In Crime and Punishment Fyodor Dostoevsky masterfully probed the psychology of a murderer. Much ink has been spilt discussing Dostoevsky’s theories as to why men commit crime, the consequences of revolutionary philosophy, and the connection between crime and madness. These are all interesting questions to discuss and pursue, but none reaches the heart of this novel. At the heart of Crime and Punishment is a demonstration of the power and beauty of the Christian Gospel to transform and redeem a life . . . and the consequences that follow when men reject the Gospel.
To briefly recap the plot of this novel. The protagonist, Raskolnikov, comes to believe that he is a “superior man” and as such has the moral duty to shed blood so that he may socially advance and thereby help mankind progress. He tests his theory by killing a pawnbroker; to cover up this murder he is compelled to kill her sister as well. He loses his head in the midst of his crime and it is luck, not criminal cunning, that helps him escape. The crime drives Raskolnikov to madness. All the while he plays a cat and mouse game with a police detective that attempts to convince him that it is in the best interest of his soul to confess. Finally, due to a combination of mental exhaustion and the encouragement of a young lady, Sonia, Raskolnikov confesses. He is sentenced to hard labor in Siberia where he eventually fully repents and finds salvation.
It is an intriguing and compelling story, but for Christians it is more than that. Though the Gospel message isn’t immediately apparent, there are a number of Gospel Truths, latently strewn throughout this work. Reading the work with these truths in mind can help us to both share and grow in our faith.
To begin with, Dostoevsky does a peerless job of characterizing the consequences of sin. When discussing his crime Raskolnikov cries out “Did I murder the old woman? I murdered myself, not her! I crushed myself once for all, for ever.” He may have destroyed her body, but he destroyed his soul that fateful day.
In criticizing Sonia Raskolnikov sneers “your worst sin is that you have destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing.” This truth could be justly applied to his crime. Raskolnikov has lost his soul, lost himself, and in return he has nothing. That is cold, stark truth about the nature of sin.
Throughout the story Raskolnikov is repeatedly connected with Lazarus. Lazarus was dead, but the power of God brought him back to full life. Can the same happen to Raskolnikov? Before bringing his protagonist to salvation and new life Dostoevsky compares him with two other characters that for various reasons fail to attain salvation: Katerina Ivanovna and Svidrigailov.
Katerina shares two similarities with Raskolnikov, she is proud, yet she too is a recipient of the unmerited love of Sonia. Her pride is often portrayed comically, yet it is fraught with tragic consequences. As her husband lies on his deathbed the injury his failures did to her pride prevents her from forgiving him. In fact, she goes so far as to celebrate his death. “And thank God he’s dying! One less to keep!”
This same pride prevents her from receiving forgiveness. In the moments leading up to her death she is encouraged to repent. Blinded by her pride she responds “I have no sins. God must forgive me without [the confession of my sins]. . . . And if He won’t forgive me, I don’t care!”
Sonia acts as foil to Katerina. Sonia, forced into prostitution by her father, forgives him and embraces him at the moment of his death. What is more, Sonia loves, forgives, and even defends Katerina even though Katerina beats her. Instead of worrying about her rights, Sonia loves and forgives those who wrong her the most. This love could have served as an example and inspiration to Katerina, as it did Raskolnikov, but in her pride Katerina rejects it.
Svidrigailov is the second character that Dostoevsky contrasts with Raskolnikov. On the face of it Svidrigailov is the “superior man” that Raskolnikov wants to be. While murder overwhelms Raskolnikov, Svidrigailov seems capable of killing without the slightest moral qualm. He is unmoved by the censures of his fellow man and seems to live a life “beyond good and evil.”
Yet when the guilt of his past actions catch up with him, he ends his life quite differently than Raskolnikov. While Raskolnikov finds peace and forgiveness Svidrigailov ultimately takes his life in despair. Why the difference in outcomes? Raskolnikov finds unmerited love in Sonia. This gracious love transforms him. Svidrigailov seeks in vain for this same love in Dounia. When it is finally and irrevocably denied him, he is left in sin with no hope of redemption. In this state of permanent hopeless he has no other option but to end his pain and guilt by destroying himself.
Raskolnikov shares similarities with both of these characters. He, like Katerina, is filled with a delusional pride—after all, he initially thinks he is some type of Napoleon! Like Svidrigailov he longs to be beyond good and evil. But unlike either he finds light and life, hope and salvation. How? In a word, Sonia.
Sonia in person embodies the gracious, unconditional love of God. She loves Raskolnikov wholly and fully, without regard to what he says or does, in spite of what he does! After finding out that it is he and no other that has murdered her friend Lizaveta, Sonia embraces and comforts him. “‘What have you done—what have you done to yourself?’ she said in despair, and, jumping up, she flung herself on his neck, threw her arms round him, and held him tightly.” She at once recognizes both the nature and consequence of his sin and this fills her heart with pity.
Raskolnikov, for his part, initially rejects her gracious love, refusing to admit any wrongdoing. “I’ve only killed a louse, Sonia, a useless, loathsome, harmful creature.” In response to this Sonia tells him that he must confess his sin. If he does this then “God will send you life again.” She promises to follow him to Siberia and to bear his punishment with him.
Raskolnikov confesses to the police more out of ennui than Godly sorrow. He is sentenced to hard labor, but remains proud and unbroken. After nearly a year after his crime, he breaks down and receives Sonia’s love, weeping while embracing her knees. This is the moment in which he experiences “a full resurrection into new life.” In case we missed the significance of this, Dostoevsky went on to write that this ushered him into a new story, “the story of the gradual renewal of a man, the story of his gradual regeneration, of his passing from one world into another, of his initiation into a new unknown life.”
There is much to learn from this tale. We can clearly see the nature of sin and the death it brings sinners in the suffering of Raskolnikov. We see some that are offered gracious love and salvation, like Katerina, that in pride reject it. We see others, like Svidrigailov, that search in vain for redemption, fail to find it, and end life in bitter despair.
Ultimately we see that salvation is a function of grace. Raskolnikov does not deserve to be saved! He committed double premeditated murder. He did not murder out of need, but in the pride that he was above the rules and expectations of the common man. Raskolnikov initially sneers at the gracious love of Sonia and mocks her faith. He refuses time and time again the offer of her love and her request that he admit his guilt. But ultimately, in a process mysterious even to him, he repents and finds love, and in love, new life.
Those of us in Christ can ask like questions: why did we turn to Christ? Why did we turn to Him when others in similar situations turned from Him? Why did we repent when we did and not earlier or later? These are mysterious questions. For Dostoevsky they are questions that cannot be answered for our salvation lies not in a theory, but in gracious love, freely offered us. Accepting this love brings life; in refusing this love we will forever remain in the state of death that our sins create.
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