Crime and Punishment

Poverty, death, tear shed. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky is filled with tragedy. Perhaps the most tragic is how much of the tragedy is caused by one person. its protagonist, Raskolnikov, is a tragic figure who inflicts suffering upon others. His serving as an instrument of suffering serves as a contribution to the work by illuminating its tragic vision of how even the compassionate are prone to suffering, as well as the existentialist theory that no choice is made without consequence in both one's own life and the lives of those around them.

Despite the dark, serious mood of Crime and Punishment, filled with death and tragedy, it contains several compassionate characters: Razumikhin, Dunya, Pulcheria Alexandrovna. They all represent compassion and selflessness in the novel. Dunya and Pulcheria Alexandrovna care most for their brother and son Raskolnikov despite his treatment towards them--angry outbursts, alienating himself from them--and yet they continue to put him first and foremost. Razumikhin shows contrast to Raskolnikov in his kindness and openness to feeling Raskolnikov's solidarity, pride, and even at times cruelty, as he mentions to Raskolnikov's mother and sister. Sonia, Raskolnikov's true love, is allegorical in her undying understanding and unconditional love. However, despite the best intentions of the most selfless, compassionate characters, they end up suffering because of Raskolnikov's crimes. Their suffering is present throughout the novel, beginning first with strain on their mental state when Raskolnikov begins to alienate himself from them, and continuing with near rape and loveless marriage for Dunya, sorrow and embarrassment for Razumikhin, and even the eventual death of Pulcheria Alexandrovna caused by stress over the confession of her son's committed murders. Sonia, the utmost example of love and emotion, the only one able to connect with and fully understand Raskolnikov, ends up suffering the most upon learning of her lovers crimes and, despite his seeming road to redemption after his confession, she must wait for him to complete his punishment in Siberia. Raskolnikov served as a conductor of suffering upon these characters in the same way a metal rod is a conductor of lightning towards a large tree. They illuminate the work's tragic vision of how even the best of humanity must suffer because of the actions of others.

One existentialist theory states that decisions cannot be made without consequences. Raskolnikov's decision to murder the pawnbroker was done "not to kill a person, but kill a principle" and prove hs is above the laws of the state and humanity. He only saw his actions as an "error," nothing more. However, his decision did indeed bring about consequences--even more for others than for himself. Yes, he did suffer mentally because of his conscience, but as previously mentioned, his crimes brought repercussions upon all