INTRODUCTION
This story, Crime
and Punishment, is written by Fyodor Dostoevsky. This novel is the
first great novel of his "mature period" of writing. Crime and Punishment focuses on the
mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Raskolnikov, who thinks a plan to kill a pawnbroker
and steal her articles. Raskolnikov argues that with the pawnbroker's money he
can counterbalance the crime. He also commits this murder to test his own
hypothesis that some people are naturally capable of doing such things, and
even have the right to do them.
The book shows that his punishment results more from his
conscience than from the law. He committed murder with the belief that he
possessed enough intellectual and emotional. It is only in the epilogue that he
realizes his formal punishment, having decided to confess and end his
alienation.
CHARACTER
Raskolnikov
Raskolnikov is the major character in this novel, and the
action is focused primarily from his perspective.
“He was, by the
way, exceptionally handsome, above the average in height, slim, well-built,
with beautiful dark eyes and dark brown hair.”9
‘I am Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov,
formerly a student, I live in Shil’s house, not far from here, flat Number 14,
ask the porter, he knows me.’317
“I
could kill that damned old woman and make off with her money,..”126
‘The old woman was a mistake perhaps, but
she is not what matters! The old woman was only an illness…. I was in a hurry
to overstep…. I didn’t kill a human being, but a principle! I killed the principle,....492
From the quotation, That Raskolnikov is very handsome
with good posture. He lives in a flat. He is an odd thinker. He has an odd
thought to kill someone. He corrected his thought by saying that he is killing
principle.
SETTING
Place
The story takes place in Russia. Most of the story
happened in Petersburg. When Raskolnikiv goes to jail, he is placed in Siberia.
“...heart of Petersburg, types so various
were to be seen in the streets..”10
“It was nearly
eleven o’clock and although in summer in Petersburg..”47
“Siberia. On the
banks of a broad solitary river stands a town, one of the administrative
centres of Russia;”939
From the quotation above, we can see that the story
happen mostly in Petersburg because there are aome parts of this novel mention
Petersburg.
Time
The story happens sometime on summer.
“It was nearly eleven o’clock and
although in summer in Petersburg there is no real night,”47
“Good evening, Alyona..” 145
“ten o’clock in the morning.”220
“exactly at midnight” 886
Most of the novel is set during the
summer. It was evening when he was going to kill Alyona. Some part of the story
also happen in the morning and midnight.
Circumtance
There are some situation happen in the
story.
“he read the letter, Raskolnikov’s face
was wet with tears;”79
“He hid his face in his hands again and bowed his head.
Suddenly he turned pale, ..”723
“Raskolnikov shuddered.” 930
“But it was not the horrors of prison
life, not the hard labour, the bad food, the shaven head, or the patched
clothes that crushed him.” 953
“At the beginning of their happiness at
some moments they were both ready to look on those seven years as though they were
seven days.”966
Raskolnikov felt sad when receiving his mother letter. He
felt nervous when confessing to Sonia. He had a terrible situation in the
prison. But finally he felt happy until just feel the 7 years is 7 days.
POINT OF VIEW
Third Person (Omniscient)
Mostly the
narrator tells about the perspective of Raskolnikov, but the narrator also
tells about another characters’ perspective.
“he disliked meeting at any time.”
Raskolnikov 10
“But Mr. Luzhin hardened his heart and
seemed to determine to take no notice of their oddities.” Luzhin 269
“She was in need of attention herself.”
Katerina 328
“she thought it strange and wondered...” Sonia 727
From the
quotations above, we can see clearly that the narrator tells in third person
pronoun. The narrator use He, Him, She or Name when the narrator want to tell what
the characters do and think and know everything happen to characters, so we can
say that narrator use third person omniscient point of view.
PLOT
Exposition
After receiving his mother’s
letter, Raskolnikov felt sad because Dounia, her sister, was going to marry
with Luzhin, a man that he disliked. And His sister will do it because of him,
his big owe. And he thought he should stop that marriage.
“His mother’s letter had been a torture to him...”81
“Dounia, Sonia’s life is no worse than life with Mr. Luzhin.”88
“Sonia’s and may be worse, viler, baser,
because in your case, Dounia,”88
“that I shall really take an axe, that I shall strike her …”116
“But why am I going on like this?”116
When Raskolnikov thinks about
the way to stop the marriage, he had in his head an idea to kill Alyona, a
pawnbroker, money renter. Sometimes he thought of being foolish like that, how
can he was going to kill the oldwoman?
Rising action
He is carrying out his plan. He
kill the pawnbroker with an axe, stealing her stuff, slipping in her blood, and
alternating between panic and calm. But he forgets to lock the door before, and
when Lizaveta (Alyona's sister) come in, Raskolnikov kills her, too.
“But how pale you are, to be sure … and
your hands are trembling too?” 147
“The blood gushed as from an overturned
glass, the body fell back. He stepped back, let it fall, and at once bent over
her face; she was dead.”148
“There turned out to be various articles
made of gold among the clothes......he began filling up the pockets of his
trousers and overcoat...”152
“The axe fell with
the sharp edge just on the skull and split at one blow all the top of the
head.....Raskolnikov completely lost his
head, snatching up her bundle..”153
When Raskolnikov came to Alyona’s house, he felt very
nervous and he was trembling all over his body. Alyona looked at him, sure, he
really pale and his hands are trembling. Raskolnikov felt uneasy for some time
but finally he murdered Alyona, took her articles and unplannedly he kill Lizaveta too.
Conflict
The conflict is Man vs Himself. Raskolnikov was
really confused after the murders. He caught in a vicious trap in his mind. If
the murder served no purpose, if it didn't prove that he's a great man like
Napoleon, then he was worse than he was before he killed and his life is
meaningless.
“A giddiness came over him
again...began to speak and he recovered himself at once.”158
“He was in a sort of delirium.”
162
“once
more sank into drowsiness and delirium. He lost consciousness.”170
“He could hear people running in crowds from all the storeys
and all the staircases; ‘But why, why, and how could it be?”215
The complications in his mind lead him to act in
complicated ways. At times, we have to remind ourselves that Raskolnikov is
indeed the killer.
Climax
The time Raskolnikov was going
to confess to Sonia about the murder. His feeling is full of anxiousness. He
looks pale and confuse.
“It
only meant that that minute had come. He hid his face in his hands again
and bowed his head. Suddenly he turned pale, ..”723
“I came to-day I would tell you who … who killed Lizaveta.’
She
began trembling all over. ‘Well, here I’ve come to tell you.”725
“and she hugged him again. ‘I’ll follow
you to Siberia!”729
“that is why I killed her….”734
It is a climax when Raskolnikov confess to Sonia. He felt
uneasy and turned pale. He has a high emotional wave in this part.
Falling action
The falling action is when the
Raskolnikov have an idea to admit the murder to the police office and then he
went to the police office to admit that.
“It was I killed the ...”937
“Raskolnikov
repeated his statement. “937
“he
was sentenced.” 946
From the quotation, it is the falling action when Raskolnikov confess to
the police. He was sentenced after that.
Conclution
The resolution happen when still in Siberia, Raskolnikov want to start a
new life with Sonia.
“once saw Sonia...Something stabbed him to the
heart at that minute.” 962
“But
that is the beginning of a new story—the story of the gradual renewal of a man,”
967
From the quotation we can conclude that Raskolnikov is
falling in love with Sonia and may face a new life with his renewal thought.
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