Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Here is a brief synopsis of the plot of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel Crime and Punishment:
The novel is set in St. Petersburg, Russia. The protagonist is Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, an impoverished former student who conceives of himself as being an extraordinary man, superior to ordinary people. He formulates a theory that certain extraordinary "overmen" have the right to commit crimes in order to benefit humanity.
To test this philosophy, Raskolnikov plans and carries out the murder of Alyona Ivanovna, an elderly pawnbroker who he sees as a miserly, worthless parasite on society. He inadvertently also kills her innocent sister Lizaveta during the brutal act.
After the murders, Raskolnikov becomes consumed by guilt, paranoia, and mental anguish. He is haunted by his actions and plagued by moral dilemmas. A psychological cat-and-mouse game emerges between Raskolnikov and Porfiry Petrovich, the intelligent police investigator who becomes convinced that Raskolnikov is the murderer.
Raskolnikov's theory is challenged by the moral philosophies of other characters, especially Sonya, a deeply religious woman who has been forced into prostitution. She represents genuine Christian compassion. Their relationship leads Raskolnikov to eventually confess his crimes and accept suffering as a path to spiritual redemption.
The novel powerfully explores the moral, religious and psychological themes of guilt, remorse, redemption and whether Raskolnikov's intellectual justifications can absolve his actions.
Here is a brief synopsis of the plot of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel Crime and Punishment:
The novel is set in St. Petersburg, Russia. The protagonist is Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, an impoverished former student who conceives of himself as being an extraordinary man, superior to ordinary people. He formulates a theory that certain extraordinary "overmen" have the right to commit crimes in order to benefit humanity.
To test this philosophy, Raskolnikov plans and carries out the murder of Alyona Ivanovna, an elderly pawnbroker who he sees as a miserly, worthless parasite on society. He inadvertently also kills her innocent sister Lizaveta during the brutal act.
After the murders, Raskolnikov becomes consumed by guilt, paranoia, and mental anguish. He is haunted by his actions and plagued by moral dilemmas. A psychological cat-and-mouse game emerges between Raskolnikov and Porfiry Petrovich, the intelligent police investigator who becomes convinced that Raskolnikov is the murderer.
Raskolnikov's theory is challenged by the moral philosophies of other characters, especially Sonya, a deeply religious woman who has been forced into prostitution. She represents genuine Christian compassion. Their relationship leads Raskolnikov to eventually confess his crimes and accept suffering as a path to spiritual redemption.
The novel powerfully explores the moral, religious and psychological themes of guilt, remorse, redemption and whether Raskolnikov's intellectual justifications can absolve his actions.
Here is a brief synopsis of the plot of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel Crime and Punishment:
The novel is set in St. Petersburg, Russia. The protagonist is Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, an impoverished former student who conceives of himself as being an extraordinary man, superior to ordinary people. He formulates a theory that certain extraordinary "overmen" have the right to commit crimes in order to benefit humanity.
To test this philosophy, Raskolnikov plans and carries out the murder of Alyona Ivanovna, an elderly pawnbroker who he sees as a miserly, worthless parasite on society. He inadvertently also kills her innocent sister Lizaveta during the brutal act.
After the murders, Raskolnikov becomes consumed by guilt, paranoia, and mental anguish. He is haunted by his actions and plagued by moral dilemmas. A psychological cat-and-mouse game emerges between Raskolnikov and Porfiry Petrovich, the intelligent police investigator who becomes convinced that Raskolnikov is the murderer.
Raskolnikov's theory is challenged by the moral philosophies of other characters, especially Sonya, a deeply religious woman who has been forced into prostitution. She represents genuine Christian compassion. Their relationship leads Raskolnikov to eventually confess his crimes and accept suffering as a path to spiritual redemption.
The novel powerfully explores the moral, religious and psychological themes of guilt, remorse, redemption and whether Raskolnikov's intellectual justifications can absolve his actions.