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Beccaria – “On Crimes And Punishments”

November 4, 2018 By Margit

Cesare Beccaria is seen by many people as the “father of criminology.” Here is a brief summary of his ideas and famous essay “On Crimes and Punishments,” both in video and text format.

Table of Contents

Discussions about Crime and Punishment

Cesare Beccaria is seen by many people as the “father of criminology” for his ideas about crime, punishment, and criminal justice procedures. He was an Italian born as an aristocrat in the year 1738 in Milan. At that time European thought about crime and punishment was still very much dominated by the old idea that crime was sin and that it was caused by the devil and by demons. And in part to punish the devil and the demons that were causing crime, very harsh punishments were used. At the time when Beccaria came along, the era of Enlightenment was in full swing, and scientists were starting to challenge the old views, but the people who had political power were not ready to leave those old ideas behind yet.

Beccaria didn’t start out as an intellectual. In fact, he wasn’t considered to be above average or interested really when it came to science or philosophy. But after he completed his law studies at the University of Pavia, he started to surround himself with a group of young men who were interested in all kinds of philosophical issues and social problems. And the intellectual discussions that Beccaria was able to have with these people led him to question many of the practices that were common in his time, including the way in which offenders were being punished for their crimes.

Publication of Beccaria’s “On Crimes and Punishments”

Beccaria’s famous work, “On Crimes and Punishments,” was published in 1764, when he was 26 years old. His essay called out the barbaric and arbitrary ways in which the criminal justice system operated. Sentences were very harsh, torture was common, there was a lot of corruption, there were secret accusations and secret trials, and there was a lot of arbitrariness in the way in which sentences were imposed. There was no such thing as equality before the law. And powerful people of high status were treated very differently from people who were poor and who did not have a lot of status.

Beccaria’s ideas clashed dramatically with these practices. And I’ll go through some of the central principles that his work is based on.

Only the Law Can Prescribe Punishment

According to Beccaria, only the law can prescribe punishment. It is up to the legislator to define crime and to prescribe which punishment should be imposed. It is not up to a magistrate or a judge to impose a penalty if the legislator has not prescribed it. And neither is it up to a judge to change what the law says about how a crime should be punished. The judge should do exactly what the law says.

The Law Applies Equally to All People

In addition, Beccaria said that the law applies equally to all people. And so punishment should be the same for all people, regardless of their power and status.

Making the Law and Law Enforcement Public

Beccaria also believed in the power of making the law and law enforcement public. More specifically, laws should be published so that people actually know about them, and trials should be public, too. Only then can onlookers judge if the trial is fair.

According to Beccaria, the Law and Law Enforcement Should be Public

Beccaria: Punishments Should be Proportional, Certain, and Swift

Regarding severe punishment, Beccaria said that if severe punishments do not prevent crime, they should not be used. Instead, punishments should be proportional to the harm that the crime has caused. According to Beccaria, the aim of punishment is not to cause pain to the offender, but to prevent them from doing it again and to prevent other people from committing crime. In order to be able to do that, Beccaria believed that punishment should be certain and swift. He believed that if offenders were sure that they would be punished and if punishment would come as quickly as possible after the offense, that this would have the largest chance of preventing crime.

Beccaria Argued Against the Death Penalty

As another controversial issue, Beccaria argued against the death penalty. In his view, the state does not have the right to repay violence with more violence. And in addition to that, Beccaria believed that the death penalty was useless. The death penalty is momentary, it is not lasting and therefore the death penalty cannot be very successful in preventing crimes. Instead, lasting punishments, such as life imprisonment, would be more successful in preventing crimes, because potential offenders will find this a much more miserable condition than the death penalty.

Cesare Beccaria had radical ideas about crime and punishment for his time

No Right To Torture

Similarly, according to Cesare Beccaria, the state does not have the right to torture. Because no one is guilty until he or she is found guilty, no one has the right to punish a person by torturing him or her. Plus, people who are under torture will want the torture to stop and might therefore make false claims, including that they committed a crime they did not commit. So torture is also ineffective.

The Power of Education

Instead of torture and severe penalties, Beccaria believed that education is the most certain method of preventing crime.

Beccaria: Controversy and Success

Beccaria’s ideas are hardly controversial today, but they caused a lot of controversy at the time, because they were an attack on the entire criminal justice system. Beccaria initially published his essay anonymously, because he didn’t necessarily consider it to be a great idea to publish such radical ideas. And this idea was partly confirmed when the book was put on the black list of the Catholic Church for a full 200 years.

But even though his ideas were controversial back then, his essay became an immediate success. In fact, Cesare Beccaria’s ideas became the basis for all modern criminal justice systems and there is some evidence that his essay influenced the American and French revolutions which happened not long after the publication of the essay. His ideas were not original, because others had also proposed them, but Beccaria was the first one to present them in a consistent way. Many people were ready for the changes that he proposed, which is why his essay was such a success.

Beccaria ends his essay with what can be seen as a kind of summary of his view:

“So that any punishment be not an act of violence of one or of many against another, it is essential that it be public, prompt, necessary, minimal in severity as possible under given circumstances, proportional to the crime, and prescribed by the laws.”

You can find Cesare Beccaria’s full essay “On Crimes and Punishments” here .

Cesare Beccaria, father of criminology and classical criminology

author of essay on crime and punishment

An Essay on Crimes and Punishments

  • Cesare Bonesana di Beccaria (author)
  • Voltaire (author)

An extremely influential Enlightenment treatise on legal reform in which Beccaria advocates the ending of torture and the death penalty. The book also contains a lengthy commentary by Voltaire which is an indication of high highly French enlightened thinkers regarded the work.

  • EBook PDF This text-based PDF or EBook was created from the HTML version of this book and is part of the Portable Library of Liberty.
  • Facsimile PDF This is a facsimile or image-based PDF made from scans of the original book.
  • Kindle This is an E-book formatted for Amazon Kindle devices.

An Essay on Crimes and Punishments. By the Marquis Beccaria of Milan. With a Commentary by M. de Voltaire. A New Edition Corrected. (Albany: W.C. Little & Co., 1872).

The text is in the public domain.

  • United States

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“ No man can be judged a criminal until he be found guilty; nor can society take from him the public protection, until it have been proved that he has violated the conditions on which it was granted. What right, then, but that of power, can authorise the punishment of a citizen, so long as there… ”

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An essay on crimes and punishments.

APA Citation Beccaria, Cesare, marchese di. (1778). An essay on crimes and punishments. Printed for Alexander Donaldson, and sold at his shops in London and Edinburgh. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.5479/sil.36417.39088001520584

MLA Citation Beccaria, Cesare, marchese di. An essay on crimes and punishments. A new edition corrected., Printed for Alexander Donaldson, and sold at his shops in London and Edinburgh, 1778, https://doi.org/10.5479/sil.36417.39088001520584

Chicago Beccaria, Cesare, marchese di. An essay on crimes and punishments. Printed for Alexander Donaldson, and sold at his shops in London and Edinburgh, 1778. doi: https://doi.org/10.5479/sil.36417.39088001520584

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An essay on crimes and punishments, by cesare beccaria translated from the italian, 1775 (original published in 1764), introduction, chapter i: of the origin of punishments, chapter ii: of the right to punish, chapter vi: of the proportion between crimes and punishments, chapter xii: of the intent of punishments, chapter xix: of the advantage of immediate punishment, chapter xxvii: of the mildness of punishments.

The Classic Journal

A journal of undergraduate writing and research, from wip at uga, an analysis of crime and punishment.

by Paris Whitney

author of essay on crime and punishment

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a novel that has been deemed controversial, yet notable over the course of centuries. This novel was influenced by the time period and setting of 19 th century St. Petersburg, Russia. Society was transitioning from medieval traditions to Westernization, which had a large impact on civilians, specifically those in poverty. Dostoevsky writes this novel centered around a poor man whose poverty drives him to test an ideology that results in his own detriment. Although this is important, the plot is only part of what makes this novel significant. What continues to make this novel memorable centuries after it was written is how Dostoevsky uses the concept of time to progress the plot and establish information, how his use of symbolism contributes to the message and meaning of the story and its characters, and how his writing has unintentionally embraced and related to different philosophies.

symbolism, nature, time, philosophy, existentialism, ego transcendence

Fyodor Dostoevsky is perhaps the most controversial author of the nineteenth century. His best-known work is Crime and Punishment , a novel that explores the psychological depths of man. At the center is Raskolnikov, a character who inflicts and experiences a great deal of suffering, all because he perceives himself to be superior to the average man.

Crime and Punishment takes place in St. Petersburg, Russia. The time is 1860, Alexander II holds reign, and consequently political skepticism is abundant. In addition to skepticism, the country’s economic state has disproportionate effects on its citizens, as the increasing wealth gap parallels the increase of turmoil in the streets. The novel follows Rodion Raskolnikov, a man of lower class whose poverty leads him to forming an idea and testing its validity. This theory is that certain men are exempt from laws created by society, as their actions against these laws are done for the greater good. In order to test this theory, Raskolnikov forms a plan to murder Alyona Ivanovna, an old pawnbroker whom he has had many exchanges with. After killing Ivanovna, he ends up killing her sister Lizaveta as well, when her appearance at Ivanovna’s apartment startles his original plan. In a frenzy, he leaves their bodies at the crime scene, and on his way out his mental state begins to spiral leading the readers to follow his psychological decline. 

Around the world, philologists and psychologists alike have studied Crime and Punishment to understand what makes this work essential to literature. Through studies of symbolism, philosophy, and psychology, it is recognized how Dostoevsky uses the concept of time to develop the story, how he uses symbolism to reflect underlying emotions and intentions of characters, and how different ideologies may be related to the meaning behind Crime and Punishment. These components used together showcase how Dostoevsky’s work remains notable for centuries.  

Crime and Punishment is a novel symbolic of the drawbacks that society can have on individuals, specifically those who are at a disadvantage as a result of their class or mental state. When Dostoevsky penned this novel, the time was 1866. 19 th century Russia was a transition period from medieval traditions to Westernization. During this transition, many people struggled to accommodate to the changing times. There was unrest in the streets, conflict amongst the classes, economic upheaval, and a lack of concern for those suffering by the government. Those who were of higher class were better able to navigate this complex transition, while those in poverty lacked the materials necessary to accommodate to the coming changes. Previously Westernized countries exhibited unrest fromtheir populations while progressing in societal advancement. There was concern about this potentially translating into Russia’s development. Russia was not exempt from these issues, and Dostoevsky was no help in assuring that peace would be maintained. Dostoevsky’s work concerned people in power when he indirectly made an association between violence and societal progression, and how this may prompt the masses to revolt against their government. Localized current events, such as a rise in domestic violence and murder, also influenced this novel. Due to these real-life events that inspired Dostoevsky’s work, it can be said that Crime and Punishment is an accurate representation of its time period [ 1 ] .

Not only was time period an influence on his work, but Dostoevsky would manipulate the concept of time itself to convey the meaning behind his stories. In Crime and Punishment , Dostoevsky writes Raskolnikov as a character continuously in a fever of thoughts. His mind is constantly running rampant, unrelenting even in slumber. Before significant events Raskolnikov would either flashback or dream of memories foreshadowing future moments. An example of this is before committing to murder Alyona Ivanovna, his subconscious takes him and the reader back to a moment where he and his father witnessed the cruel killing of a mule at the hands of a crowd for being too weak to pull a wagon . From a third person perspective, young Raskolnikov’s reaction to this moment is described hither, “But by now the poor boy is beside himself. With a shout he plunges through the crowd into the sorrel, embraces her dead, bloodstained muzzle, and he kisses her, kisses her on the eyes, on the mouth…” (Dostoevsky, 1866, pg. 57). By preceding Raskolnikov’s murderous intentions with his younger self’s mournful reaction to the mule’s death shows the audience how Raskolnikov has developed over time, and the degeneration resulting from his experiences in life.Time also seems to slow down when Raskolnikov is in moments of heightened emotion , because as he loses the ability to conceptualize, the more feverish his mind becomes. Towards the end of the novel, Raskolnikov reflects on the events that have occurred, saying “after a long time had passed, he thought his consciousness must have kept flashing on and off, with several dim, dark intervals, right up to the final catastrophe. He was absolutely convinced he had been mistaken about many things at the time; the duration of time of certain events, for example.” (Dostoevsky, 1866, pg. 417). This feverish mindset also manifests into physiological symptoms, giving Raskolnikov the appearance of being sick. “He was not completely unconscious all the time he was sick, but rather delirious, in a feverish state of half consciousness. He could recall a good deal later. Once in his room seemed full of people… They had all gone out. They were afraid of him.” (Dostoevsky, 1866, pg. 112). Dostoevsky uses syntax and diction to write these occurrences in a way that mimics Raskolnikov’s thinking. The transitions between events are frenetic, reflecting the tumultuous thoughts that plague Raskolnikov as a result of his actions. Choosing to modify the chronology of the novel in this way, he emphasizes the severity of situations by making the readers feel like they are experiencing the event as well.

In addition to this, Crime and Punishment contains levels of symbolism to enhance the mental conditions of characters . George Gibian explored traditionalsymbolism [2] within Crime and Punishment , and came to find that many motifshave religious roots. Ranging from Christianity to Paganism to Russian Orthodoxy, Dostoevsky’s implementation of images such as water, vegetation, air, and earth come together to express the mental state of the characters immersed in a particular setting. For example, Gibian described how water is used as a symbol of rebirth or regeneration. In Crime and Punishment , Raskolnikov would aimlessly walk about the setting in moments where his mind and thoughts were chaotic. He would end up in symbolically important nature scenes, for instance beside a river that ran through his town, or on the ground surrounded by bushes and trees. When near the water, he would feel the weight of guilt coming from the crimes he has committed. “He stared at the darkening water of the canal. He seemed to be scrutinizing this water. At last red circles danced before his eyes, the buildings swayed, the passersby, the embankments, the carriages- everything around him began to swirl and dance. All of a sudden he shuddered. A wild and grotesque scene saved him, perhaps, from another fainting spell.” (Dostoevsky, 1866, pg. 163). In this scene, Raskolnikov’s physiological symptoms begin to arise as his consciousness fights for contrition. This is important because Raskolnikov’s proximity to water when these feelings arise is representative of the good side of his conscience, trying to push him in the direction of what is right.

While water and vegetation are symbols that typically have a positive connotation, their presence can be used to emphasize the degeneration of one’s mental state . An example would be Svidrigailov, a character whose presence is nothing short of problematic. He strives to satisfy his erotic desires regardless of who may be harmed in the process, solidifying his position as one of the antagonists in Crime and Punishment . Svidrigailov also possesses a dislike for nature. This is shown when he visits St. Petersburg, and in his final night of life he ends up spiraling in his hotel room. During this downward spiral, he hears the sound of trees rustling outside of his window combined with rain. Instead of comforting him, they drive him further towards insanity. “‘The trees are sighing. I must admit I don’t care for the sighing of trees on a dark, stormy night- it gives me the creeps!’” He takes time to contemplate his life, saying, “ ‘I never in my life liked water… You’d think now, of all times, I’d be indifferent to these fine points of esthetics and comfort, whereas actually I’m fussier,’” (Dostoevsky, 1866, pg. 480). He resents the sound of vegetation when having a mental breakdown, and he ends up committing suicide in the midst of a fog that has emerged after a thunderstorm- showing his opposition to growing as a person. The use of nature as a way to reflect internal torments and emotions of different characters shows Dostoevsky’s proficiency in storytelling. Having the character’s surroundings speak the unspoken about what they may be feeling adds a level of meaning to the novel. This implementation of pathetic fallacy strengthens the story while aiding the reader in understanding the message of the text. When looking at the novel as a whole, it is clear nature bridges a connection between the audience and the author, by contextualizing events using the description of the setting where they take place. The narrator establishing the environment before delving into details about actions is a way to indicate to the reader potential outcomes of events, or foreshadow underlying emotions.

Symbolism in this novel does not stop with traditional aspects. Janet Tucker [3] explored the significance of clothing in respect to a character’s religious prospects and how their clothing reflects their beliefs or state of mind. When being worn by someone who has dedicated their life to Christ, clothing is modest and kept to the best of their ability. Sonya is a character in Crime and Punishment who serves as a deuteragonist, being one of the women that only have pure intentions when it comes to helping Raskolnikov. She tries to help Raskolnikov find faith and become a better person, and she does her best to comfort him in his worst moments of mental distress. Sonya even follows Raskolnikov to Siberia when he is imprisoned, despite his resistance to loving her. After analyzing this description of character, it can be said that Sonya’s clothes reflect the graciousness of her soul. She conceals her body in rags because she is poor, although she tries her best to keep them from becoming tattered, showing her values and how she maintains her composed state of mind. Comparing her to Raskolnikov, his mental state is too far distracted for him to care about trivial matters such as his appearance. His clothes are riddled with holes, and he lacks the incentive to fix the damage. An interesting point that Tucker made is how Raskolnikov uses his clothes in his crimes. He wears an overcoat that he uses to conceal his murder weapon and the items he has stolen from Ivanovna after killing her. Considering this, Tucker’s point is validated by the quality of clothing matching the quality of the person who bears it. Dostoevsky using clothing to portend the mental state and values that characters hold is a creative and effective way to give the readers insight as to how they will be progressing throughout the novel. Astute members of the audience will be able to recognize the differences among presentation of characters and base predictions about their actions off of their clothing. It is also interesting to see how characters’ religious affiliations can be observed through their attention to quality of clothing, reflecting how they choose to preserve and care for their items. In contrast to nature’s reflection of emotions, clothing gives insight about personal traits and the morals that shape a character into who they are.

While symbolism is important to developing the meaning behind Crime and Punishment , what makes this novel so notable are the philosophies it both challenges and embraces unintentionally. Existentialism [4] is a philosophy maintaining the belief that as individuals, there is a right within everyone to determine quality of life through acts of free will. It is easy to see how Crime and Punishment can be regarded by many existentialists as representative of this philosophy, but overall Dostoevsky is not one many would like to consider an archetype for existentialism. And, in retrospect, he is not. Dostoevsky’s main character in Crime and Punishment spends a lot of his time soliloquizing his belief that certain men are greater than others. Raskolnikov thinks men like this come to be by exercising their free will in ways that defy the common laws of life, but with the intention that what they are doing will better the world in the end. This idea is the reason behind Raskolnikov’s eventual murder of Alyona Ivanovna, a pawnbroker, and her half-sister Lizaveta. He kills Ivanovna as a way to test if he can be one of these people, but quickly discovers in the throes of his crime that he is not. This misconstrued idea of free will presented in Crime and Punishment can be where many begin to wonder if Dostoevsky was an existentialist. But a conclusion can be made that Dostoevsky’s free will is psychologically based and pushes the boundaries between what is right and what is wrong. Existentialism, on the other hand, is a philosophy centered around creativity and authenticity of the self.       

On a more granular level, while Dostoevsky was not an existentialist, his work shows his agreement with the philosophical concept of ego transcendence [5] . Transcendence of the ego is described as an advancement of the “authentic self” through experiences that result in a greater awareness. Once this awareness is achieved, this person usually begins to see themselves as greater than the average human. This is easily relatable to Raskolnikov’s philosophy that he reiterates often throughout the novel. The way that Dostoevsky sets his characters up for transcendence is through suffering. Richard Chapple analyzed the way Dostoevsky progresses Crime and Punishment by noting the use of the prism of the divine [6] . The prism of the divine includes 6 reasons that people suffer, and Dostoevsky provides different scenarios for representations of each reason. Raskolnikov suffers as a result of “recognition of transgression,” which is his guilt overpowering him after killing two women. It is even more stressful because in this guilt he realizes that he is not the monumental person he thought he was. In turn, he suffers because of “involvement in the torments and suffering of others,” as a result of brutally murdering his victims, followed by “greed and ambition.” Once failing to follow through with his entire plan beyond murdering Ivanovna, the weight of his ambition becomes heavy as it never had a chance at being attained. This dissatisfaction with himself contributes more to his depression than the fact that he is a murderer.

The last three prisms of the divine are “lack of faith,” “pride,” and the “inability to love.” Here, it is important to note Chapple’s perspective on how pride stems into all categories of suffering. Chapple discussed concepts such as clothing, a previously mentioned symbol, and how its relation to pride can be interpreted. He states, “The proud often suffer because of poverty or other seemingly external circumstances such as name, clothing and position. Pride generates a façade, and characters wear masks to conceal an inner reality…” (1983, p. 97). While Raskolnikov’s hubris is his biggest torment, Raskolnikov suffers for all of these reasons, and these intersections are where Sonya tries to ease his pain. When Raskolnikov is in his apartment with Sonya and is attempting to explain his crimes, she reassures him that she will not forsake him as he believes she will, going as far as to promise to follow him wherever he goes, even to prison. When he asks her what he should do, she advises him to go back to where he committed these atrocities, kiss the earth and kneel on the ground, then confess aloud that he is a murderer. By doing so, he is confessing to God and has a chance of being forgiven for his sins.

While religion plays a big role in Crime and Punishment , Dostoevsky’s implementation of Lazarus is predominately referencing the song rather than the biblical story- though that is mentioned. The Lazarus song [7] is a song that encapsulates the belief that the relationship between the rich and the poor should include the rich helping those in poverty by almsgiving. When Raskolnikov is preparing to face Porfiry Petrovich, a detective in the case of Ivanovna and Lizaveta’s murders, he says to himself “I’ll have to play the part of Lazarus for him too,” ( Crime and Punishment , 237). When Raskolnikov says this, he means that he is going to have to embrace his situation as a poor, college dropout, as a way to appear more innocent to Petrovich. This manipulation is seen from the side of poor people such as Raskolnikov, but also from those of wealth.

Raskolnikov’s sister, Dunya, was engaged to a man of the name Luzhin who expected her to marry him out of desperation. When Dunya backs out of the marriage, Luzhin scolds himself for not using his money to manipulate her into staying by purchasing expensive gifts, as opposed for thinking he should have treated her better. It is through secondary characters like these when many underlying messages are being portrayed. While Raskolnikov is the central character of Crime and Punishment , Dostoevsky uses secondary characters as a way to reflect certain aspects that Raskolnikov may be lacking, such as consciousness and an ability to recognize and admit to one’s mistakes. With Sonya, she was a part of a family that forced her into prostitution because they were too poor to provide for her, with a father who was too drunk to care. Marmeladov was the father’s name, and he is who Raskolnikov first meets in a bar and confesses to his shame about the situation he has put his daughter in. Similarly, Raskolnikov’s mother reduces his sister to working in uncomfortable scenarios in order to be able to send Raskolnikov to college. She feels guilt at this when Dunya becomes the center of town drama, after the husband in the family she works for begins to lust after her. These characters have made mistakes, but what parallels them to Raskolnikov is the fact that they acknowledge their wrongs, whereas he has to find the courage to do so .

Raskolnikov’s struggles with admitting that he can make mistakes like anybody else stem from his beliefs that there are two types of people in the world. He references Napoleon throughout the novel, because he believes him to be an example of how things considered to be bad have to happen in order for progress to be made. Pearl Niemi defines this as “power-cult [ 8] ,” the part of Raskolnikov believing in certain people’s superiority to regular laws. The part of Raskolnikov that cripples him once he tries exercising this belief can be referred to as “child-cult.” The child-cult is Raskolnikov’s emotions and thoughts that challenge the power-cult and ultimately overtake it. This duality within Raskolnikov has an interesting relation with his name. “Raskolot,” is the Russian verb meaning division, or split. When analyzing the schism between Raskolnikov’s feelings and actions, it gives his name a greater meaning and shows how Dostoevsky was very intentional with his work.

Considering what makes a novel notable, Hugh Curtler [9] elaborated on the idea that a novel which can be widely interpreted is what makes it memorable. Curtler referred to the part of the writer that allows for this to happen as the “poet,” because they write without clarification. In this respect, they acknowledge how Dostoevsky was successful at this throughout the majority of Crime and Punishment. Where Curtler thought Dostoevsky failed with this novel is in the epilogue. Instead of leaving the audience to gather their own opinions about certain aspects, he writes an epilogue that confirms what would have been better left unsaid, specifically Raskolnikov’s ability to feel emotions such as sadness, love, regret,etc .

In retrospect, Dostoevsky’s use of time, symbolism, and philosophical aspects in Crime and Punishment each provide different levels of meaning to the story. When incorporating the concept of time in terms of context and story progression, it allows the reader to grasp the importance of the events being foreshadowed, in addition to understanding the influences on decisions of characters. His attention to detail using motifs to communicate underlying emotions and intentions of his characters creates another layer of meaning for this novel, as the interpretation of these motifs make Crime and Punishment different for every reader. And lastly, Dostoevsky’s novel embraces different philosophies, while simultaneously maintaining its individuality from any one ideology. He writes this novel in a way where it applies to different ideals, wherein itself it is exclusive from being categorized, due to its unique central message. This message is one that can be applied to many time periods in history, including the 21 st century. The inevitable progression of societies tends to commonly leave those who are underprivileged to fend for themselves. When this isolation persists, is it unexpected to have people who attempt to create a life for themselves trying to prove that they are worth something, when their government treats them like nothing? Crime and Punishment provides a variety of perspectives for the audience’s consideration. Despite the many ways that this novel can be read and interpreted, one thing is clear, Crime and Punishment is illustrious.

Bourgeois, P. (1980). Dostoevsky and Existentialism: An Experiment in Hermeneutics. Journal of Thought, 15(2), 29-37. Retrieved May 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42588842

Chapple, R. (1983). A Catalogue of Suffering in the Works of Dostoevsky: His Christian Foundation. The South Central Bulletin, 43(4), 94-99. doi:10.2307/3187246

Curtler, H. (2004). The Artistic Failure of Crime and Punishment.  Journal of Aesthetic Education,   38 (1), 1-11. doi:10.2307/3527358

Dostoevsky, F. (1866). Crime and Punishment. Signet Classics.

Gibian, G. (1955). Traditional Symbolism in Crime and Punishment.  PMLA,   70 (5), 979-996. doi:10.2307/459881

Harrison, L. (2013). THE NUMINOUS EXPERIENCE OF EGO TRANSCENDENCE IN DOSTOEVSKY. The Slavic and East European Journal, 57(3), 388-402. Retrieved May 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43857534

Ivanits, L. (2002). The Other Lazarus in Crime and Punishment.  The Russian Review,   61 (3), 341-357. Retrieved May 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3664132

Kohlberg, L. (1963). Psychological Analysis and Literary Form: A Study of the Doubles in Dostoevsky. Daedalus, 92(2), 345-362. Retrieved May 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20026782

Niemi, P. (1963). THE ART OF “CRIME AND PUNISHMENT”.  Modern Fiction Studies,   9 (4), 291-313. Retrieved May 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/26278717

Tucker, J. (2009). Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”: Stopping History’s Clock. Russian History, 36(3), 443-453. Retrieved May 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24664577

Tucker, J. (2000). The Religious Symbolism of Clothing in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. The Slavic and East European Journal, 44(2), 253-265. doi:10.2307/309952

[1] Tucker, J. (2009). Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”: Stopping History’s Clock. Russian History, 36(3), 443-453. Retrieved May 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24664577

[2] Gibian, G. (1955). Traditional Symbolism in Crime and Punishment. PMLA, 70(5), 979-996. doi:10.2307/459881

[3] Tucker, J. (2009). Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”: Stopping History’s Clock. Russian History, 36(3), 443-453. Retrieved May 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24664577

[4] Bourgeois, P. (1980). Dostoevsky and Existentialism: An Experiment in Hermeneutics. Journal of Thought, 15(2), 29-37. Retrieved May 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42588842

[5] Harrison, L. (2013). THE NUMINOUS EXPERIENCE OF EGO TRANSCENDENCE IN DOSTOEVSKY. The Slavic and East European Journal, 57(3), 388-402. Retrieved May 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43857534

[6] Chapple, R. (1983). A Catalogue of Suffering in the Works of Dostoevsky: His Christian Foundation. The South Central Bulletin, 43(4), 94-99. doi:10.2307/3187246

[7 ] Ivanits, L. (2002). The Other Lazarus in Crime and Punishment. The Russian Review, 61(3), 341-357. Retrieved May 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3664132

[8 ] Niemi, P. (1963). THE ART OF “CRIME AND PUNISHMENT”. Modern Fiction Studies, 9(4), 291-313. Retrieved May 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/26278717

[9] Curtler, H. (2004). The Artistic Failure of Crime and Punishment. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 38(1), 1-11. doi:10.2307/3527358

Citation style: APA 6 th edition

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“Crime and Punishment”: A Timeless Psychological Masterpiece

“There are chance meetings with strangers that interest us from the first moment, before a word is spoken,” writes Dostoevsky in Crime and Punishment. And such is the impression made upon us by Dosteovsky’s incredible psychological masterpiece…

“Personally, I require a ceiling, although a high one. Yes, I like ceilings, and the high better than the low. In literature I think there are low-ceiling masterpieces— Crime and Punishment , for instance—and high-ceiling masterpieces, Remembrance of Things Past .” —Artur Sammler, in Saul Bellow’s Mr. Sammler’s Planet (1969), 151

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (430 pages, Dover, 2001)

author of essay on crime and punishment

Incidentally, Sammler also says he used to read Alice in Wonderland to his daughter (145), but doesn’t disparage the novel—though perhaps mentioning that he read it to a child, as if it weren’t a book that deserves to be closely read by adults, is disparagement enough. Last year witnessed the outpouring of love (deservedly so) for Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Alice in Wonderland. All across the country, museum exhibits, stage-plays, and all sorts of commemorations marked the 150th anniversary of its publication. But this year marks the 150th anniversary of Crime and Punishment , and unfortunately, much less is being done to celebrate the birth of this monumental novel. This is most likely due to the fact that, while Alice is obviously very lovable, Crime and Punishment is disturbing, challenging, and rather difficult to commemorate, let alone celebrate. But while comparing Crime and Punishment to Alice and Wonderland is as ridiculous as comparing Tchaikovsky to Charlie Parker, Crime and Punishment is the more urgent novel for us in our day and age; it not only is a great work of art, but is also a novel with a vital message for us in our peculiar time in history.

Raskolnikov is also young, but he is no Alice. He is a destitute student who wears rags, hardly gets enough to eat, and lives a meager life in the squalid slums of St. Petersburg. He is given to bouts of depression, hypochondria, monomania, and is isolated, alienated, and easily irritated—can there be any doubt that the subject he is a studying is law?

And this squalid St. Petersburg is obviously no wonderland. In fact, Raskolnikov’s grim city has much in common with Artur Sammler’s hellish New York City of the 1960s. But while the virtuous Sammler tries to end the criminal adventures of an elegant pickpocket artist on a Manhattan bus by calling the police, Raskolnikov tries to end the miserly existence of an old, odious pawnbroker by murdering her. Sammler commits an act of futility; Raskolnikov commits an act of terrorism.

“There are chance meetings with strangers that interest us from the first moment, before a word is spoken,” writes Dostoevsky in Crime and Punishment. And such is the impression made upon us by Dosteovsky’s incredible psychological masterpiece. As Nabokov did about a century later with Humbert Humbert, Dostoevsky takes us into the mind of a criminal (Rodian Romanovitch Raskolnikov—can Nabokov’s similar doubling of the protagonists name be anything but intentional?) who is not too different from you or me, and by narrating events from his perspective, Dostoevsky makes us empathize with, and identify with the protagonist, thereby making us, to some extent, “complicit” in his crime.

In addition to its observations about human nature that, like Raskolnikov’s “casuistry,” are “keen as a razor,” and in addition to its frighteningly realistic portrayal of individual psychology, Crime and Punishment is frightening for its eerily prophetic portrayal of societal psychology. Dostoevsky wrote this magnum opus at the time when Europe was just beginning to witness the widespread questioning of religion. Darwin, Marx, and not too much later, Freud, would help usher in the modern secular age. Burgeoning scientific and historical awareness, as well as increasingly confident radical philosophers and theologians, were beginning to question all the old societal shibboleths and religious certainties; everything that once seemed so sure and firm—Judeo-Christian morality, in particular—now seemed so uncertain and weak. What would become of a society without religion, and without the millennia-old moral values which formed its bedrock? What would become of humanity in a world that would soon lose its moral center but without yet having formulated a new morality? Dostoevsky dreamt up a terrifying scenario of such a world, and plants this prophetic dream in the sleeping mind of the monomaniacal Raskolnikov.

Early in the novel, Raskolnikov dreams that he was back in the quaint, formerly pious village of his childhood. In his hometown, there is a tavern next to the church. Next to the tavern, Raskolnikov sees a group of peasants on a horse-drawn cart. The cart is being pulled by an old, poor, beaten-down horse. The horse is having great difficulty pulling the men on the cart forward, and the owner of the horse urges the men to beat the horse. They begin to do so, and the horse only struggles further, but instead of letting up, the owner barbarically urges the men to beat the horse even more. An awful spectacle unfolds: the men continue to beat the poor horse, while people cry out at the owner of the horse, “you are not a Christian!” They eventually exhaust their bloodthirst and beat the poor old horse to death.

In introducing this dream, Dostoevsky writes that “in a morbid condition of the brain, dreams often have a singular actuality, a vividness and extraordinary semblance of reality.” (48) What was most morbid about Raskolnikov’s dream was not only the horrid scene itself, but the fact that his dream did possess this “singular actuality”—it actually came true. Towards the end of Friedrich Nietzsche’s brief life, Nietzsche experienced Raskolnikov’s dream of a horse being beaten in his actual, waking life. Nietzsche was so overcome with emotion that he ran over to the horse, hugged it, and broke down in tears. Shortly thereafter, he suffered a nervous breakdown, and was never entirely sane again. He died in 1900.

Dostoevsky thus eerily prophesized a frightening event in the life of the most frightening prophetic philosopher of early modernity. Nietzsche’s breakdown, some suspect, was not due to the gruesome scene of seeing the beating of a defenseless horse; rather, it was the ruthless beating of the poor horse that triggered his psychological breakdown. For many years, Nietzsche, like Dostoevsky in Crime and Punishment, had foreseen the frightening new reality of a world in which “God was dead”—a post-Darwin world in which the avant-garde would declare the old moral order of Christianity obsolete but without constructing an adequate new morality to replace it. For both Nietzsche and Dostoevsky, the beating of the horse was a burning bush: It was a moment of revelation, a terrible, numinous sight which encapsulated and ushered in a new non-religious order, a terrifying world in which man had killed the morality—and the religion that lay at the foundation of this morality—which had carried him for two thousand years, without having yet procured a new horse of morality to carry him forward.

When Raskolnikov finally wakes up, he is “gasping for breath, his hair soaked with perspiration”; he stands up “in terror” and exclaims: “Thank God, that was only a dream.… Such a hideous dream!”

Unfortunately, to humanity’s great horror, the most frightening part of Raskolnikov’s hideous dream was that it was not only a dream. Seventy years after Raskolnikov’s dream, and fifty years after Nietzsche’s real-life redux of Raskolnikov’s vision, all moral foundations of the world order did indeed collapse; the culture of Bach, Beethoven and Goethe set up death camps to exterminate entire races of peoples and to launch a full-scale assault upon the very principle of the sanctity of life.

Crime and Punishment influenced everyone from the Great Tradition writers like Henry James and Joseph Conrad to existentialist-absurdist writers like Albert Camus and even comedic filmmakers who dabble in existentialism like Woody Allen. Allen’s filmic masterpieces, Crimes & Misdemeanors (1989) and Match Point (2005), are both heavily indebted to Crime and Punishment. And, while Camus’ Meursault, unlike Raskolnikov, did not commit a premeditated murder, he shares some of the same alienated feelings—a sense that he is swept along by a tide of uncontrollable events; an explicit distaste for religion; a penchant for getting mixed up with indecorous individuals—as Raskolnikov. (Compare, also, these authors’ similar phrasings: Crime and Punishment ’s “Man grows used to everything” [24] and The Stranger ’s “mother used to say that one gets used to just about everything.”) Moreover, Meursault’s firing of three extra bullets into the body of the already deceased Arab parallels Raskolnikov’s killing of Lizaveta after he had already killed Alyona, warning us that once one gives free reign to violence and criminality, there is no telling how far these vicious currents will carry us.

Indeed, Crime and Punishment is also a critical crie de coeur against the evils of terrorism. Do not think, says Dosteovsky, that violence can be justified by arguments based on virtue:

Kill her, take her money and with the help of it devote oneself to the service of humanity and the good of all. What do you think, would not one tiny crime be wiped out by thousands of good deeds? For one life thousands would be saved from corruption and decay. One death, and a hundred lives in exchange—it’s simply arithmetic! (59)

Do not think that the murder of innocent people, even if you and others hate them, can be considered a good deed; life is sacred, even the life of someone you despise. One life cannot be exchanged for thousands, because that one life itself is of infinite value; as the Talmud states, “whoever murders one person is as if he murders an entire world; and whoever saves one life is as if he saves an entire world.” Rather than paying obeisance to Raskolnikov’s nihilistic inclination, Dostoevsky ultimately affirms an alternative, unquantifiable arithmetic: the Judeo-Christian principle of the sanctity of one individual life. And a century later, Artur Sammler conducted a similar spiritual accounting and reached the identical conclusion: “The best and purest human beings, from the beginning of time, have understood that life is sacred.” (13)

Lastly, on the matter of Crime and Punishment ’s premier place in the Western literary canon, I give the final word to former Princeton University Professor of Comparative Literature (and the brilliant Dostoevsky scholar and biographer) Joseph Frank:

Dostoevsky managed to produce the greatest depiction of a conscience in conflict with itself since Macbeth . So long as the injunction “Thou shalt not kill” continues to be a part of the Judeo-Christian moral code, Raskolnikov’s anguish will speak directly to the sensibility of any reader who intuitively believes with Sonia that human life is (or ought to be) sacred. The confrontations between Sonia and Raskolnikov, which dramatize, with such agonizing sublimity, the clash between the ideals of love and justice, raise some of the deepest issues of a Western culture whose double heritage derives from both Greco-Roman civilization and Christian faith. Such passages soar to heights that can only be compared with Aeschylus’s Eumenides, Sophocles’s Antigone, or Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, in their tragic grasp of the most profound moral-philosophical dilemmas.

Crime and Punishment a “low-ceiling masterpiece”? Sorry, Mr. Sammler, but I think not—unless, of course, Mr. Sammler would go so far as to say that Macbeth is “low-ceiling Shakespeare” (as some apparently do). In which case, we’d have to call Mr. Sammler “low-ceiling Bellow” (not that I ever would)—a fitting punishment for such an unforgivable literary crime.

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About the author: daniel ross goodman.

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Fine article! I rank Crime and Punishment in the top ten of great novels. I think it’s superb.

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CHARLES DICKENS, explaining that his protagonists and villains come from deep within him: “I am, you see, two men.”

FYODOR DOSTOYEVSKY; “Only two?”

Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment: Philosophical Perspectives

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In Crime and Punishment , Fyodor Dostoevsky uses the commission of a double-murder to initiate and organize a diverse set of philosophical reflections. This volume contains seven essays that approach the novel through philosophical themes in order to offer both readings of the text and continuations of its reflections. The topics addressed include Dostoevsky’s presentation of mind and psychological investigation, as well as the nature of self-knowledge; emotions, in particular guilt and love, and their role in overcoming ambivalence toward existence; the nature of agency; the metaphysical conditions of freedom and the possibility of evil; the family and the failure of utopian thought; individuality and the authority of the law; and Bakhtin’s conceptions of dialogue and polyphony and his views of the self and generative time.

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About the Book

Themes and Analysis

Crime and punishment, by fyodor dostoevsky.

'Crime and Punishment' features salient themes that are relevant today as they were in Dostoevsky's Russia.

Israel Njoku

Written by Israel Njoku

Degree in M.C.M with focus on Literature from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

‘Crime and Punishment’ contains numerous themes, reflecting Dostoevsky’s preoccupation with and response to the flurry of ideologies coming into Russia from Western Europe. Asides from complex ideological issues like nihilism and utilitarianism, everyday relatable issues that occupied Dostoevsky like poverty, suffering, and societal alienation are also addressed within the work.

Crime and Punishment Themes and Analysis

The Dangerous Effects of Nihilism

One of the key themes of ‘Crime and Punishment’ is the effect of harmful ideologies. The problem here is not simply that an individual comes to wholly believe in a dangerous idea and so carries it out, it is also about the parasitic effects of these dangerous ideas as they slowly corrupt our minds and subtly strip us of control and autonomy, pulling us towards the actualization of its destiny even when our hold of and understandings of these ideas are incomplete and tenuous. 

Before Raskolnikov decided to kill the old pawnbroker whom he had deemed expendable on the basis of her wickedness and nastiness, Raskolnikov had written an article where he argued for the right of a certain class of special, superior men to raise themselves above conventional morality and commit crimes in service of aims they deem noble. 

For Raskolnikov, this means an ascendancy to a Napoleon-like personality who has earned the right to kill and commit all sorts of crimes in service of greatness. This extraordinary person is marked by his capacity to commit this crime and profit off it, feeling neither remorse nor weakness in a manner that would undermine the validity of his ideas, or his greatness. 

The more Raskolnikov became possessed by the truth of this idea, the more he wished to be an extraordinary man, to prove he has the capacity to transcend conventional morality in order to do what Raskolnikov deemed noble. Gradually this small theory assumes the nature of an obsession with proving his strength, and that culminated in the murder of the old pawnbroker. It resisted Raskolnikov’s erstwhile moral conscience.

Even when Raskolnikov gets disgusted at the idea of killing the old woman and feels free from the thoughts, he loses control when he overhears at the Hay market that a prime opportunity for the murder was going to present itself soon with the availability of Alyona alone at the house without her sister, 

Raskolnikov finds himself without any control and is thrust into an autopilot program, driving him to test his theory and prove himself extraordinary. The idea took on a life of its own in Raskolnikov’s head and convinced him of its own validity. But when Raskolnikov tries to justify his murder in terms of it being in service to humanity, he finds that he cannot sincerely explain his motivation that way. He discovered that none of the motivations he put forward in his conversation with Sonia inspired him as much as the simple, selfish desire to prove he was “extraordinary”.

A much less pronounced, but definitely evident, theme in the book is that of Egoism. This is an idea espoused to different degrees by a number of characters in the book-namely the likes of Raskolnikov, Svidrigailov, and Luzhin. It can express itself in a direct, undisguised form in service of evil aims, as we see in Svidrigailov’s behaviors. 

Svidrigailov lives for his pleasures and base desires and is not embarrassed by them. He speaks freely to Raskolnikov about desiring and relishing the effort to get these desires. He lives entirely for his own pleasures and is not concerned about others until the very end. Furthermore, he is ruthless in the pursuit of his own gratification and does not consider a grander, nobler aim, nor pretends to consider it in any way.

Raskolnikov is also similar but up until his real motivation is unraveled and understood, he masks this with a pretense of employing his capacity and actions for a larger good. He convinces himself that he was only killing the old pawnbroker because she was a net negative to humanity and her death would benefit many in terms of redistributing her wealth to the poor and preventing her from being wicked to the vulnerable under her. 

It was not until Raskolnikov was forced to examine his motivations for the murder that he realizes that his main aim for committing the murder wasn’t humanistic altruism but rather a naked, selfish pursuit of power, just the same way Svidrigailov was pursuing pleasures. Luzhin similarly masks his egoism under a front of benevolence. In his first encounter with Raskolnikov and Razumikhin, he argues that private charity was in the end counterproductive to the poor and that there would be a net good to society if those who are privileged focused on themselves and refrain from giving handouts to the poor. This argument is obviously only an excuse to legitimize his miserliness. 

The competing forces of natural good and learned evil

In ‘Crime and Punishment ‘, Raskolnikov seems to struggle with the moral demands of his conscience and that of his adopted nihilistic and rational egoistic philosophical outlook. Possibly resulting from his Christian background or a naturally altruistic and humanistic disposition, Raskolnikov seemed to have a basic constitution that has molded a conscience that inspires him to do good. We see this sentiment in his acts of charity towards the Marmeladovs as well as towards the young girl he saves from the lecherous individual stalking her on the streets. 

However, Raskolnikov has also been exposed to and adopted new dangerous ideas which emphasized a cold utilitarian outlook towards life in service of one’s self-interest. The philosophy of the extraordinary emphasizes his elevation over the troubles of the common people. It encourages a cold, statistical approach to life that sees the common people not as individuals but as numbers.

So just after he rescues the young drunken girl from her stalker, he immediately regrets the action because there were bound to be people like her all the time who will make up the number of people who would be vulnerable to predators, who are condemned to a life of prostitution, diseases, and vulnerability. It was a mathematical and sociological certainty, so why bother trying to interfere? 

Also, when he gives Sonia money after he was dragged to the home of the Marmeladovs, he regrets doing so almost immediately for the same purpose. For large stretches of the book, Raskolnikov struggles between these two competing aspects of his personality. 

The theme of Alienation is a prominent one in ‘ Crime and Punishment ‘. Raskolnikov’s alienation from society as a result of his haughty ideals, as well as his overpowering guilt as a result of his murders, is one of the plot points that move the book. Raskolnikov’s ideas separate him from most of the rest of humanity in theory and principle. His conviction that society is divided between a few superior men and a mass of inferior men sets him on a proud and arrogant path that alienates him from most people whom he views as inferior. 

Although poor and near destitute, Raskolnikov still manages to feel disgusted at the surrounding poverty in his area of St Petersburg. After committing the murders, he is overpowered with guilt and a strong sense that he did not belong with society and with the pure people around him, who are far removed from his destructive and tortured state of mind. His guilt makes him believe he cannot bear to continue to interact and coexist normally with his family and friends, who are good people. 

Helplessness

The theme of helplessness is also featured in ‘ Crime and Punishment ‘. Raskolnikov is a very poor student who is dependent on sacrifices from his mother and sister to be able to sustain himself. Given that his family has high hopes for him and views him as a potential breadwinner, Raskolnikov finds himself under great pressure. 

His poverty strips him of any capacity whatsoever to help his family and realize the expectation placed on him. Worse of all, he could do extremely little to prevent his family from enduring humiliating circumstances like Dunya’s employment at Svidrigailov’s and the prospect of a less than happy marriage with an unsavory character, like Luzhin.

This sense of hopelessness contributes to driving Raskolnikov towards the robbery and murders. Other characters in the novel also find themselves in helpless situations. Marmeledov cannot conquer his addiction and bring himself to stop drinking away the little money the family is able to procure, largely out of Sonia’s prostitution. Sonia herself is helpless against the forces that drove her into a life of prostitution against her will. 

Punishment and Suffering

The theme of suffering and punishment is predominant in the book. The book seems to advance the idea that only commensurate punishment and suffering can put the condemned and guilty on the path to redemption. Repentance is not enough and must be backed by a genuine willingness to pay for one’s sins. After Raskolnikov murders the old pawnbroker, his punishment begins almost immediately after. He suffers from crushing guilt, illness, and self-loathing. He cannot master his conscience, and in the end, he succumbs to it.

His guilt and the triumph of his conscience mean he cannot get away with his crime. He betrays himself and therefore leads himself to be suspected by the authorities. This punishment however can only be expatiated by further punishment. Raskolnikov can only get reprieve and redemption if he confesses publicly to the police and suffers the embarrassment of being thought a fool with crazy ideas and a weak constitution, as well as suffer the disappointment of his family and friends, as well as the loss of his freedom.

Analysis of Key Moments

  • Raskolnikov witnesses a young student argue with an army officer over the morality of killing the old, detestable pawnbroker, Alyona.
  • Raskolnikov has a dream where he tries to prevent some peasants from heartlessly maltreating a mare
  • Raskolnikov receives a letter from his mother outlining the interesting events happening at home with his family
  • Raskolnikov kills Alyona the pawnbroker and her sister Lizaveta.
  • The police begin to suspect Raskolnikov due to his strange behavior at the station after his landlady reports him over unpaid rent.
  • Luzhin makes the unfavorable acquaintance of Raskolnikov.
  • Dunya and Pulcharia arrive in Saint Petersburg. They are shocked at Raskolnikov’s cold and erratic behavior.
  • Dunya breaks off the engagement with Luzhin; A spiteful Luzhin blames Raskolnikov and plans his revenge.
  • Svidrigailov tries and fails to rape Dunya
  • Porfiry encourages Raskolnikov to confess and accept his suffering in a heart-to-heart talk.
  • Raskolnikov confesses his crime to Sonia, then the Police. 
  • Raskolnikov repents for real in a Siberian prison and acknowledges the defectiveness of his ideas.

Tone and Style

‘ Crime and Punishment’ is a forerunner of the realistic style that would come to replace the romanticism that was dominant in Western literature at the time. Dostoevsky’s novel is a classic detective story, but the norms of the genre are subverted when we see the killer commit the crime in the first few pages. There is no mystery as regards who committed the crime or the surface level motivations behind it, rather the novel immediately devotes itself to the consequences of the crime on the individual in a psychological, ideological, and spiritual sense.  

Dostoevsky employs realistic descriptions to bring into sharp relief the starkness of Raskolnikov’s poverty, and his very deliberate world-building and scene-setting allow us to glimpse some motivation behind his crime through the skillful use of strong opinionated characters and interesting, realistic dialogues.

Dostoevsky brings forth the opposing arguments he wants to comment on and allows them to fight as fairly as possible in the world in which he has set them out. Dostoevsky lends little outright authorial or editorial presence in the book, as the omniscient narrator stays mostly objective. But Dostoevsky advances his ideas through the mouths of certain characters. Through dreams, Dostoevsky provides clues as to the psychological makeup of the characters, as well as the principal motivations for their actions. 

Analysis of Symbols

The hay market.

A section of St. Petersburg that is reserved for the very poor. This area is the symbol of poverty, and of the common destitute that Raskolnikov feels himself above. There is a distinct sense of filth and wretchedness that Raskolnikov comes to be all too aware of when he passes by. By making Raskolnikov come here to confess, Sonia makes sure Raskolnikov gets the fullest possible punishment for his murders. This is because the hay market is populated by a mass of people whom Raskolnikov despises and thinks are inferior to himself. Confessing here accentuates his humiliation but at the same time fast tracks his redemption.

The cross is a symbol of wilful suffering in service of pious and redemptive aims. Raskolnikov goes to take Sonia’s cross only when he is ready to confess publicly for his sins.

Saint Petersburg

The city of Saint Petersburg was often seen as the most Westernized Russian city, therefore for Slavophiles, or people with slavophilic sentiments in post-Petrine Russia, Saint Petersburg was the most corrupt of Western cities, the city that has strayed farthest from traditional Russian values. The city is depicted this way in ‘Crime and Punishment ‘. Raskolnikov’s descent into the dark extremities of radical ideals begins only after he abandons the conservative society of rural Russia for corrupting Saint Petersburg. The city disgusts Raskolnikov, too, with its stench of filth and poverty and cynical residents. It is infested by “foolish” ideologues, too.

What are the major themes in ‘ Crime and Punishment ?’

‘ Crime and Punishment ‘ contain themes like helplessness, poverty, nihilism, suffering, and alienation, among others.

What did Dostoevsky set out to achieve in ‘ Crime and Punishment ?’

Dostoevsky’s major objective is to display the folly and dangers inherent in radical ideals like utilitarianism, atheism, and nihilism

What literary style did Dostoevsky employ in ‘ Crime and Punishment ?’

Realism. Dostoevsky wrote in a very realistic style, favoring an accurate mimicking of reality over romanticism.

Israel Njoku

About Israel Njoku

Israel loves to delve into rigorous analysis of themes with broader implications. As a passionate book lover and reviewer, Israel aims to contribute meaningful insights into broader discussions.

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Njoku, Israel " Crime and Punishment Themes and Analysis 📖 " Book Analysis , https://bookanalysis.com/fyodor-dostoevsky/crime-and-punishment/themes-analysis/ . Accessed 24 February 2024.

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Trump’s Harsh Punishment Was Made Possible by This New York Law

The little-known measure meant hundreds of millions in penalties in the civil fraud case brought by Attorney General Letitia James.

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Letitia James sits in court behind Donald Trump, who is blurred and out of focus.

By Ben Protess and Jonah E. Bromwich

The $355 million penalty that a New York judge ordered Donald J. Trump to pay in his civil fraud trial might seem steep in a case with no victim calling for redress and no star witness pointing the finger at Mr. Trump. But a little-known 70-year-old state law made the punishment possible.

The law, often referred to by its shorthand, 63(12), which stems from its place in New York’s rule book, is a regulatory bazooka for the state’s attorney general, Letitia James. Her office has used it to aim at a wide range of corporate giants: the oil company Exxon Mobil, the tobacco brand Juul and the pharma executive Martin Shkreli.

On Friday, the law enabled Ms. James to win an enormous victory against Mr. Trump. Along with the financial penalty , the judge barred Mr. Trump from running a business in New York for three years. His adult sons were barred for two years.

The judge also ordered a monitor, Barbara Jones, to assume more power over Mr. Trump’s company, and asked her to appoint an independent executive to report to her from within the company.

A lawyer for Mr. Trump, Christopher M. Kise, reacted with fury, saying “the sobering future consequences of this tyrannical abuse of power do not just impact President Trump.”

“When a court willingly allows a reckless government official to meddle in the lawful, private and profitable affairs of any citizen based on political bias, America’s economic prosperity and way of life are at extreme risk of extinction,” he said.

In the Trump case, Ms. James accused the former president of inflating his net worth to obtain favorable loans and other financial benefits. Mr. Trump, she argued, defrauded his lenders and in doing so, undermined the integrity of New York’s business world.

Mr. Trump’s conduct “distorts the market,” Kevin Wallace, a lawyer for Ms. James’s office, said during closing arguments in the civil fraud trial.

“It prices out honest borrowers and can lead to more catastrophic results,” Mr. Wallace said, adding, “That’s why it’s important for the court to take the steps to protect the marketplace to prevent this from happening again.”

Yet the victims — the bankers who lent to Mr. Trump — testified that they were thrilled to have him as a client. And while a parade of witnesses echoed Ms. James’s claim that the former president’s annual financial statements were works of fiction, none offered evidence showing that Mr. Trump explicitly intended to fool the banks.

That might seem unusual, but under 63(12), such evidence was not necessary to find fraud.

The law did not require the attorney general to show that Mr. Trump had intended to defraud anyone or that his actions resulted in financial loss.

“This law packs a wallop,” said Steven M. Cohen, a former federal prosecutor and top official in the attorney general’s office, noting that it did not require the attorney general to show that anyone had been harmed.

With that low bar, Justice Arthur F. Engoron, the judge presiding over the case, sided with Ms. James on her core claim before the trial began, finding that Mr. Trump had engaged in a pattern of fraud by exaggerating the value of his assets in statements filed to his lenders.

Ms. James’s burden of proof at the trial was higher: To persuade the judge that Mr. Trump had violated other state laws, she had to convince him that the former president acted with intent. And some of the evidence helped her cause: Two of Mr. Trump’s former employees testified that he had final sign-off on the financial statements, and Mr. Trump admitted on the witness stand that he had a role in drafting them.

Still, her ability to extract further punishments based on those other violations is also a product of 63(12), which grants the attorney general the right to pursue those who engage in “repeated fraudulent or illegal acts.”

In other fraud cases, authorities must persuade a judge or jury that someone was in fact defrauded. But 63(12) required Ms. James only to show that conduct was deceptive or created “an atmosphere conducive to fraud.” Past cases suggest that the word “fraud” itself is effectively a synonym for dishonest conduct, the attorney general argued in her lawsuit.

Once the attorney general has convinced a judge or jury that a defendant has acted deceptively, the punishment can be severe. The law allows Ms. James to seek the forfeit of money obtained through fraud.

Of the roughly $355 million that Mr. Trump was ordered to pay, $168 million represents the sum that Mr. Trump saved on loans by inflating his worth, she argued. In other words, the extra interest the lenders missed.

The penalty was in the judge’s hands — there was no jury — and 63(12) gave him wide discretion.

The law also empowered Justice Engoron to set new restrictions on Mr. Trump and his family business, all of which Mr. Trump is expected to appeal.

The judge also ordered a monitor to assume more power over Mr. Trump’s company, who will appoint an independent executive who will report to the monitor from within the company.

Even before she filed her lawsuit against the Trumps in 2022, Ms. James used 63(12) as a cudgel to aid her investigation.

The law grants the attorney general’s office something akin to prosecutorial investigative power. In most civil cases, a person or entity planning to sue cannot collect documents or conduct interviews until after the lawsuit is filed. But 63(12) allows the attorney general to do a substantive investigation before deciding whether to sue, settle or abandon a case. In the case against Mr. Trump, the investigation proceeded for nearly three years before a lawsuit was filed.

The case is not Mr. Trump’s first brush with 63(12). Ms. James’s predecessors used it in actions against Trump University, his for-profit education venture, which paid millions of dollars to resolve the case.

The law became so important to Ms. James’s civil fraud case that it caught the attention of Mr. Trump, who lamented the sweeping authority it afforded the attorney general and falsely claimed that her office rarely used it.

He wrote on social media last year that 63(12) was “VERY UNFAIR.”

William K. Rashbaum contributed reporting.

Ben Protess is an investigative reporter at The Times, writing about public corruption. He has been covering the various criminal investigations into former President Trump and his allies. More about Ben Protess

Jonah E. Bromwich covers criminal justice in New York, with a focus on the Manhattan district attorney's office, state criminal courts in Manhattan and New York City's jails. More about Jonah E. Bromwich

IMAGES

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  2. 45 Crime and Punishment Essay Topics and Ideas

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  3. ⇉The Key Features and Changes in the History of Crime and Punishment in

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  1. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

  2. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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  4. Why should you read “Crime and Punishment”?

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COMMENTS

  1. An Essay On Crimes and Punishment

    In Cesare Beccaria Farrer, Crimes and Punishment, 1880) was a celebrated volume on the reform of criminal justice. Read More place in Italian literature In Italian literature: The Enlightenment (Illuminismo) …delitti e delle pene (1764; On Crimes and Punishments) made an eloquent plea for the abolition of torture and the death penalty. Read More

  2. Beccaria

    Publication of Beccaria's "On Crimes and Punishments". Beccaria's famous work, "On Crimes and Punishments," was published in 1764, when he was 26 years old. His essay called out the barbaric and arbitrary ways in which the criminal justice system operated. Sentences were very harsh, torture was common, there was a lot of corruption ...

  3. An Essay on Crimes and Punishments

    Cesare Bonesana di Beccaria (author) Voltaire (author) An extremely influential Enlightenment treatise on legal reform in which Beccaria advocates the ending of torture and the death penalty. The book also contains a lengthy commentary by Voltaire which is an indication of high highly French enlightened thinkers regarded the work. Citation

  4. An Essay on Crimes and Punishment by Cesare Beccaria

    Cesare Beccaria. 140 books43 followers. Cesare, Marquis of Beccaria-Bonesana was an Italian jurist, philosopher and politician best known for his treatise 'On Crimes and Punishments' (1764), which condemned torture and the death penalty, and was a founding work in the field of penology.

  5. An essay on crimes and punishments

    Home » Books » An essay on crimes and punishments » An essay on crimes and punishments Beccaria, Cesare, marchese di ; Voltaire Printed for Alexander Donaldson, and sold at his shops in London and Edinburgh, 1778

  6. PDF Beccaria's On Crimes and Punishments: A Mirror on the History of the

    In order that punishment should not be an act of violence perpetrated by one or many upon a private citizen, it is essential that it should be public, speedy, necessary, the . minimum possible in the given circumstances, proportionate to the crime, and deter - mined by the law.1. With these words, penned when he was only 25 years old, Beccaria ...

  7. An Essay on Crimes and Punishments

    The first systematic study of the principles of crime and punishment. Originally published: London: Printed for E. Newberry, 1775. viii, [iv], 179, lxxix pp. Infused with the spirit of the Enlightenment, its advocacy of crime prevention and the abolition of torture and capital punishment marked a significant advance in criminological thought, which had changed little since the Middle Ages.

  8. An Essay on Crimes and Punishments

    Appears in 14 books from 1768-2004. Page 158 - To show mankind, that crimes are sometimes pardoned, and that punishment is not the necessary consequence, is to nourish the flattering hope of impunity, and is the cause of their considering every punishment inflicted as an act of injustice and oppression. Appears in 31 books from 1800-2004.

  9. Essay on Crimes and Punishments

    An Essay on Crimes and Punishments by Cesare Beccaria translated from the Italian, 1775 (original published in 1764) ... An immediate punishment is more useful; because the smaller the interval of time between the punishment and the crime, the stronger and more lasting will be the association of the two ideas of Crime and Punishment; so that ...

  10. On Crimes and Punishments

    Cesare Beccaria. Transaction Publishers, Oct 31, 2016 - Political Science - 193 pages. Cesare Beccaria's influential Treatise on Crimes and Punishments is considered a foundational work in the field of criminology. Three major themes of the Enlightenment run through the Treatise: the idea that the social contract forms the moral and political ...

  11. An Analysis of Crime and Punishment

    Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a novel that has been deemed controversial, yet notable over the course of centuries. This novel was influenced by the time period and setting of 19 th century St. Petersburg, Russia.

  12. On Crimes and Punishments

    Frontpage of the original Italian edition Dei delitti e delle pene. On Crimes and Punishments ( Italian: Dei delitti e delle pene [dei deˈlitti e ddelle ˈpeːne]) is a treatise written by Cesare Beccaria in 1764. The treatise condemned torture and the death penalty and was a founding work in the field of penology .

  13. "Crime and Punishment": A Timeless Psychological Masterpiece

    Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (430 pages, Dover, 2001) No one doubts that Crime and Punishment has a prominent place in the pantheon of world literature. Its place in the literary canon is secure. Nonetheless, the question remains: How great is Crime and Punishment? Is it really just a "low-level masterpiece"?

  14. Crime and Punishment Essays and Criticism

    In Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky created an unforgettable novel of haunting intensity. With its sustained focus on the emotions and thoughts of its young protagonist, Rodion...

  15. Crime and Punishment: Sample A+ Essay: Is Raskolnikov a Hero

    Porfiry Petrovich Literary Devices Themes Motifs Symbols Questions & Answers How does Raskolnikov justify his crime? How does Katerina die? Why doesn't Dunya kill Svidrigailov? What does Svidrigailov's dream mean? What is Raskolnikov's punishment? Quotes By Theme Nihilism Poverty By Section Part III: Chapters IV-VI Part IV: Chapters I-III

  16. Essays in the Economics of Crime and Punishment

    Front matter, Essays in the Economics of Crime and Punishment Author(s): Gary S. Becker & William M. Landes Chapter 1: Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach

  17. Crime and Punishment: Full Book Analysis

    Svidrigailov Porfiry Petrovich Quick Quizzes Full Book Epilogue Part I, Chapter I Full Book Analysis Previous Next By closely examining the internal conflicts of its protagonist, Raskolnikov, the novel Crime and Punishment explores themes of guilt and redemption.

  18. An Essay On Crimes and Punishments

    This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

  19. Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment: Philosophical Perspectives

    Abstract. In Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky uses the commission of a double-murder to initiate and organize a diverse set of philosophical reflections.This volume contains seven essays that approach the novel through philosophical themes in order to offer both readings of the text and continuations of its reflections.

  20. Crime and Punishment Themes and Analysis

    Protagonist: Repentant Raskolnikov, Sonya, Razumikhin, Porfiry Publication Date: 1866 Genre: Crime Fiction, Philosophical Fiction Rating: 4.7/5 Themes and Analysis Crime and Punishment By Fyodor Dostoevsky 'Crime and Punishment' features salient themes that are relevant today as they were in Dostoevsky's Russia. Written by Israel Njoku

  21. PDF Front matter, ESSAYS IN THE ECONOMICS OF CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

    Front matter, ESSAYS IN THE ECONOMICS OF CRIME AND PUNISHMENT. This PDF is a selection from an out-of-print volume from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Volume Title: Essays in the Economics of Crime and Punishment. Volume Author/Editor: Gary S. Becker and William M. Landes, eds. Volume Publisher: NBER. Volume ISBN: -87014-263-1.

  22. Crime and Punishment Essay

    Crime and Punishment Essay: One of the most popular works by the author Dostoevsky is the novel Crime, and Punishment covers a major theory about the extra-ordinary man. In this novel, the main role is played by Raskolnikov, who sets extraordinary justifications for his sins that he has committed. Raskolnikov is shown to have both physical and ...

  23. Trump's Harsh Punishment Was Made Possible by This New York Law

    The $355 million penalty that a New York judge ordered Donald J. Trump to pay in his civil fraud trial might seem steep in a case with no victim calling for redress and no star witness pointing ...