Crime And Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Dostoyevsky had impressed me immensely in "The Idiot". His style of story telling was utterly grasping, even though he frequently digressed from the topic at hand to discuss unrelated philosophies which might have been more applicable in the Russian society of his times but were still interesting enough to stir the contemporary reader into thought. So it was with high hopes that I picked up this book : hailed as the greatest of Dostoyevsky's novels.

The inception of the story was in a time when the Russians were facing a society divided between the thought schools of socialism and nihilism. On one hand was the idea of a society that was communal, where every one would live for the society as a whole, working for the benefit of every comrade. On the other hand were the nihilists who defied all authority and believed in their own right to make their life better by any necessary means. Dostoyevsky is supposedly inspired into the concept by the happenings around him when certain members of the intelligentsia abused their power to reason.

The book begins with an immediate focus on the protagonist and the narration sticks to him throughout without any change in the vantage point. The book relays the emotional tumult that the protagonist goes through in his views regarding what a crime is and who the concept of crime applies to. The emotional uncertainty and the nagging moral conscience are real enough to relate to on a much lower level. The various characters throwing light on how a human brain works and why it reasons as it does. The visions of grandeur that one is better than the crowd around him. The craving to prove himself in some way. The hesitation of "the first step" and the belief in a justification beyond. All these are very clearly expressed in either the discussions among the characters or the subauditions of the protagonist, Raskolnikov. Raskolnikov finally gives in to the physical strain that the mental harassment puts him under. But his final salvation comes from Sofya, a religious girl forced into prostitution because of poverty. Utterly symbolic of the corruption that has crept into the thoughts of the educated middle classes of every society where the rightfulness of a person is judged by his profession and social status.

The plot was gripping beyond comparison. There were times towards the middle and the end of the story when I simply could not help turning page after page, pushing back my sleep till after another chapter, then yet another chapter. The character building was nothing short of brilliant. The unnecessary details left out. The story ran as smoothly as conceivable.

"Crime And Punishment" exceeded it's reputation. An excellent read to say the least. Dostoyevsky impressed again and I will surely pick up another work of his before long.