The Progression of an Instable Mind

Set in St. Petersburg, Russia, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a novel that traces the psyche of one man, Raskolnikov. Whether it is before of after Raskolnikov commits two heinous murders, the reader can already identify that there is something seriously wrong with him. Whenever he does a kind deed, he regrets it as though getting involved were none of his business, “As he went out Raskolnikov had time to put his hand into his pocket, to snatch up the coppers he had received in exchange for his rouble in the tavern and to lay them unnoticed on the window. Afterwards on the stairs he changed his mind and would have gone back. ‘What a stupid thing I’ve done,’ he thought to himself, ‘they have Sonia and I want it myself’” (Dostoevsky 28). Dostoevksy’s use of first person narrator allows the reader to delve into Raskolnikov’s deepest thoughts, which are essential to understanding his actions throughout the novel.

The reader can first identify that Raskolnikov is not a stable man when we see that he speaks to himself more than he speaks to others. He simply has no interest in interaction. However, when he does engage in conversation, he feels, “habitual irritabil[ity] and uneasy aversion” (Dostoevsky 14). He is uncomfortable in most—if not all—social situations, thus allowing all his problems to build up. Although he starts off as a problem-ridden individual, the reader can see his progression from bad to worse.

He begins by feeling guilty that he has even had such horrible thoughts of murder, “‘Oh, God, how loathsome it all is! and can I, can I possibly. . . .No, it’s nonsense, it’s rubbish!” (Dostoevsky 11). However, as time passes and his hate for Alyona Ivanovna intensifies, his reaches a point when his thought process tells him that her murder would be completely justifiable. Raskolnikov’s absurdity further justifies the murder when it has all been set out in front of him. Superstition leads Raskolnikov to believe that because Alyona’s sister Lizaveta Ivanovna will be out of the house, it is a “suitable opportunity” (Dostoevsky 60). But the thing that really sets him off is the conversation between a young man and an officer in the tavern one night. The young man says Alyona is, “‘as rich as a Jew’” (Dostoevsky 62), and “‘a stupid, senseless, worthless, spiteful, ailing, horrid old woman, not simply useless but doing actual mischief”” (Dostoevsky 63). After hearing these horrible things about Alyona’s nature, the officer comes to the conclusion that, “‘she does not deserve to live’” (Dostoevsky 63). According to Raskolnikov, the conversation in the tavern and Alyona’s being alone both serve as indicators that his job is indeed to do away with the wretched woman before his opportunity expires.

Although his plan did not include the murder of Lizaveta, her intrusion causes Raskolnikov to behave irrationally. After he has killed both women, he is unable to forget what he has done. He is constantly paranoid that there are still traces of their blood left on his clothes. Raskolnikov, unlike a normal individual, does not feel regret; rather, he feels afraid that someone will discover his secret. As the novel progresses, the reader is able to further identify Raskolnikov’s oddities that make him the twisted individual that he is (550).