Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, an impoverished St. Petersburg ex-student who formulates and executes a plan to kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker for her money. Raskolnikov argues that with the pawnbroker's money he can perform good deeds to counterbalance the act, while ridding the world of a worthless parasite. The murder is also committed to test Raskolnikov's hypothesis that some people are naturally able and have the right to murder. Despite his rationale, Raskolnikov struggles with extreme guilt and fear once the act is committed . . .