The novel Crime and Punishment written by Fyodor Dostoevsky concentrates on the moral issues and highlights the urgent problems of society in the nineteenth century. The protagonists of the novel embody different features of characters who find comfort through redemption. In addition, the novel presents the reader with a great controversy between the material values and the moral suffering. In my opinion, the novel Crime and Punishment could be considered as a classic book because it involves the depiction of society in realistic light and reveals the major vices of it. Moreover, the authors managed to uncover and to predict the universal truth about the values of the current society so that the problems he highlighted leave to be common for all humans.
Dostoyevsky tried to connect the lack of money with moral regression. Since it is a story about the murder and its further punishment it could be bravely connected with a classic detective story. In that regard, the story reflects killing as an outcome of mental struggle within the protagonist. The scope of the detective story is “revelation of the identity of another character” (Aisenberg, 9). Hence, Raskolnikov perfectly conforms to these requirements. Moreover, he is embodiment of the criminal character and outright confessor who is torn apart between these two personalities.
Walters writes about the novel: “As a classic in world literature it affords Raskolnikov and delves into the hopes, fears, thoughts, and desires of several other noteworthy and well-developed characters” (Walters, 115). Considering this, the novel touches upon the depth of the image that is in a constant search for the redemption. The character’s inner world is the place where the eternal confrontation if the Good and the Evil, the struggle of vices and aspiration for the salvation through suffering. In addition, through hero’s experience, the reader is able to trace humility by means of self-punishment. As it can be seen, the main character involves the features of many well-developed heroes. The writer managed to provide with cohesive and sophisticated analysis of the crime psychology in relation to punishment and spiritual resurrection.
To add to the above mentioned, the novel also implies some many contemporary issues that will never be out of fashion. In this respect, Crime and Punishment proclaims the principles of nihilism which is so popular among the reader nowadays. Moreover, in Dostoyevsky’s characters, the reader can recognize other heroes. “We can further identify “recognitions” with visual images that trigger Orthodox memories and with remembrance associated with the oral tradition” (Tucker, 95). In other words, the novel served as the basis and the motive for the creation of the other novels where the characters were empowered with features of the Dostoevsky’s heroes. In this respect is written in the classical religious tradition and enlarges upon the problem of renunciation of the society and reincarnation of the soul of the main protagonist.
In conclusion, it must be admitted that the novel is a veritable masterpiece of the world literature that discusses the eternal conflict of the good and the evil and justifies the crime through moral self-punishment. The usage of sophisticated stylistic devices and in-depth analysis involves the readers into the world of captivating events that gives them the possibility to cognate the psychology of the criminal character. In addition, the novel left a valuable inheritance for the future generation of writers.
Works Cited
Aisenberg, Nadya. A Common Spring: crime novel and classic Popular Press, 1979.
Tucker, Janet G. Profance Challenge and Orthodox Response in Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment”. The Netherlands: Rodopi, 2008.
Walers, Glenn D. Beyond Behavior: Construction of an Overarching Psychological Theory of Lifestes. US: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000.