Crime and Punishment Analysis

Literary Devices in Crime and Punishment

Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory

We are constantly being told what time is – when Raskolnikov wakes up, when he plans to murder the pawnbroker, what time it is when Svidrigaïlov plans to kill himself, and much more. This gives...

In 1861, as a result of reforms by Tsar Alexander II of Russia, some twenty three million serfs (Russian peasants owned by landowners) were emancipated. While this was a beautiful thing, it constit...

Narrator Point of View

Sure, it's mostly from the perspective of Raskolnikov, but the narrator goes where it wants. This includes the minds of Luzhin, Andrey Semyonovitch, Razumihin, and Katerina. The narrator also has t...

Genre

Murder, blood, nightmares, ghosts, and a pervasive sense of dread make this book a classic horror story. We also see the very Gothic juxtaposition of the "sacred" and the "profane." The crosses on...

Tone

Although this is a dark and serious book, it has that soap opera tone, with lots of gossip, second and third-hand information, and improbable explanations for weird behavior (like Raskolnikov's exp...

Writing Style

Mikhail Bakhtin wrote extensively about this aspect of Crime and Punishment. "Dialogic" is the opposite of "monologic." We all know that a dialogue is two or more people talking, while a monologue...

What's Up With the Title?

Isn't this the perfect title? It's simple, elegant, and straightforward. It's a concise mini-summary of the novel, focusing on the two crucial ideas being explored on every page.It's actually kind...

What's Up With the Ending?

The ending makes us feel funny. There, we said it. And it's more than just the shock of being out of St. Petersburg and in the natural beauty of Siberia. Maybe it's because most of the physical des...

Plot Analysis

Dress rehearsal.Raskolnikov has it in his head to kill a mean and crooked pawnbroker, who happens to be a sixty-year-old woman. He's trying to get the idea out of his head, but he can't. The idea t...

Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis: Rebirth

Raskolnikov is obsessed by a terrible idea he can't get out of his head.Our hero has big problems. He's left college, let his teaching gigs drift away, and has spent the past month holed up in his...

Three Act Plot Analysis

Raskolnikov is struggling with himself and his admittedly bizarre plan to murder Alyona, the pawnbroker. He goes so far as to rehearse for the murder, but a bad dream makes him change his mind. Yet...

Trivia

Manga legend Osamu Tezuka created a graphic novel called Crime and Punishment based on Dostoevsky's novel. (Source)Did you read the Raskolnikov-Dr. Phil interview? If not, now you can. Read it here...

Steaminess Rating

The sex that is talked about in this book is the creepy-uncomfortable nonconsensual kind for the most part. If you are interested in the sex lives of Raskolnikov and Sonia, or Razumihin and Dounia,...

Allusions

Napoleon Bonaparte (3.5.101, 4.5.37, 4.5.103)Lazarus (3.5.106, 5.4.127)