Crime and Punishment (Penguin Classics) Paperback – December 31, 2002

Strangely enough, whenever I reread this book, I find the image of the heroin Sonya being more overshadowed by Marmeladov and his wife Katerina Ivanovna. They are minor characters and their story is told apart from the main story. But despite that, they are presented with such wonderful power, solidity and distinctness that, even though you may not quite believe in them, you can never forget them. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that Raskolnikov has had as much influence from them as from Sonya. There is one more point I would like to point out. Why does Svidrigailov commit suicide? I think that his suicide requires a good deal more explanation than Dostoyevsky has given it. All things considered, he is the least likely man to commit suicide, isn't he? For what reason did Dostoyevsky sacrifice verisimilitude and credibility which are the essential requirements of good novels? In other words, why did Dostoyevsky have to kill Svidrigailov? I think that behind the reason lies another key to get more understanding about Dostoyevsky. Let me relate my thinking just a little. I think Svidrigailov represents the dark side of Dostoyevsky himself, which he admits he has, and which he desperately wants to rid himself of.

"Crime and Punishment" should be mostly read in this modern days now.It will be very helpful in order to understand the novel if you would know what the pre-world of Russian Revolution in 1917, what its effect including especially the upper class of Russian people's feeling for the revolution.It will also be preferable to understand it if you could well imagine that Raskolnikov had thought his father's death, his mother's and his sister's affection for him, as well as Raskolnikov's affection for Sonya and his friendship with Razumikhin.It will probably be better welcome to know about Dostoyevsky's life itself and his way of thinking about the sing of the Revolution.Then I know you will most enjoyable "Crime and Punishment" from the bottom of the heart, and you will well understand Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" and "The Devils", too.