Internal destruction

The theme of Crime and Punishment is not initially obvious (though the title is fairly explanitory), but subtly hinted at throughout the novel through metaphoric events and the strange actions of Raskolnikov. His actions are interesting becuase the reasons for them are not thoroughly explained at the time of thier happening; one must keep in mind Raskolnikov's crime and how it affects him. The theme of the novel could be considered what happens to a guilty man over time. For example, before Raskolnikov has commited the murder, he becomes drunk and falls asleep in a ditch. He dreamt(more like a remembered repressed memory)of a traumatic event in his childhood, in which several drunkards were viciously beating a horse to gallop (which was in no shape to walk, let alone gallop). They begin to lash it in the eyes with whips, and continually whip it until it succumbs to the beating and dies in agony. Raskolnikov (about 8 years old) throws himself on one of the drunkards and hits him with his tiny fists until Raskolnikov's father pulls him away. This event could be considered analogous to Raskolnikov's current situation. If we were to look at it metaphorically, Raskolnikov could be considered the horse, and the drunkards "beating" him could be all those who suspect and put pressure on him for the murder. These could include people like Lieutenant Ilya Petrovich, an abbrasive policeman who suspects him, and Porfiry Petrovich, a detective of sorts who asks Raskolnikov various questions about an article he's written regarding wether or not some men are superior to others and have a right to break the law. Raskolnikov points out to Profiry that the "extraordinary" (Dostoevsky, 259) man has the right "to allow his conscience to step over certain obstacles, and then only in the event that the fufillment of his idea -sometimes perhaps salutary for the whole of mankind - calls for it." (Dostoevsky, 259). He is subtly refering (unbeknownst to the men in his company [Razumikhin, Profiry, and Zamyotov]) to his encounter with the old pawnbroker, providing self-validation of sorts by attempting to convince others (but really himself) that people (like the wretched crone) deserve to die and noble "extraordinary" men (whom he considers himself to be) have a right and duty to end them. He goes on to compare this to the scientific progress of Newton and Kepler, saying "if, as the result of certain combonations, Kepler's or Newton's discoveries could become known to people in no other way than by sacrificing the lives of one, ten or a hundred or more people who were hindering the discovery, or standing in its path, then Newton would have the right, and it would be even his duty to remove those ten or a hundred people, in order to make the discoveries known to all mankind." (Dostoevsky, 259-260). He also compares his ideas to the actions of great men such as Napoleon were criminals of sorts, seeing as they had to break old laws to form new ones and reform their worlds, and that bloodshed should not be shyed away from if it will further the cause. Raskolnikov's encounter with Profiry is particularly interesting, because later in the conversation Profiry asks Raskolnikov what he would do if the criminal were caught, and his answers are unexpected, and are either a ploy to remove suspicion or deep-seeded feelings of guilt. When asked "what if we do catch him?" (Dostoevsky, 264), he responds with "Serves him right." (Dostoevsky, 264). Profiry then asks him about the killer's conscience, to which Raskolnikov famously responds "Whoever has one can suffer if he acknowledges his error. It's a punishment for him - on top of hard labour" (Dostoevsky, 264). This quote sits atop my blog, though translated slightly differently. Another "drunkard" (metaphorically beating raskonlikov) could be Pytor Petrovich, Raskolnikov's to-be brother in law, who is a wretched gossip and is well into his forties (Raskolnikov's sister is much younger). Raskolnikov told Petrovich how he felt about the wedding, asking him "is it true that you told your fiancee, at the same time you recieved her consent, that you were glad she was poor..because it's best to take a wife up from destitution, so you can lord it over her afterwards and reproach her with having been her benefactor?" (Dostoevsky, 152). Petrovich did indeed write the letter, and responds agrily by hotly leaving Raskolnikov's apartment and sending his mother a letter requesting he not be present at their wedding.

These characaters and the way they add pressure to Raskolnikov is realistic and, thanks to good writing, the reader knows (or, in some cases, suspects) how the protagonist feels, and how he evolves and changes because of this. The theme is not so much stated as it is felt - By the protagonist and the reader. Another part of the theme of this novel could be the baseness and vileness of men; how they truly behave and how their actions influence others to terrible things, which is also felt through the actions of these supporting characters.