Crime and Punishment

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment is, as the title suggests, about both a crime and the resulting punishment.  The story’s protagonist is Raskolnikov, a broke former student now living in a small closet of an apartment in Saint Petersburg.  He’s seemingly without any direction in life, and without the means to earn the money he needs to resume his studies.  The crime at the center of the novel (and I guess this is a SPOILER if you don’t want to know, although it happens early on in the story) is Raskolnikov’s murder of a greedy moneylender and her sister (who stumbles upon the scene) in the two women’s apartment.  Although he’d planned the attack in advance, things don’t go as expected and after perpetrating the sloppy crime, Raskolnikov panics and is only able to make off with a small amount of money and a few other items, which he hides.  The rest of the book revolves around his punishment, which comes not from the authorities, but within himself as he struggles to justify his actions and worries that the detective on the case will soon catch him.

I’ve owned Crime and Punishment for years, but have avoided it at least in part because the thought of a 500 page Russian novel written 150 years ago seemed daunting at best.  But it’s on a lot of greatest books lists and I really wanted to give it a try.  To my surprise it was a remarkably easy read and not nearly the struggle I thought it might be.  This could be a credit to the translation I read, and if so then bravo to those translators.  And one more tip of the cap to the translators is due for the notes in the front of the book that explain the Russian names.  Raskolnikov is alternately referred to as Raskolnikov, Rodya, Rodka, and the more formal Rodion Romanovich (Russian names are nothing if not confusing).  And this happens with all of the characters, for example his sister is called Avdotya Romanovna, Dunya, and Dunechka.  And on and on.  I referred to the notes at the beginning several times to make sure I knew who was who.

There’s plenty to like about the novel, including the cat and mouse game between Rodya (or Raskolnikov – see what I mean?) and the detective trying to solve the case, who suspects Rodya but doesn’t have the proof he needs.  This keeps the reader in suspense of whether or not Rodya’s guilt will get the best of him and cause him to confess or if he’ll get away with murder.  Interesting characters appear throughout the novel, including Rodya’s old college friend Razumikhin, who tries to help Rodya and insists upon his friend’s innocence, and Marmeladov, a drunk that Rodya befriends at a bar.  I particularly liked the relationship between Rodya and Marmeldov’s daughter Sonya, who becomes a prostitute to support her father’s destitute family.  Sonya is one of the many characters who show a duality in their actions.  Her crime is prostituting herself, but she does it for good reason and privately she’s a virtuous Christian who wants Rodya to atone for his crimes.  She even gives him a cross to carry (symbolism!)  Rodya himself also displays this duality, showing his generosity by giving all of his remaining money to those in need, despite at times displaying little remorse for the murders he’s committed.  One of the novel’s themes seems to be the good and evil that exist in everyone and what motivates a person to respond to the impulse of each. 

There’s plenty more to the story, but I’ll wrap it up by saying I really did enjoy the novel.  It probably won’t be included in my personal top 10, but I’m glad I finally got around to reading it.

Next up:  April 1865 by Jay Winik