A crime committed, to be paid for by the allotted punishment. Such is the destiny of Rodion Raskolnikov, and the novel Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoyevski tells his story. The crime has two levels: the conscious belief in an only half-formed ideal of a "superman", and the physical manifestation of this ideal through the brutal murder of the local pawnbroker and her sister. A dual crime, to be paid for by dual punishment.

The inherent conflict with the "superman" paradigm that will plague Raskolnikov until at last it is abandoned for confession, at which time the punishment dictated by society begins. The duality of the ideal will torment his psyche, and his strife can be seen through the minor characters of the story, which, as foils to his character, define him by contrast. As his punishment ensues, so the story of his life enfolds, and the plot...