Major Themes in C&P

Crime and Punishment was full of themes and motifs. Svidrigailov’s committing suicide symbolized the underlying theme that man truly needs companionship to survive. He tried to live his life self-sufficiently, but realized toward the end of the story that Dunya was the key ingredient to his happiness. Once she told him that she could never love him, he was forced to let her out of his captivity. This led him to eventually commit suicide. I think Dostoevsky’s main point here is that each and every person has the same underlying composition. Men may commit sinful transgressions over their lifetime, but in the end, they all need the same things; love and compassion. A man’s coldhearted exterior can be torn down by another companion or a glimmer of hope at companionship. Raskolnikov, too, was drastically transformed by companionship. As he developed feelings for Sonya, he eventually opened up his heart and confessed to his loved ones. Their interactions illuminated a new path to Raskolnikov filled with possible redemption, salvation, and healing. The gold cross Sonya gave him also helped illuminate this path.
Raskolnikov’s conversation with his mother in Part VI was truly heart-felt. He expressed his true love and devotion to her by stating: “I’ve come to assure you that I have always loved you, and I’m glad we’re alone now…I’ve come to tell you straight out that although you will be unhappy, you must know all the same that your son loves you right now more than himself, and whatever you may have thought about me being cruel and not loving you, it’s all untrue. I’ll never cease to love you…” The mother Pulcheria Alexandrovna was put through such turbulence and anxiety since the moment she arrived out of the kindness of her heart to visit her son. Raskolnikov owed her an apology from the very beginning of the story, and I was glad to see that he got up the courage to do so. The mother had a deep understanding of her son; she knew from the moment she saw him that he was experiencing anguish and torment inside and waited for him until he was ready to address her. Although it caused her great pain, she backed away from her son’s life and without questioning him too much, allowed him to execute the necessary actions in the story. The lack of information she had regarding her son’s true whereabouts however, eventually drove her to an irrecoverable state of insanity. Although I do not know if she had a history of illness, it is evident that Raskolnikov’s madness and erratic behavior rubbed off on his mother. Moreover, Raskolnikov was incredibly fortunate to have such understanding relatives and friends. His mother and sister only wanted the best for him and stood by his side even when he was acting in a delirious state. Razhumkhin also played a paramount role in Raskolnikov’s life. He assuaged the pains and fears of Pulcheria Alexandrovna and Dunya by assuming the role of son/brother, while acting in Raskolnikov’s best interest at the same time. Although Raskolnikov never showed much gratitude toward Razhumkhin, the family appreciated his kindness and efforts very much. This gratitude, along with Dunya’s love were enough to keep him going throughout the novel.
Several selfless characters stood by this murderer’s side the whole time and believed in him until the very end. Characters like Dunya and Sonya tried to steer Raskolnikov in the right direction by persuading him to confess to the police. But just when I thought he had turned over a new leaf and felt guilty about the crime he committed, Raskolnikov surprised me by uttering the next several sentences: “Crime? What crime? I killed a vile, pernicious louse, a little old money-lending crone who was of no use to anyone, to kill whom is worth forty sins forgiven, who sucked the life-sap from the poor- is that a crime? I'm not thinking of it, nor am I thinking of washing it away. And why is everyone jabbing at me from all sides: ‘Crime! Crime!’ Only now do I see clearly all the absurdity of my faintheartedness, now that I’ve already decided to go to this needless shame!” Raskolnikov seemed to be defending his callous crime by denouncing the victim’s character. But what about poor Lizaveta? None of his excuses could ever justify the murder of Lizaveta. However, Raskolniknov eventually came to realize that he was the true scoundrel. He experienced revolutionary changes in jail in Siberia. I was worried that Sonya would fall ill at the end or give up on Raskolnikov all together, but she remained loyal to him until the very last page of the epilogue.
The epilogue was important in that it tied together all of the loose strings in Raskolnikov’s life, but it left few aspects up to the reader’s imagination. Nonetheless, I was a captivated audience for the entire duration of the novel. After accompanying Raskolnikov on his journey for over 550 pages, I was incredibly pleased to witness his extraordinary rebirth and metamorphosis.
posted by Leslie P.