Analyzing Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Can a great man commit murder? Is it okay for such a man to kill a person who does no good for society? These are the questions Raskolnikov struggles with in Crime and Punishment. Raskolnikov convinces himself that he would be doing society a favor if he were to kill Alyona Ivanovna. Alyona Ivanovna is a pawnbroker who has much money, but does little with it. According to Rodya, it would be almost noble for him to kill the old woman and do some good with her money. He justifies this theory to himself and contemplates testing it. He finds himself carrying out the "noble deed" of killing Alyona Ivanovna and her sister Lizaveta. After the murders he finds himself sick in mind and body with guilt and continues to struggle with the question can a great man justify murder?

Social class is of extreme importance. It seems to shape how people view their life, which is quite different from today's society. Many of the characters in this novel are very poor, but are definitely not peasants, although many of these people are barely able to make ends meet. Katerina Ivanovna, a poor woman who can hardly afford food and clothing for her children, spends all the money she receives from Rodya, on the funeral of her late husband Marmeladov. To some that may seem a little crazy and perhaps it is, but in her mind it is the proper thing to do since she is the daughter of a colonel. Even though her husband was a pretty unrespectable man, she has to maintain a respectable image because of social status as a colonel's daughter. Her seemingly insignificant social status is the last shred of dignity left for her and so she hangs on to in unfortunate times. It is only through one's social class that one can be seen as important or special.