Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor Dostoyevsky's classic tale of murder, remorse and redemption set in the modern city of St. Petersburg follows the crime of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov and its consequences that haunt him to near insanity. What separates Dostoyevsky’s work from others is his ability to reproduce human psyche as it is and not cover it up with any kind of pretense. Aging almost 150 years, this fantastic work of Dostoyevsky only seems to get better and more appealing with time.

It is a known fact that Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s work is considered one of the best in the whole of literature. It is not only in literature that Dostoyevsky’s work that has been influential, but also in other forms of art such as cinema where his works have been given various shapes and interpretations. Filmmakers as diverse as Andrei Tarkovsky and Akira Kurosawa have held him in reverence for his contribution to humanity. His book, Crime and Punishment, shows us how profound his knowledge of mankind was and how immortal and timeless his contribution is.

Crime and Punishment, in six chapters, takes us into the mind of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, a young bright fellow who has been reduced to rags in the city of St. Petersburg. He decides to kill an old pawnbroker to put an end to his misery. He plans and executes his plans to perfection, even killing an innocent lady in the process. He is haunted by his deed for the rest of his life which serves as a punishment by itself along with his very high moral standards. His only hope comes in the form of the devout Sofia Semenovna, who seems to understand his torment. Can Raskolnikov be saved?

Much like the protagonists of cinematic master Robert Bresson, the character of Raskolnikov is only apparently transparent to us. We seem to know Raskolnikov like the back of our hands for we have been following him, both his inner and outer self, for the whole 6 chapters. But upon a minor deliberation, we find that we are at a loss to explain his motives and the things that prompt him. We are fully aware of his actions, speech and even thoughts, but never the cause of them. Herein, Dostoyevsky underscores the complex nature and the incomprehensibility of the human mind, even in the era of vast scientific progress.

Crime and Punishment was written at a time when the telephone wasn’t invented yet and correspondence took place through letters alone. Ironically, the book becomes more and more relevant with the passage of time. When read today, not one character, action or idea feels dated or out of place. Typically grey and strong characters like Raskolnikov or Svidrigailov can be found anywhere on the street and one can find parts of St. Petersburg in any city, be it Boston or Bangalore. The book even feels prescient at many places about events that would plague the world decades later (“It’s a good thing that you only killed an old woman. But what if you had invented a different theory! You might perhaps have done something a hundred million times as outrageous”, ring a bell?).

The prime question throughout the book is that of absolute power, its origin and its consequences. Raskolnikov puts forth the notion that there are a very few “gifted souls” (such as Napoleon) who step beyond laws and fabricate their own destiny. However, Raskolnikov classifies himself incorrectly and hence succumbs to his own theory. Dostoyevsky proposes that it is man’s answerability to a higher power that will prevent despotism and hence ruthless destruction. This power may be anyone – the local law or even God.  Man has to be motivated by some kind of fear or perhaps even Faith to keep himself in check. Again, this commentary on faithlessness in the modern world rings truer now than when it was written.

Along with being a very contemporary story and rooted in reality, Crime and Punishment carries with itself, the classic Christian tale of sin, remorse, suffering and redemption. The faithless (and even despotic, to an extent) Raskolnikov is saved by the untainted faith of Sofia Semenovna, the Jesus figure of the story. She carries with herself all his sins (in the form of dead Lizaveta’s cross) and suffers for the sake of others. She helps Raskolnikov repent and hence accept suffering, thereby arousing in him, a hope for future life.

It is not only the frighteningly passionate description of violence in the book that makes the readers restless, but Dostoyevsky’s exceptionally keen observation of human nature that disturbs and provokes. He strips us of all vanity and exposes the moral putrefaction underneath the veneer of compassion.  His characters seem to be delighted on distress of others. Yet one is unable to hate them, for one sees himself/herself in them. He makes us introspect and realize that we are no better or worse than the others, which otherwise no one would dare to do.  And by doing that Dostoyevsky does not intend to humiliate us, rather he teaches us humility, helps us set our morals right and provides us the power to truly empathize.