Crime and Punishment | Study Guide

Fyodor Dostoevsky

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Crime and Punishment | Infographic

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Check out this Infographic to learn more about Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. Study visually with character maps, plot summaries, helpful context, and more.

crime-and-punishment-fyodor-dostoyevskyFAMILYTORMENTSINVESTIGATESINVESTIGATESROMANCEFRIENDMURDERSAlyona and Lizaveta Ivanovna Greedy pawnbroker and her innocent sisterSonia (Sophia)Self-sacrificing prostitutesophia = wisdomRazumihinLoyal allyrazum = reasonPorfiry PetrovitchInsightful detectiveDouniaIntelligent beautySvidrigaïlovPredatory gamblerRaskolnikovConflicted protagonist raskol = splitMain CharactersCrime and Punishmentby the NumbersYears Dostoevsky spent in a Siberian prison labor camp before writing Crime and Punishment 4Monthly installments of Crime and Punishment first published in The Russian Messenger magazine in 1866 12Beginning of the reign of Czar Alexander II, who made reforms to westernize Russia 1855Release of the first U.S. (silent) film adaptation of Crime and Punishment 1917One of the great psychological novelists, Dostoevsky explores anguish, analyzes human dilemmas, and examines the struggle between harsh social realities and religious belief in Crime and Punishment. As a young man, he belonged to a radical socialist group, but in prison he returned to Christianity.FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY1821–81AuthorSymbolsThemesAlienationSufferingWhether misery is useless or endured on a path to redemption, suffering abounds.MoralityAs the Industrial Revolution begins, emerging concepts of morality conflict with religious morality.GarretCrossNapoleonAttic representing Raskolnikov's feelings of superiority—and his isolation Symbolizes religion, traditional morality, and sufferingExample of the "exceptional man" Raskolnikov wants to becomeIsolation from society can breed unstable thoughts.Set in the 1860s in St. Petersburg, Russia, Crime and Punishment tells the story of Raskolnikov, an educated but impoverished young man who commits a terrible crime. Tortured by his conscience—and with a detective in pursuit—Raskolnikov grapples with questions of guilt, responsibility, and redemption.Murder on His MindOVERVIEWThe Greater GoodRaskolnikov thinks Ivanovna's murder will ultimately benefit society but cannot justify the murder of Lizaveta.Extraordinary ManBelieving humanity is divided into the “ordinary” and “extraordinary,” Raskolnikov theorizes that extraordinary men are not bound by law.A Higher PowerSonia represents a path to confession, forgiveness, and redemption; her compassion speaks to the importance of all humanity.The Betterment of MankindBelieving even a murderer has the potential to be a productive member of society, Porfiry presents another path to redemption.Self-GratificationSvidrigaïlov believes there is no power greater than man, and crimes that gratify the individual are justified in a meaningless, evil world. id I murder the old woman? I murdered myself, not her! I crushed myself once for all, forever....But it was the devil that killed that old woman, not I.Raskolnikov, Part V, Chapter IVFyodor DostoevskyNovel Author1866RussianYear PublishedOriginal LanguageCrime and PunishmentDrama
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