Raskolnikov Murder

Murder in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment are a somewhat confusing topic. On one hand, murder is a moral transgression for Raskolnikov. But he seemingly justifies it if it for the benefit of humanity. A rather unclear picture is painted by Dostoevsky as he condemns and redeems Raskolnikov’s actions throughout the book. Raskolnikov himself is a man of contradictions and likewise be seen justifying his actions and at the same time being doubtful of his nobility. I personally think that this is intentional and that Dostoevsky is taking the reader into the soul of a man both good and evil. Raskolnikov reveals to the reader the deepest and darkest corners of a grotesque and deprived mind. The mind of a depressed student, and the mind of a violent criminal. Raskolnikov is a cold-blooded killer, and all of his so called remorse later in the book is trumped by his reaction immediately after the killings, and the ease with which he kills two human beings. That alone is enough to show how little value Raskolnikov places on human life, and shows to the reader that all of the regret in the …show more content…
The reader is constantly made aware of his inner thoughts and emotions to the extent that one gets a sense of uneasiness just reading the book. One such example of the kind of intimacy one gets with Raskolnikov is seen when he thinks “Why am I going there now? Am I capable of that? Is that serious? It’s simply a fantasy to amuse myself; a plaything! Yes, maybe it is a plaything.” (Dostoevsky 2) Not only does the reader see the ambiguity of what “that” is to Raskolnikov, the reader also sees how conflicted Raskolnikov is with himself. In a matter of of 5 sentences, Raskolnikov shows fear twice, questions said fear once, and reassures himself twice. This is the type of inner war Raskolnikov fights seemingly every second of everyday and plays a vital role with his moral confections after his