Summary:
Crime and Punishment by Dostevsky is a 19th century murder novel with the identity of the murderer revealed, but his intentions far from being clear. Every chapter is full of uncertainties, but no other facet of the novel causes greater vexation than what drove Raskolnikov to commit the murder.
Crime and Punishment-(theories of murder)
In literature, authors always struggle to make their works more interesting than another's. A murder story is a sure way to gain anyone's attention. Since the first novel, authors like Edgar Allen Poe have tried to create the perfect murder mystery. Dostoevsky might have succeeded in that in his most famous work Crime and Punishment. It is a 19th century murder novel with the identity of the murderer revealed, but his intentions far from being clear. Every chapter is full of uncertainties, but no other facet of the novel causes greater vexation than what drove Raskolnikov to commit the murder.
This is not to say that he committed murder without reason or purpose; instead, he is a multi-faceted character that is both likeable and a scoundrel all at once. Raskolnikov himself is even unsure why he plans and carries it out. When he goes to bury the stolen goods, he asks himself, " If all has really been done deliberately and not idiotically" then why didn't he look in the purse? Again he questions, ."..for what have I undergone these agonies and have deliberately undertaken this filthy, degrading business"" (Part II Ch. 2 pg. 92-93) Although Raskolnikov even is unsure, the reader is not completely left in the dark. As the book unfolds, motives are established. The first motive and the strongest during his planning stages was the issue of poverty. He was very penniless; he lived in filth, and needed money so that he might get out of that grave-like flat. After he committed the murder and came under suspicion, he met the "not-so-dumb" inspector general, Porfiry Petrovitch. Their first conversation revealed something else Raskolnikov had in mind. In an article composed by Raskolnikov, one written months before the crime was conceived, he brings up his theory of "supermen" who are bound by nature to advance new thoughts. It became clear that he wanted to become one of those men, a new "Napoleon" as he states. Another complication added to the mix is his third motive: he had a will to suffer.
The motive that encompassed Raskolnikov's poverty is a obvious choice, since he lives in a filthy, musty part of town in a small and stifling apartment. He even gave this reason during his trial for the murder. He also faced being a further burden on his mother and sister, as he lived on their money alone. This feeling was amplified after receiving the letter that explained that his sister was getting married to a wealthy man to support the family. He didn't want to burden anyone especially his sister, and by murdering he would be pulled out of debt and off of their backs.
The second motive mentioned involves a conversation that Raskolnikov overheard about six weeks before the murder, at the begging of his planning stages. It was between a student and an officer (go figure!) about the pawnbroker. It took place in the tavern after he juts pawned a ring given to him by Dounia. The student stated that he could kill her without any guilt, and that the pawnbroker was just a stain on society. He said that her money could be put to better use, doing a thousand good deeds to outweigh the one murder. This was a very ironic occurrence, since Raskolnikov had just met the old pawnbroker and felt a strong feeling of "irresistible dislike" toward her. Raskolnikov took what the student said to heart and thought he could be a benefactor for society. He thought he would become an "extraordinary" man. At this point, he was certain that the pawnbroker was just a little "louse", an evil aspect of society, and there should be no problem in removing her from it.
In Raskolnikov's "extraordinary man" theory, the world's population was divided into two groups, the ordinary and the extraordinary. The ordinary were merely law- abiding citizens that did what they were told. The extraordinary were "transgressors", those who made their own rules and stepped outside the bounds of law. During their conversation, Porfiry lead Raskolnikov to believe that he was truly interested in the theory. When in fact, he was leading Raskolnikov into a trap that he couldn't avoid. Porfiry asked him if, while writing his theory, he felt he was a "Napoleon." Raskolnikov begrudgingly admitted to this. He did not commit the crime because he was an extraordinary man; he did it to see if he was. His conscience didn't pass the test.
The third and strongest motive was the will to suffer. This is something that is deep-rooted in Russian people because of their Eastern Orthodoxy. The example presented in the book is Nikolai. He confessed the whole thing in order to take the suffering upon himself. He was described as an "old believer" who was influenced by an elder who said that suffering is the way to redemption. (Part IV, Ch. 2 pg. 388). Throughout the novel, Raskolnikov seems to be attracted to those ho suffer and are willing to give away his money people like Sonia and Marmeldov. Most of all he was attracted to Sonia, for she is whom he chose to tell first about the murder. He even kissed her feet "prostrating himself before all human suffering."(Part IV, Ch 4, pg. 272)
An element that seems to cloud this motive is lack of remorse. This is a function of his sense that fate has lead him to this result and that he is the true victim of the crime. As he becomes ill after he commits the murder and at many times he is driven to confess, he holds back, and tries to justify his crime in order to protect his mother and sister. He still can't help "confessing" in little ways, such as in the instance with the ringing the bell. He doesn't confess because Porfiry finally caught him. He could have just taken the Svindrigaylov's way out for that. Neither is it because he has yet submitted to Sonia's "humanity", but because of the desire to accept suffering has been the original motive of his life. At his trial, he only further shows his desire for suffering, because he actually magnifies his guilt.
There are three clear-cut motives in Crime and Punishment. There may be other motives that Dostoevsky may have intended to be more hidden. The three obvious ones were poverty along with the burden on his mother and sister, the desire to become a new "Napoleon", and his will to suffer. All of these contribute to the fun and interesting details of the entire novel. This may be one of the most perfect murder mysteries.
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