#20. A Revenge Story – Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Audible)

The temptation to re-read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas for the umpteenth time was hard to resist. It is a classic novel about revenge, but I put my thinking cap on and looked through my library of books and thought maybe it was about time I found out what Crime and Punishment was all about, as a) it is a classic novel I haven’t read, b) I keep putting off reading it, so this reading challenge is a good excuse to get it over with and c) whilst it is a novel about redemption, it does explore the themes of revenge and guilt…

 

“A century after it first appeared, Crime and Punishment remains one of the most gripping psychological thrillers. A poverty-stricken young man, seeing his family making sacrifices for him, is faced with an opportunity to solve his financial problems with one simple but horrifying act: the murder of a pawnbroker. She is, he feels, just a parasite on society. But does the end justify the means? Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov makes his decision and then has to live with it. Dostoyevsky, in masterly fashion, contrasts the comedy and tragedy of life in St. Petersburg with the anguish and turmoil of Raskolnikov's inner life.”

 

I haven’t tried to read Crime and Punishment before because it sounds a bit depressing, and I thought it would be a dry and difficult read. I picked up an Audible copy in a 2-4-1 deal because it didn’t matter if I never listened to it, as in essence it was free. I’m delighted to say I really enjoyed both the book and this narration of it. Both Constantine Gregory’s narration, and Dostoevsky’s unique characters and writing style pull together, to provide an interesting look into the thoughts and mind of a killer.

This is a long book to listen to, but it clips along at fair speed to keep the listener engaged, but still slow enough to allow contemplation about the characters and their motives and actions. It is not only the protagonist’s actions called into question, but the people around him. What drives them? Are they ultimately good or bad people?

Meet Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov, an impoverished student, and the man at the heart of this tale. He has feelings of superiority over others, but as with all narcissists, he is no better than the other men he walks amongst. He has accrued debts with a local money lender, Alyona Ivanovna, and as he walks around his squalid neighbourhood, he has the notion of killing someone. He is utterly revulsed at this idea, yet the thought will no longer leave his head. It is said that some people have their best ideas whilst sitting in a pub, but the same cannot be said for Raskolnikov. He hears the conversations of the other drinkers; all are wishing that Alyona Ivanovna was dead.

Sat with various thoughts reeling through his mind, he slips further into a state of drunkenness and becomes motivated by revenge. He is disgusted by the state of poverty surrounding him and how unscrupulous money lenders have caused the problems that face both him and others around him. He convinces himself that if he kills the elderly pawnbroker, he can use the money to make a better society and help others. He will fund a law firm and it will help those like himself. Also, if he kills Ivanovna, he can reclaim his father’s old watch, without the need to find the money to get it back from her.

Once Raskolnikov decides to commit murder, he does so, but his revenge killing does not go to plan and two murders are committed rather than one. This forces him to think about what he has done, and soon he is struggling with the voices in his head and the consequences of his actions. What would happen if he was found guilty of the murders? What about his own mortality?

The impetus for killing was to seek revenge for all the lives ruined by the pawnbroker, it was supposed to make his life better, easier, but it hasn’t. He can’t use the money he stole; it would look suspicious. People would want to know where his newfound wealth had come from. How could he tell his family what he had done? He can’t sell the trinkets he stole; this would lead him to the door of the authorities who would want to know how he came about such items.

He feels he is disconnected from friends and family; he alienates himself from society. This is a period of reflection for him where he realises that this is no way to live, to be able to live, he must confront what has happened and resolve his inner conflicts.

Raskolnikov is a surprisingly relatable character. I’m sure most people have met someone who has caused them such misery in their life that they wanted to kill them. For most people, this is a fleeting thought that would never be acted upon, it’s just a way of expressing rage and getting it out of one’s system, but for the Raskolnikov’s in society, they take those feelings of rage too far.

He’s a murderer, so you would think he must be bad, but it’s a more complex situation than that, and so you are drawn into a journey of trying to reconcile your feelings about such an abhorrent deed. You would think it an easy task, no-one should condone killing, but Dostoevsky’s superb writing makes you empathise with Raskolnikov’s difficult situation. The victim, Alyona Ivanovna, is a loathsome character who profits off the backs of the poor and takes advantage of her younger sister, treating her like a slave. Raskolnikov isn’t the only person that wishes Ivanovna were dead. He feels justified murdering Ivanovna, because she will not be missed, she makes everyone’s life more miserable than it needs to be.

This seems to be a simple story about a man who has killed someone, but it is so much more than that. Dostoevsky has done a deep dive into the minds of people and focused on their internal mental struggles, the descent into degenerate behaviour, and the aftereffects as a killer comes to terms with what he has done. This brilliance is what makes Crime and Punishment one of those landmark pieces of literature that people feel they should read, but generally never do.

You would be forgiven for thinking this is a dark and bleak book that belongs in the past, but it is full of dark humour. The book echoes real life, one of the most absurd things is the human condition and even though it was written 1866 it is still reflective of modern society. You only need to pick up a newspaper or switch on the news to hear of fatal stabbings with the implied justification of ‘he had it coming to him.’

This book is a wonderful psychological thriller which explores the human desire for destruction, and then the feelings of guilt and alienation afterwards. According to many studies into the criminal mind, Dostoevsky has beautifully illustrated the growing guilt many criminals experience, together with the uncontrollable urge to confess all.

I loved listening to this book and pondering about what was written. It was interesting hearing what thoughts were whirling around in the Raskolnikov’s head and why he chose the actions he did, but it was also interesting to hear the thoughts of his friends. They had their suspicions, and eventually proof of Raskolnikov’s guilt, so did remaining quiet make them complicit? Were they just as morally corrupt as Raskolnikov? If we as readers feel sympathy towards Raskolnikov’s actions, what does that make us?

I found this a really interesting novel, and certainly not a book that people should be afraid to try reading.

 

Genre: Fiction, Classics, Russian Literature, Psychological

Release Date: 30^th December 2012

Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks

Listening Time: 22h 2m

 

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