Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment – is one of the most influential novels in world literature. Written by Fyodor Dostoevsky following his ten-year exile in Siberia, the book is a profound psychological study of guilt, morality, and redemption. Raskolnikov develops a “Napoleon” theory, believing that “extraordinary” men have the right to overstep moral and legal boundaries to achieve a greater good for humanity. To test this theory and solve his financial desperation, he murders a cynical, elderly pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanovna, with an axe. He is forced to also kill her innocent half-sister, Lizaveta, when she unexpectedly arrives.