A Study of the literary techniques used by Fyodor Dostoyevsky in

A Study of the literary techniques used by Fyodor Dostoyevsky in “Crime and Punishment” to convey the downfall and subsequent rise of the main character.

Neal Gruer 5C

“Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky is the story of a young student Raskolnikov and his need to murder an old woman to prove one of his many philosophies. The book begins with the murder, but the primary focus is on his reasoning and reactions before and after the act.

It is set in St Petersburg where the main character, Raskolnikov, appears to be an ex-student living, in poverty, a life of lethargy. However, it soon emerges that he, despite the physical nature of his situation, has a very active mind. To reveal whether he is of a special “breed” of humans, he finds it necessary to kill, and the unfortunate subjects of his experiment are an old pawnbroker and her sister. After the murders, Raskolnikov is subject to a series of mental and emotional changes, eventually leading to his confession and, later, his arrest, trial and eight-year prison sentence.

It was both this interesting plot and the philosophical nature of Dostoyevsky’s writing, which initially attracted me to this book. It also features many themes and characters, as well as an effective setting. As a result, I will examine the literary techniques used in “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky to convey the downfall and subsequent rise of the main character, Raskolnikov. I will begin by looking at how the setting formed Raskolnikov’s character, and then discuss the structure and other characters of the novel.

The setting plays a primary role in forming Raskolnikov’s character. In mid-19th century Russia, an oppressive rule is a result of the Romanov monarchy and this inadvertently promotes widespread poverty and pain. Raskolnikov is no different from his fellow citizens, and this is the first – if not the most important – aspect of his life to which we are introduced:

“He was heavily in debt to his land lady...So absorbed in himself had he grown, so isolated from anyone else…He had been crushed by poverty”

The use of “crushed” here implies that Raskolnikov is profoundly affected by the destitution from which he endured. This plays a large part in his mentality and the developments of his theories. The feeling that he has nothing to live for certainly further propels him towards his acts of murder. If he were indeed able to perform this act, without feeling regret, then he would be able to consider himself more than just a poor student. The author shows that Raskolnikov has “grown” to into his state of mind, suggesting a progression over a period of time. The theory that poverty is the cause of his actions is mentioned in the Epilogue during his trial:

“[Raskolnikov replied] that the cause of the whole thing had been his rotten social position, his poverty and helplessness”

However, it is not just his theories that this setting has nurtured; he has also become angry at everything around him:

“by this time, so much vicious contempt had built up in the young man’s soul”

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“[Raskolnikov replied] that the cause of the whole thing had been his rotten social position, his poverty and helplessness”

However, it is not just his theories that this setting has nurtured; he has also become angry at everything around him:

“by this time, so much vicious contempt had built up in the young man’s soul”

The phrase “vicious contempt” is very strong, and shows how the setting has encouraged the hatred inside him. It is the combination of this anger, apparently caused by the setting of poverty and pain, and Raskolnikov’s keen philosophies that led to his murderous tendencies and hence his downfall. The words “built up” reiterate the idea of a process in the development of these feelings. These concepts have also segregated Raskolnikov from the rest of society. This self-seclusion is a trait exposed early in the story:

“He had, in no uncertain terms, withdrawn from everyone, like a tortoise into its shell”

The use of a tortoise as a simile to describe the student is also in line with the lethargic behaviour also portrayed, as well as showing the seclusion in which he lives. His desire to be isolated from the rest of society has grown from the belief that he is superior to most of those within it, and as he spent more time alone, this superiority complex is encouraged and aggravated to the point where he has to prove to himself if he is, in-fact, above others. The author makes both poverty and isolation – both caused by the setting – clear factors in Raskolnikov’s desire to carry out the murder, and furthermore, his downfall.

The city of St Petersburg is also used as a symbol to show Raskolnikov’s agitation, as well as demonstrating the poverty from which all suffer. The city’s streets are lined with bars; beggars and alcoholics are commonplace:

“The unbearable stench from the drinking dens…[and the drunks] completed the sad and loathsome colouring of this scene”

The language of these lines is again hateful with “sad”, “loathsome” and “unbearable” all showing the extent of Raskolnikov’s abhorrence for his surroundings. His personal living conditions are also far from desirable:

“His room…sooner resembled a closet than a place of habitation”

This is written from the perspective of the narrator, showing that even others would be appalled by his living conditions. The comparison between Raskolnikov’s room and such a small place as a closet shows how poverty-stricken he is and it further exemplifies the unattractive setting.

This previously mentioned chaos and disorder in the city relates to the way the student feels and behaves. When he finally leaves the city to serve his custodial sentence in the relative calm of Siberia, he is only then able to pacify himself, and return to a mental state of comparative normality. The author uses the change in location to illustrate the change in the criminal’s character. It must also be remembered that Dostoyevsky himself served five years in a forced labour camp in Siberia after having lived in St Petersburg, so this emotional change may indeed be one which the author himself experienced

The setting is a technique used by Dostoyevsky to show the formation of Raskolnikov’s characteristics and the changes that take place in it. It is a clear element in Raskolnikov’s downfall; however, it also shows redemptive value when the setting changes – thus aiding in the character’s subsequent rise.

Besides utilising the setting, Dostoyevsky uses the structure to show many other aspects of Raskolnikov and his changing character. This structure is such that the crime itself is dealt with at the very start of the novel in Part I. Parts II to VI focus on Raskolnikov’s reaction and behaviour and it is only in the short, two chapter Epilogue that the physical punishment is administered. This structure shows that the real penalty of an act similar to that of Raskolnikov’s is not so much arrest, trial and imprisonment, as guilt and paranoia experienced soon, if not immediately, afterward. These feelings can go on for an extensive period of time as is demonstrated in the book, and confession can be the only action to eradicate this mentality:

“To the question as to what had prompted him to turn himself in, he [Raskolnikov] replied bluntly that it had been genuine remorse.”

The author also uses two characters to further assist the structure. Porfiry Petrovich – the policeman in charge of the murder investigation – is the first of these two characters. Prior to his meeting with Porfiry, Raskolnikov has maintained the egotistical view that he is better than other humans and can, therefore, perform any act, however heinous. In spite of this, during the meeting, Raskolnikov’s mentality sees an alteration, to the point where he is questioning this superiority. Porfiry asks Raskolnikov a series of cunningly pejorative questions, which show the policeman’s suspicions and cause the murderer to experience paranoia:

“[To Porfiry] it must have been hard for you to remember who they all were…yet you seem to remember them all quite clearly, and…and…

“Stupid! Clumsy! Why did I put that in?”

Here, Dostoyevsky has effectively portrayed the fear and apprehension in Raskolnikov’s answers by using a series of full stops to signify pauses and stuttering. He also changes the narrative from omniscient to first person, giving us a direct insight into the feelings of Raskolnikov. This technique is frequently used by the author and is very useful to the reader, as it lets us see a more specific picture of the individual while still retaining an unbiased overview of each situation. These angry exclamations also show Raskolnikov’s first signs of self-doubt.

This “mind game” played by Porfiry is Raskolnikov’s first realisation that he is not superior to all - there is a chance that this mere policeman could usurp him. Besides being used by Dostoyevsky to add to the psychological nature of the book, this makes Porfiry a feature of structure to show both a turning point in, not only Raskolnikov’s character, but also the novel as a whole. This change is key to Raskolnikov’s downfall. The investigator’s realisation that every criminal, Raskolnikov included, will either be forced to confess by his own conscience, or simply go insane with fear of capture, shows that a human experiencing guilt will always suffer – if not physically, then mentally. This again shows Porfiry’s psychological advantage over Raskolnikov:

“[To Raskolnikov] if he’s conscious of the never-ending suspicion and terror in which I’m keeping him, I tell you, sir, he’ll go off into a whirl, he’ll come running of his own accord”

The language and tone of these lines, in addition to the structure, is very light hearted. Words such as “whirl” epitomise this feeling. This again reveals Porfiry’s relaxed and confident attitude, providing a contrast to Raskolnikov’s anxiety and frustration. This quotation also demonstrates that the most important aspect of the human psyche leading to the arrest of Raskolnikov is guilt – the main theme of the novel – and the effect it not only has on him, but all humans. However, in this case, it aided as much in the character’s redemption as his downfall.

The second character – the young Sonya – is the main factor in Raskolnikov’s redemption and another obvious structural instrument. He initially sees her as a wretched prostitute, but he soon learns of her inner beauty and purity of heart. It is this purity that makes her so fundamental, because she single-handedly persuades Raskolnikov to repent to God and confess to the police. Her contact with Raskolnikov acts as a contrasting turning point to his meeting with Porfiry. It is after the point of his confession that Raskolnikov’s guilt and paranoia are removed:

“He suddenly recalled Sonya’s words…It came over him like an epileptic seizure; it was like a single spark kindled in his soul and suddenly it engulfed everything, like fire. Everything in him softened at once and the tears started into his eyes. He fell to the ground where he stood...

It is clear from the above word choice that it is this act that changes Raskolnikov. His guilt begins to disappear as he “apologises” to the world. The simile “it was like a single spark…like fire”, is very dramatic and produces a picture of a “phoenix of redemption” rising from the ashes of his soul. This comparison uses the purifying nature of fire to describe the freshness of his spirit. The comparison of his actions to an “epileptic seizure” shows how sudden and uncontrollable his behaviour is. Besides this, the moment that he “fell to the ground” is a contrast to his superiority fixation throughout the novel, and shows his submission that he is not in fact a superior being. All of the blemishes on his history are cleared due to Sonya’s encouragement, showing her to be a factor of his rise.

It is she who he first confides his sins in, and she who introduces him to both God and love. It is the love between the pair that is to be the final and critically deciding factor in Raskolnikov’s salvation. This is another important theme of the novel – the liberating power of love:

“now gleamed the dawn of a renewed future, a complete recovery to a new life. What had revived them was love, the heart of the one containing an infinite source of life for the heart of the other.”

Dostoyevsky’s use of spiritual words such as “recovery”, “infinite” and “renewed” all give a powerful illustration of the effect this realisation has on both characters. This scene comes at the very end of the novel – placed here to show that the discovery of love brings the ordeal to an end – thus making its message more important. It also shows how key the emotion is in the story of Raskolnikov and his spiritual rise.

Sonya and Porfiry are used to facilitate Dostoyevsky’s structure, in addition to being important in portraying Raskolnikov’s changing personality. By making such dissimilarity between the two ways that the two characters affect Raskolnikov, we are able to see his downfall and subsequent rise much more clearly.

Dostoyevsky’s writing in this book is such that the characters and setting around the main subject, Raskolnikov, are used with powerful consequences. The setting is both symbolic and has a power that affects all whom reside there, most notably Raskolnikov. An effective Structure is also used to show changes to the plot’s direction and Raskolnikov’s character. To add to this, the author’s word choice and imagery are often extremely descriptive, and enhance the impact at every stage of Raskolnikov’s changing fortunes and character. All of these features aid in the portrayal of Raskolnikov’s downfall and subsequent rise.