Raskolnikov’s Crime: Predestination or Karma

Abstract

The story of the murder of a law ex-student named
Raskolnikov is told in Dostoevsky’s “Crime and
Punishment”. After suppressing his crime for several days in
tremendous agony and terrible suffering in his conscience,
Raskolnikov resolved to confess his wrong doing to his
companion, Sonia. In his confession, Raskolnikov reveals
some motives for his crime, but he does not explain exactly
why the elderly woman ought to be murdered. The tale then
presents a mystery, a crime, as a result of Raskolnikov’s
predestination. The purpose of this article is to prove that the
motive of Raskolnikov’s crime is not his destiny, but rooted
from his mind.
Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”, first published in
Russia in 1866, is one of the masterpieces of the great
Russian writer Fyodor Mikhailovitch Dostoevsky
(Dostoevsky). This well-known work has been widely
translated and popularized in many countries. The Constant
Garnett’s English translation was utilized in this study, which
was published as a pdf file with a total of 685 pages.