I. Introduction/General Information

• Title: Crime and Punishment
• Author: Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Type of Book: Fictional Novel

II. Characters

Main Character

            The main character of this novel is Raskolnikov, a young and intellectual man who liked to be alone and who did not befriend people. He used to be a student in a school in St. Petersburg but because of lack of money, he stopped his studies. Reduced to poverty, he pawned his belongings to different people, one of which was Alyona Ivanovna, who he later kills-along with her sister-with an ax. In the days after the murder, he struggled to keep himself from making a mistake of letting his tongue slip in the presence of people who were suspicious of him, or of confessing his crime.

            I can identify with the main character in such a way that when I have done something wrong, I am bothered by my conscience and my mind becomes very confused. I also panic whenever I am faced with a situation in which someone might find out about my misdeed.

Supporting Characters

• Alyona Ivanovna is an old woman who is mistrustful of people. She lives with her sister Lizaveta, who obeys Alyona's every command and yet still gets beaten by her sister. Raskolnikov had already pawned one of his belongings to her before, but he again pawned something-a watch-to the old woman, so that he could take note of the details of Alyona's flat and in preparation for the crime he would do.
• Duonia is Raskolnikov's sister who agreed to marry Pyotor Petrovitch Luzhin, a government official, in hopes of providing a better life for her brother. As described in the story, she is very pretty, and as such, men, such as Razumihin, a loyal friend of Raskolnikov, immediately notice her beauty at the first sight of her. In the end, she married Razumihin.
• Sonia is the daughter of Marmeladov, a man he met in a tavern the day before he committed his crime. She went into prostitution just to help in providing for her family. When Raskolnikov confessed his crime to her, she told him to confess to the authorities and say that it was he who killed the old woman and her sister. Later, when Raskolnikov serves his sentence in Siberia, she follows him there and soon enough, he learns to love her, and their love gave him hope for the future.

III. Setting

            The novel was set sometime in the second half of the 1800s, in St. Petersburg, Russia.

            The setting is of great importance and help to the story since it helps readers understand better the social and political situation in those times, which was that it was a time of birth of new ideas and beliefs in Russia since Russia's ruler, Tsar Alexander II, lifted the repression and censorship of the state and allowed freedom of expression. Also, the rulers before Tsar Alexander II, in their effort to modernize Russia, opened Russia to the other, more advanced Western countries and as a result, Russians learned of new ideals and ways of thinking. Furthermore, owing to its location close to Europe, St. Petersburg was chosen the new capital by a tsar before Alexander II, therefore making this place the center not just of commerce but also of learning and new thinking. The setting ultimately helps people to understand Raskolnikov's actions, ideals and behavior better.

IV. Plot

1. Raskolnikov kills Alyona Ivanovna with numerous blows of an ax. He also kills her sister, Lizaveta, when she saw the lifeless body of her sister and saw him in their flat. Afterwards, he returns to his apartment.
2. In the days following his murder, he becomes sick. He barely touches his food and he would only sleep for long stretches of time. It's a good thing that Razumihin searched for him and, finding him in that state, took care of him.
3. Raskolnikov meets Sonia for the first time when Marmeladov dies after being run over by horses.
4. His mother and sister arrive in St. Peterburg. Duonia backs out of her marriage with Luzhin during a dinner in which Luzhin and Raskolnikov, who does not approve of his sister's marriage for his sake, disagree over many things.
5. After confessing to Sonia that he was the murderer, he goes to the police station and confesses his crime to Ilya Petrovitch.
6. Raskolnikov serves his sentence in a fortress in Siberia. Sonia, who followed him to Siberia, sends letters about his state in Siberia to Duonia and Razumihin, who were by then married to each other. Raskolnikov also learns to love Sonia, and this gives him a better outlook of life and of his future to come, when he finishes his time in Siberia.

V. Theme

            The moral the author was trying to convey-and which I also came to realize-through this book is that a wrongdoing kept secret will always, in one way or another, be made known to others, no matter how much one tries to cover it up. God will always find a way to make people realize their sins, yet He will still love us and show His mercy through our healing experiences and through the people who support us, just as in this story, when Duonia, Razumihin and Sonia still support Raskolnikov, even though he is a criminal. 

            One of the problems in the story was Raskolnikov's restlessness and loss of peace of mind which he still experienced even during the first few months when he served his time in the Siberian fortress. This was brought about by his not acknowledging of the wrongness of his deed, even if he meant to rid society of a nuisance or a louse, as he had heard someone describe the old woman. This problem was resolved when, through the months, he acknowledged that what he did was wrong. Sonia's love for him also helped in resolving this problem by giving him a feeling of hope and the feeling of being loved.

VI. Evaluation of the Book

            I can say that this is a remarkable novel since it deals with an interesting topic. I enjoyed reading this novel first and foremost, because it showed me what is inside a criminal's mind. But still, this book could have been better if the author did not make the story very long by adding every little detail there is for the reader to know, for this might possibly make a reader feel discouraged to finish reading it, just as I had felt even before I read half of the novel. Yet I can understand why the novel is so long, since it was made during a time when one of the few forms of entertainment was reading. To sum it all up, this book, although it may be long, is a notable one, and it is worth the time, patience, willpower and effort to finish reading it.

***I found out that Fyodor Dostoyevsky and I share the same birthday; only, I was born 172 after him.***