Essay on Crime and Punishment-

Lily Yard
IB Candidate 000536-XXXX
HL English: Witten Assignment
1 May 2016

Reflective Statement on Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky In the interactive oral, we were given scenarios about characters and what their intentions would have been in the case that a different event happened or an added event. In one scenario the question was, if the protagonist, Raskolnikov, had met Sonya with knowledge of the murder, could Sonya have convinced Raskolnikov to not commit the crime? There were many opposing answers, but through the novel I could see that if Sonya had spoken with Raskolnikov, he wouldn’t have changed his mind on the idea of murdering Alyona. It wasn’t till the end that Raskolnikov realized he had feelings for Sonya. Also he wouldn’t have changed his mind because he hadn’t formed a psychological bond yet. Sonya was able to convince Raskolnikov to confess because he trusted her and felt they had similarities, but this wouldn’t have happened if he just met her. Another topic I found interesting throughout the novel was Dostoyevsky’s personal story within the protagonist. The fact that Dostoyevsky personally lived in St. Petersburg, is no coincidence. Like Raskolnikov, Dostoyevsky too went to jail form a “crime”. But most interestingly, after being in prison, Dostoyevsky who was originally an atheist, chooses a life of faith. One of the inspirations for his novel Dostoyevsky. Finding personal stories within the stories themselves, is always, in my personal opinion, something quite amazing. Research of the author would be necessary for this enlightenment. One subject stood out more to me than others, the use of dreams. As it was discussed in the interactive oral, the use of dreams was imperative for the novel and understanding the characters. Things they wouldn’t have said to other characters through dialogue were now apparent through their subconscious. The idea of having a window into the characters mind is truly amazing. In the novel, in particular, it was at times difficult to read the graphic writing of some of the dreams. The nature of the dreams were at times violent, but through the brutality lied underlying symbolism. There was so much symbolism through the dreams, that it played the most import role in the novel.
Word Count: 350

Lily Yard
IB Candidate 000536-XXXX
HL English: Witten Assignment
1 May 2016

The Theme of Suffering in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment

In the psychological thriller, Crime and Punishment, the author, Dostoyevsky, creates one of the first mystery and crime novels. A novel of murder, regret, and suffering, Dostoyevsky utilizes the setting of St. Petersburg, Russia to create the overall mood of the novel. With the manipulation of the setting and dreams, the development of the reoccurring theme of suffering is created throughout Dostoyevsky’s novel. Dostoyevsky made use of the setting to continually have a suffering mood. The city, St. Petersburg, was transformed into a psychological dimension, where the disease and mental world of the characters is reflected onto the city itself, becoming a symbol. In St. Petersburg, feelings become distorted and “infected” due to isolation. Dostoyevsky describes the city as being cramped, dirty, gloomy and polluted. The mist and fog associated with the city is due to the city being a seaport. The fog and mist adds more mystery and surrealism. The icy rain and drizzly is seen as tool because of its natural impact on the city and its symbolic meaning. The icy weather takes a toll on the city and the citizens’ health, making them sick— physically and mentally. Svidrgaїlov, while in discussion with Raskolnikov, he made a description of St. Petersburg, “This is a town of crazy people… There are few places where there are so gloomy, strong, queer influences on the soul of man as St. Petersburg” (Dostoyevsky 366-67) Another setting to look at was Raskolnikov’s tiny “closet” room, which could be described as tiny and cramped.

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Crime and Punishment Essay