Crime and Punishment - My name is Raskolnikov

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Crime and Punishment - My name is Raskolnikov

It is obvious that Raskolnikov did not kill Alyona. Nikolai did. He confessed, didn't he? Sure, sure, I know what you're saying: Raskolnikov confessed too. But it is obvious that his confession was not a true confession. Raskolnikov had seen Nikolai's true confession, and was so moved that he decided he'd like to try confessing too. And one must not overlook the Christ symbolism in the novel. Raskolnikov is the obvious Christ-figure; he's poor, he's generous, he's schizophrenic. It all adds up. Raskolnikov is Christ's second incarnation but nobody realizes it's Him. Kind of sad. One should not overlook Raskolnikov's superior man theory. Nikolai, on the other hand, is the scum of the earth. He's a minor character, and minor characters always commit murders in books. What else do they have to do? One should not only look at the psychology of the characters in the novel, but of the author as well. Dostoevsky wouldn't write a story about some vile murderer. No. Dostoevsky was a good Christian writer. C&P is a handbook for becoming a Christian, not some murder psychology thriller.

Raskolnikov gives lots of reasons for the murder, and it is obvious from the sheer number of reasons that he gives that Raskolnikov is innocent. He can't even make up a realistic motive! No one is fooled. I sure wasn't. Raskolnikov is surely a messed up character. He is upset because he can't get any work, so he decides to plead guilty to a murder he knows nothing about just so he can get some hard labor in Siberia. Oh, sure, he want back to the apartment and questioned where the body was. Sure he could relate the entire murder in realistic detail. These are merely coincidences, just like his meeting with Marmeladov. C&P was often criticized for its overuse of coincidence. Perhaps the most confusing scene in that it leads many unwary readers astray is the actual description of the murder itself. This of course was just a dream. Dostoevsky was very fond of dream symbolism and used it often in C&P.

So it is now obvious, I am sure, that Raskolnikov did not kill Alyona, and that Nikolai did. But why did Nikolai kill Alyona? Well, Nikolai was an early existentialist. He just killed her for the thrill of it. Better than going to the movies.

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