Coping With Guilt In Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime

Coping with guilt, how does each person function with the pressure of a moral compass? When someone commits a petty crime such as theft they might not be left with overwhelming, strangling guilt, but as soon as someone commits a life altering crime, such as murder, it has life altering effects on that person's identity. In Crime and Punishment the main character Raskolnikov commits the crime of homicide. The reader begins to see the thought process that Raskolnikov went through when he decided to commit a murder, and how his situation affected his ability to think clearly. As he commits the murder he believes in such a thing as a “superman”, that a person can be justified in committing murder. Throughout the book one sees how this act affects him, and it is quickly revealed that he has a dual personality within him. He tends to switch between being a warm, friendly …show more content…
He then decides that it is providence that he overheard this and was thinking the same thing. This then sends him into an almost reflexive state, where he just does it. While he is killing her, he goes into a calm, machine like persona. This cold and mechanical killing of the broker leaves the reader confused at his earlier frenzy. Then once he has completed the task of killing her, he returns to himself, and then starts to realize what he has done. This contrast between the two states hints at the almost bipolar Raskolnikov. The duality with in his person. Originally his want to end her life seems to be malicious but as a reader it can be seen that it comes from a place of desperation, desperation to do something. His dislike for Alyona doesn’t stem from her as a person, but Raskolnikov despises their circumstance. He hated having to go to her for money; he hated that he wasn’t the only one doing