The work “Crime and Punishment” is one of the most outstanding novels of F. M. Dostoevsky. It shows the great sorrow that demonstrates all the cynicism and inhumanity of the bourgeois world.
Content
The plot of the work “Crime and Punishment”, the ideas of which will be considered later, unfolds around the main character named Rodion Raskolnikov. In his imagination, the theory of the possibility of committing a crime matures. Raskolnikov himself is extremely poor. He has no way to pay for either his studies or accommodation. Mother and sister are also very poor. Rodion’s sister is ready to marry an unloved person just for the money. This is the last straw for Raskolnikov’s patience. He kills the old woman-percussionist (whom she considers to be a “louse”), and also involuntarily takes her life and the witness of the crime, the sister of the old woman. Then, at Raskolnikov, a terrible life begins, filled with confusion.
He accidentally meets a poor girl named Sonya Marmeladova. She had to embark on the path of body trade in order to provide for her family financially. Sonya believes in God. She is doing her best to at least somehow survive in life.
What ends the novel
Supports Raskolnikov Razumikhin, who is in love with his sister. On the pages of the novel there are also such characters as investigator Porfiry Petrovich, selfish Svidrigailov, lawyer Luzhin. The ideas of the crime and punishment novel are humility and repentance. The main character does not recognize his guilt from this angle, which makes him suffer. In the end, Raskolnikov confessed to a crime. He is sent to hard labor, and faithful Sonya remains next to him.
Raskolnikov's erroneous theory
The protagonist of the novel, Rodion Raskolnikov, creates his own theory of morality. In it, he tries to explain the phenomena of the world. After long deliberation, he finally comes to the conclusion: all of humanity can be divided into two “groups”. The first is the majority. It includes ordinary people, "trembling creatures." They constitute the “material” of human history. And the second “group” is “strong people” who “have the right” to do everything that comes to their mind. The main criterion by which Raskolnikov distinguished between belonging to one or another type is their attitude to morality. A strong man should not, in the opinion of the protagonist, limit himself to any moral framework. This is what gives them the right to do great things.
In the end, the hero decides to test himself - will it be possible to transgress a moral law or not? According to Raskolnikov, the results would show whether he belongs to the elect. Therefore, he decides to commit a terrible act, which, in his opinion, would help to test his strength. The basic idea of ​​Crime and Punishment shows that this theory is completely false. There can be no such separation of people.
The collapse of false assumptions
F. M. Dostoevsky at the beginning of his work shows: that person who rejects the idea of ​​the equality of all people should spiritually break with both humanity and the Lord God. The pages of the novel show that immediately after the commission of his crime the main character was no longer able to communicate with other people, feeling a huge wall between them and himself. Only for Sonya Raskolnikov makes an exception, feeling in her the presence of a kindred spirit.
The philosophical idea of ​​Crime and Punishment is that the protagonist is ultimately disappointed in his assumption. He is convinced that his hypothesis is false. His speculation that people can be “chosen” is collapsing. Raskolnikov has doubts and moral torments - the usual signs of the most ordinary criminal - and comes to the conclusion that he, according to his own classification, is a "trembling creature." In Crime and Punishment, the idea that Rodion visits after the murder sounds different:
“I didn’t kill a man, I killed a principle! I killed the principle, but didn’t cross the principle, I remained on this side. ”
The illegal act of Raskolnikov did not entail any positive social results. After all, his idea of ​​helping someone at the expense of the wealth of the interest-bearing woman remained unrealized. He couldn’t even really rob her.
Characters
One of the characters in the work “Crime and Punishment”, whose ideas are considered in this article, Svidrigailov is a kind of Raskolnikov’s double. He quite calmly, without any emotional impulses, perceives the crime committed by Raskolnikov, and even tries to cheer him up. Svidrigailov is one who has stepped over everything human in himself. Therefore, he quite indifferently formulates Raskolnikov’s idea in the novel Crime and Punishment, as if recognizing it as his own: a single violation can be permissible if the main goal is good.
Another character of the work adheres to a slightly different point of view - Peter Luzhin. He is a calculating businessman who long ago discarded everything spiritual and aesthetic. In the open, he says that everyone should first of all love himself. The reason for this, says Luzhin, is that everything in the world is based on personal interests. This character does not commit any crimes. He does not rob and does not kill, however, "beneficent" in relation to Dunechka, he belittles her, not even trying to realize this.
Heroes with high moral standards
These heroes are opposed by Sonia Marmeladova, who, despite everything, believes in the deep meaning of life, of human existence. It consists in sympathizing with people, in compassion for them. And it is precisely these considerations that make her capable of feats that require extraordinary fortitude. For the sake of the people whom she loves and appreciates, Sonya is ready to accomplish a lot.
Porfiry Petrovich is also morally high. When he meets Rodion, he immediately understands that this is the killer. However, the investigator notes that Raskolnikov is not a simple criminal who committed an unlawful act with the aim of robbery. Porfiry Petrovich wishes that he himself confessed to the deed. And with this, the investigator helped the hero take a different look at his crime. Indeed, during the days of heavy thought, Raskolnikov took the first steps to repentance.
The main meaning of the novel
The main ideas of “Crime and Punishment” are opposed to each other. Firstly, this is Sonya’s idea of ​​Christian humility, mercy, the need for compassion. A person should be morally clean, spiritually moral, says Sonya. Svidrigailov’s considerations are opposed to such a worldview. He considers himself the center of the whole world. Sonya’s worldview is distinguished by elevation, and Svidrigailov’s considerations by baseness. The idea of ​​Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment lies between these two poles. He does a low deed, however with exalted motives. But at the same time, Raskolnikov is not such that he could be broken by longing. He wants to again “feel like a man”, so he goes to the Marmeladovs.
F. M. Dostoevsky himself was convinced that mankind could not last long without generous ideas. “Crime and Punishment” depicts a tough clash of the theory and logic of life. The great Russian writer is sure that the life process always wins any logical and dry theory. Only moral re-education is able to show all the absurdity of criminal ideas. Then people will love and respect each other.