Crime and Punishment: Not for Me

by Ben Newman

Crime and Punishment is a 19th century novel written by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The novel follows Raskolnikov, a young Russian law student living in Saint Petersburg, which was at the time the capital of Russia. Crime and Punishment offers insight on what could drive somebody to commit heinous acts of crime and how it affects the perpetrator in the aftermath. But is it worth reading? I am around one hundred pages in, and I am still not sure. Because of its irregular language, and because the characters are difficult to identify with, Crime and Punishment is an unenjoyable read.


Crime and Punishment starts off rather slowly. We are introduced to our protagonist who lives in the rundown room at the very top of an apartment complex. To make money, he sells his belongings to a local pawnbroker. The book is far from modern and was originally written in Russian. The translation increases the difficulty of reading the book. There is a linguistic disconnect sometimes caused by the words used in this novel. For instance: “‘Well,’ the orator began again stolidly and with even increased dignity, after waiting for the laughter in the room to subside,” (11)--I recall having to read that sentence again to understand it. It got frustrating at times, and can make one easily give up reading it. However, as the book progresses, inferring becomes easier and thus the book becomes easier to read.


Crime and Punishment's main concept begins to reveal itself from the inner dialogue of its main character, Raskolnikov, and his interactions with those around him. Raskolnikov is a unique character. It is often hard to discern why he is doing the things that he does or thinks the things that he thinks. His emotions are very negative, and he often finds himself thinking about violent acts which surprise even himself. For example, upon hearing that his sister is to marry a wealthy lawyer, he is not relieved but rather furious. He becomes angry at this man whom he has not even met, but has only heard about through letters. He becomes beside himself thinking that his sister is being used by her fiance. He expresses an intense irrational hatred for his soon to be brother-in-law: “His bitterness grew more and more intense, and if he had happened to meet Mr. Luzhin at that moment, he might have murdered him” (34). It is these and other similar thoughts that serve as the catalyst for the novel. Unfortunately, because of this, Raskolnikov’s character becomes hard to relate to, and readers will often find themselves frustrated by his actions.


It is not just Raskolnikov, but all characters introduced in Dostoyevsky’s Saint Petersburg who seem to be continually making questionable decisions that are not in anyone’s best interest. The book showcases alcoholics selling their family’s fortunes, people who abuse their own animals, and killers. Raskolnikov finds himself at the heart of it, as he is given many opportunities to view the misfortunes of others. At times, Raskolnikov will find himself listening to the woeful stories of those around him. Crime and Punishment is a depressing novel chock full with characters placed into positions one would never want to be in. I rarely found myself feeling glad for the characters in this book.


I found this book struggling to hold my attention at times. Interesting moments seemed few and far between, and my outlook toward the novel as a whole is rather bleak. I am sure that it is well written, and it probably meets all the requirements for what a critic would deem a masterpiece in literature, but it is boring (to me, at least). Perhaps if it were written today, and used more modern language, it would have been easier to read or less boring; but alas, it wasn’t. I have now decided that I do not recommend reading this book unless one is interested in reading classic books, relishes depravity, or finds the act of reading by itself enjoyable.