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...

Setting

In 1861, as a result of reforms by Tsar Alexander II of Russia, some 23 million serfs (Russian peasants owned by landowners) were emancipated. While this was a beautiful thing, it constituted a maj...

Narrator Point of View

Sure, it's mostly from the perspective of Raskolnikov, but the narrator goes where it wants. This includes into the minds of Luzhin, Andrey Semyonovitch, Razumihin, and Katerina. The narrator also...

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 the...

Tone

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

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 rehearsalRaskolnikov has it in his head to kill a mean and crooked pawnbroker, who happens to be a 60-year-old woman. He's trying to get the idea out of his head, but he can't. The idea torme...

Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis

Raskolnikov is obsessed by a terrible idea he can't get out of his headOur 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)Guess what job Raskolnikov gets after prison? Find out here.

Steaminess Rating

The sex that is talked about in this book is the creepy, rape-y kind...for the most part. If you're interested in the sex lives of Raskolnikov and Sonia or Razumihin and Dounia, you'll simply have...

Allusions

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