Crime and Punishment - Final Day

I agree with #4. I believe Crime and Punishment is not merely a look into a specific historical period, a certain type of society, or a study of a distinct character; rather, this novel embraces a variety of theories that carry universal regard. One of the "conflict of ideas" that appear in the book is nihilism versus Christianity/altruism. Although these ideas can be interpreted differently within the novel, the overall conclusion I absorbed was that nihilism, or to believe in nothing and share no loyalties, makes life seemingly futile: "And if in eight years he would be thirty-two and could still begin a new life, what difference did it make? What did he have to live for? What could he look forward to? What was he after?" (515). Living an existence of purpose, humility, and love makes those in the novel who embody these qualities more creditable, such as Marmeladov, Razu, and Sonia. At the end, it at least seems that Rasky's revelation (upon kissing Sonia's feet) has drawn him to the same conclusion: "Love resurrected them; the heart of one contained infinite sources of life for the heart of the other" (521). The overarching theory of existentialism, or the existential crisis, is a key factor in the book, and Dostoyevsky shows how it impacts men in all times and places. Each character has a different perspective on what is the point of life, and this idea is intensely questioned in the landscape of a crime and its repercussions. To Rasky, there is little point in a life unless you are helping the greater good; he compares this idea to other time periods by comparing his crime to the heroic actions of Napoleon (although citing that Nap succeeded while he failed). To Sonia, life is only as full as the amount of faith and love you bring to it, which is evident in her response to Rasky: "What would I be without God?" The characters and plot of the novel are simply vehicles (or symbols) in which to analyze the universal ideas of morality, repentance, existence, etc., rather than just convey their effect on a certain historical period or a specific individual.

Words for Crime and Punishment

I chose Nihilism because I had never heard of the word before. Nihilism is a philosophical term that is related to extreme pessimism. These people are extremely impulsive and have no loyalties to people. They just look to destroy. So clearly this is a very negative philosophy and it will be interesting to see how it ties into the book. From what I know about the author and the book so far, Dostoyevsky was a pretty negative guy who really couldn't do much right so that could be part of the reason that he writes about such a terrible philosophy. He was really depressed all of the time because he had no money. Also, I think this sort of impulsive view on the world is probably conveyed through the main character Rodya because we know that he tries to kill the woman who lends him money. Overall, it will be interesting to see where all of this goes maybe it will make more sense once I read and once other people post about the other words.