child in a line of seven, Dostoyevsky lived a sad and lonely childhood. As a student in a respected boarding school, Dostoyevsky felt unable to make contact with his pupils, and therefore isolated himself, just as the main character, Raskolnikov, isolated himself from the rest of society. His father was an ex-army surgeon for the poor and his household was one of poverty, disease, and pain. The family was deeply religious, and Jesus was the ideal figure of Dostoyevsky's childhood faith. This brought about the preoccupation and obsession with suffering and Christianity that is dealt with in Crime and Punishment. The central theme of poverty, illness, and anguish clearly reflect the tribulations Dostoyevsky endured in his troubled years growing up. It was not only these circumstances, but also several other individuals and events that influenced Dostoyevsky in his writing of the novel that is so closely related to his own life.
             Over the years, there were several specific individuals who took part in sculpting the views and opinions that influenced Fyodor Dostoyevsky so deeply. These views are some of those present in Crime and Punishment. Si...