Dostoevsky Crime Punishment Dostoevsky's Crime Term Paper

In the end she succumbs to consumption; his youngest daughter from his first marriage, named Sonia is a kind woman that ends up prostituting her body for money. The life of these women is much like the lives of many Russian women during Dostoevsky's period. Because so many were poor, they ended up prostituting or engaging in crime to help support their family or to put bread on the table (Westwood, 1993). This does not mean the women of Russia were considered unworthy of love and affection, something Dostoevsky notes in his novel. Although many would consider the actions of Sonia deplorable, the main character looks up to her, and considers her an innocent and kind-hearted woman. For this reason Raskolnikov tells her about the murder he commits, and it is this daughter that causes Raskolnikov to confess to the authorities what he did and face the penalties associated with murder. Other characters include the examiner or constable that takes charge of the murder investigation, Porfiry Petrovitch, is always on Raskolnikov's toes. He wants Raskolnikov to reform his ways to become a more upstanding person in Russian society. This idea is one familiar to Dostoevsky who lived in Russia during a time when men felt encouraged to adopt the Russian "way of life" (Westwood, 1993).The Russian culture is a prominent influence in the lives of all of these characters in Dostoevsky's book. During the 1800s, when Dostoevsky wrote his novel, many Russian people faced poverty; many also turned to drinking or gambling as a means of passing the time and forgetting about their harsh existence (Westwood, 1993). There was a time in the author's life when Dostoevsky was considered by authorities to be a "radical" politician and thus, the government arrested him and imprisoned him in Siberia, much like the fate of the main character of the novel; he was to face the death sentence but narrowly escaped (Westwood, 1993). Dostoevsky himself experienced many deaths of close ones and loved ones; thus the concept of tormented loves or star struck lovers is a theme that was ever-present in Russian culture at the time (Westwood, 1993), perhaps one reason why Dostoevsky chooses to combine the reality of Russian life during his time with the lives of his characters.

References

Dostoevsky, F. & Onegin, E. (1993). Crime and Punishment, New York: Alfred a.

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