Book Review: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

This is my third time reading my favorite or second favorite book of all time, depending on the day: Crime and Punishment. I read it again with the express purpose of annotating it, because prior to the last couple years, I was totally adverse to writing in books, which I thought as vandalizing the sacred, but now that my opinion on annotating has changed, I couldn’t stand the idea of my thoughts not being in one of the books I respect most. All the time reading it, I often had to express, “ugh, this book is just so good.” And it is hard not to be biased and read it as if it were entirely new since I am so familiar with this book, though I was surprised to find that I had forgotten some aspects. For example, I entirely forgot about Dunia and Sgridailov’s last encounter, though it is such a striking and intense scene, and about Luzhin setting up Sonia at the funeral feast, though that was an interesting display of Raskolnikov’s character. 

This is one book I would like to read as if for the first time, because my second and third read were inevitably not as special as my first, but I do appreciate everything new I gain upon a reread. For example, I don’t think I ever fully appreciated the many parallels Svidrigailov added to the story or how purposefully multifaceted Dostoevsky made Rasky’s reasons for murdering the old pawnbroker (on prior readings, one reason always stood out more than the others for some reason). 

By the way, I am going to affectionately refer to Raskolnikov as “Rasky” and Razumikhin as “Raz” since their names are too long, and that is how their names live in my heart anyways. If I ever get a black cat and name him Rasky, you’ll know why, so please don’t judge me.

Probably the main reason I love this novel is the complexity in which Dostoevsky develops his characters. (And now that I’m having to type out Dostoevsky so much, I might provide him with a shorthand too. Dostoevsky, do you mind if I call you Fyo?) Fyo somehow always gets me rooting for Rasky to elude the law, every single time, without me realizing it. Even though I’m well aware that what Rasky did was awful and that the old woman and Lizaveta deserve justice for what he did to them, without fail I am riddled with anxiety every time Rasky does something to cause suspicion. (By the way, I am someone who mercilessly feels no sympathy for the murdering creation in Frankenstein. I don’t know what it says about me that I am inclined towards sympathy with Raskolnikov and not with the monster; I am opening myself up to judgment.) And then I have to remind myself that I’m not only supposed to be rooting for justice, but for Rasky’s self-actualization, which he can never obtain living free in the world without punishment. So I reluctantly have to root for the perfectly sardonic, Russian Columbo that is Porfiry Petrovich, which I can never seem capable of making myself do.

But Fyo successfully and completely got into Rasky’s head and displayed his multifaceted, probably clinically disordered, personality. On display was the way kindness and charity tormented him, particularly after the crime he committed; his generosity and protectiveness, particularly towards women; his cold and egotistical worldview; and his varying views of the people around him. 

Raz is arguably the most lovable character in the novel. Raz always made me smile whenever he was in a scene. He wore his heart on his sleeve, so open, so loyal and generous, and so forgiving. Rasky treated him awfully, and yet Raz stood by him the entire time. Rasky even once said, and I’m inclined to almost agree with him, “Why, Mr. Razumikhin, I think you’d actually let somebody beat you up in return for the sheer pleasure of being allowed to do him a favor.” But he also has a backbone and a wit and a loud personality. Love Raz, one of my favorite characters in literature.

The one thing I think Dostoevsky could have done better is in convincing me why Sonia fell in love with Raskolnikov. Some people say that Sonia is supposed to represent more of an ideal than an actual character, but I would think that’s a failure of character writing and I wouldn’t like it so much if that’s the case. Sonia is representative of Rasky’s conscience, and he already had a soft spot for angelic, down on their luck women, like his previous fiance, Sonia, and Lizaveta, so I can definitely see why Rasky was attracted to Sonia. And Rasky was always providing and saving Sonia and her family, and he never treated her like she was less because of her profession, so perhaps I can see why Sonia was attracted to Rasky. But the narrative didn’t fully convince me, so I suppose I have to admit a failing of the novel. 

But ultimately a masterpiece, and I’m so glad I read it again.