Crime and Punishment

Generally, in some of the greatest works of literature, an important character in a novel may be considered evil or immoral on the basis of his actions alone. Such a character is Raskolnikov of Dostoevsky’s, Crime and Punishment-- a poverty-stricken young man who had who murdered an old pawnbroker. Despite such an immoral act, Raskolnikov is often viewed by the reader as a sympathetic character due to the manner in which his crime haunted him. Furthermore, he committed acts of kindness which also promote sympathy in the reader.
Raskolnikov’s evil can be seen through the nature of pawnbroker’s (Alyona Ivanova) murder, as opposed to that of her sister (Lizaveta Ivanova). Alyona’s murder was much more brutal that Lizaveta, in that she took several hits with the ax whereas Lizaveta took only one. Therefore, even thought the pawnbroker was already dead, Raskolnikov had so much rage and m...