He was born in Moscow on November 11, 1821.

He spent a childhood that

marked him for life because of the family environment with which he lived. At
the age of sixteen, he was orphaned by his mother, which plunged his father
into depression and alcoholism. That same year Fyodor and his brother were
sent to the St. Petersburg School of Military Engineers, where the young Fyodor
would begin to take an interest in literature. At the same time, he joined a
group of young intellectuals who studied the works of French socialists, banned
by the tsar.

In 1839 his father died, which aroused in Dostoevsky a feeling of guilt for
having wished for his death on several occasions. Freud would later write about
it in Dostoevsky and Parricide.

In 1843, he finished his engineering studies, acquired the military rank of

second lieutenant and joined the General Directorate of Engineers in St.
Petersburg. In 1846, he published pobres gentes and El doble with great
success, although his later works did not have the same luck, which caused
him great frustration, aggravated by health problems due to epilepsy.
Persecuted by the police for being part of a liberal intellectual group called the
Petrashevsky Circle, which studied the French socialists, on April 23, 1849,
Dostoevsky was arrested and imprisoned on the charge of plotting against Tsar
Nicholas I, and sentenced to death, although his sentence was commuted to
five years of hard labor in Siberia.

He was released in 1854 and rejoined the army as a private, becoming a

conservative and religious man. He became a sharp critic of nihilism and the
socialist movement of his time and, in part, later devoted his books The
Possessed and Diary of a Writer to criticizing socialist ideas.

In 1860 he settled in St. Petersburg, having left the army and founded with his
brother the magazine “Time”, which was later banned because of publishing an
article about the Polish revolution.

In 1864 his wife and brother died, which led to a deep depression that he
managed to overcome thanks to his second marriage, in 1867.
Dostoevsky spent the next few years abroad, to escape from creditors. They
were years of poverty, but of great creativity. During this period, he managed
to finish Crime and Punishment (1866), which he had started before The
Gambler and the Demoniacs (1871-1872). When he returned to Russia in 1873,
he had already achieved international recognition. His last novel, The Brothers
Karamazov (1880), was completed shortly before his death on February 9, 1881
in St. Petersburg.

Historical context:

Crime and Punishment was a work written in 1886 during the reform period
(abolished serfdom in 1861 and brought major socio-economic changes) of
Alexander II in the Russian Empire.

Precisely Russia had a series of popular uprisings such as, for example: The
Rebellion of Decembrists in 1825 that aimed to question the tsarist autocracy.
This situation provoked an atmosphere of deep reflection on Russian identity,
the role of intellectuals and the future of the country reflected in the works of
that time.

Fyodor Dostoevsky in his work Crime and Punishment addresses issues such as
guilt, redemption, the role of faith, and the duality of human nature in a context
of socio-political transformations in nineteenth-century Russia, reflecting the
concerns of Russian intellectuals around radicalism and the search for ethical
and existential paradigms

The emancipation of the deer in 1861 known as the Peasant Reform, was one
of the main consequences of the work Crime and Punishment, among them
stand out:

A.- Millions of deer became free peasants which transformed the socio-
economic structures of the Russian countryside.

b.- A new social class of peasant landowners emerged who were acquiring
more land and economic opportunities.
c.- There was a great tension between the landowners and the new peasant
owners.

d. Many liberated peasants migrated to the cities in search of better

opportunities, causing accelerated urbanization in Russia.

e.- The peasant reform was seen as the first step towards a deeper
transformation of the Russian political system

f.- Expectations of changes and reforms were generated that eventually

triggered revolutionary movements and questioning of the tsarist autocracy.

g.- The emancipation of the deer gesture intense debates among Russian
intellectuals about the future of the country, national identity and the need for
reforms.

Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov: He is a gloomy, sullen and haughty young

university student. He does not like to express his feelings and prefers to close
in on himself. Protagonist of the work who murders two women, being
convinced, at first, that he had acted well.

Porfirio Petrovich: Police investigating the homicide that

It is committed.

She is a greedy old woman, usurer, murdered to Raskolnicoff.

Raskolnicoff: He is a gloomy, sullen and haughty young university student. He

does not like to express his feelings and prefers to close in on himself.
Protagonist of the play who murders two women, being convinced, at the
beginning that he had acted well.
l.

Sonia Marmeladova: She’s an honest girl, but she prostitutes to have money to
feed her father, to her stepmother and stepbrothers.

The play begins by introducing us to its main character Raskolnikov who is a young student
frustrated because he has to leave his law studies due to serious economic problems, which will
lead to getting into debt with his landlady., Aliona Ivanovna, to pawn her objects and get some
money. On leaving, the young man goes to a bar to have a drink while he keeps thinking about the
large amount of money his landlady has and where he can keep it considering the old woman is an
old calculator and very careful.

In that tavern where he stops for a drink due to the burden he feels, he meets Marmeladov, an
alcoholic and sad official who begins to chat with him explaining his family misfortunes and how
his daughter Sonia is forced to practice prostitution because of him since his wife Catarina’s money
is not enough. Rodion accompanies him to his house, where he will be expelled by Marmeladov’s
wife.
Raskolnikov is deeply affected and tormented by the gap that exists between what he believes he
deserves and what he has. He receives a letter from his mother telling him that his sister Dunia is
going to marry a lawyer to get a fortune, this news overwhelms the protagonist a lot.

The news torments the protagonist, who immediately decides that his sister is not going to marry
the rich lawyer. It is an important moment in the novel because this is where Rodión changes the
course of his actions, it is a turning point where he decides that he will kill the old loan shark to get
all her money and thus prevent his sister from marrying for money.

While walking he meets Isabel, the sister of his landlady. She informs him that the old woman will
be home alone for a while and he takes it as a sign of fate that directs him more and more towards
his idea of murder.

Rodión begins to justify the idea of murder to himself by remembering the bad attitudes of his
landlady, finds an axe and sets out to kill her, he can’t waste any time.

Rodion enters his landlady’s building, who gets him to open the door without a problem. He offers
her a small package, a cigarette case that he supposedly wants to sell. Moments after the landlady
turns on herself, Rodión uses his axe and murders her. The landlady falls to the ground and just as
she is searching him to get the keys to the place where he has hidden the money, the loan shark’s
sister enters. Rodion is sorry, but he is forced to kill her too, so quickly that he barely has time to
know that she is the sister. He takes some jewelry and leaves the building without anyone seeing
him.

Raskolnikov thinking he’s crazy. He gets angry with himself for not being more careful and just
when he’s starting to get overwhelmed by the situation, he gets a citation from the police.
Frightened, he opens it and realices that it is a demand from the loan shark for not having paid the
rent. He goes to the summons and after signing some papers, listens as the policemen talk about
the murder of the loan shark. Rodion faints.

And he decides to hide the jewels that relate to the crime. Wander around the city until you find a
courtyard where to hide everything.

Sick with guilt, and enters a kind of feverish state for four days in which nightmares and delusions
visit him. Natacha, Razuikhim and a government official wait until she wakes up and her illness
passes to give her money that her mother sends her.

Rodion learns that a painter who lives in the loan shark’s building has been arrested accused of
committing the murder of the old old woman. A stranger appears in the plot – Peter Petrovich.

Peter is the fiancé of his sister, whom Raskolnikov receives badly. It does not take long to realice
how this gentleman is and he does not like anything for his sister. Petrovich, for his part, gets very
angry with Rodion and swears that he will not forgive his offenses no matter how bad it is.
Consciousness begins to torment Rodion causing him delusions. He returns to the crime scene
where he manages to talk to some workers and ask them about the blood stains, he keeps thinking
about the person arrested for the crime he committed. He wanders through the streets and a
scream catches his attention.

He discovers the old official Marmeladov run over in the street and takes him home. Sonia, the
eldest daughter, arrives to see her father die and hear his apologies for his bad behavior in life.
Rodion offers some funeral money to the official’s wife. He ends up arriving at his house and
fainting when he sees that his mother and sister are there.

Both the sister and the mother of the protagonist are shocked to hear the story of the meeting
with Dunia’s fiancé. Raskolnikov confesses to his sister that he will not allow them to get married.
The best friend also meets up with them and convinces the two women to leave the protagonist
alone until he recovers.

Razumikhin tries to impress the sister, Dunia. The doctor checks Rodion.

Rodión starts arguing with his mother and sister about the wedding and everything ends up getting
worse. Dunia proposes to hold a meeting where everyone meets and chats about the topic.

Raskonlikov receives a visit from Sonia, who asks him to come to her father’s funeral and then to
her house for a drink. Rodión introduces his whole family to Sonia and asks her to accompany him
to talk to the judge who is handling the usurer’s case in order to recover the jewels he had
previously pawned.

The judge asks the protagonist a series of rather complicated questions and ends up summoning
him to the police to talk about the jewelry issue.

Rodion returns home full of nerves and relapses back into delirium. He thinks that man knows that
he has committed the murder. He falls asleep and when he wakes up he finds next to him a man
waiting to ask him questions, Arcadio Ivanovich.

Arcadio is the husband of his sister’s former employer. He has appeared there to explain to Rodion
the intention of meeting his sister again and to prevent the marriage, he even offers her money so
that they do not marry.

Rodión goes with his best friend to the place where his mother and sister are staying. When they
arrive, they meet the lawyer’s visit who starts asking questions and everything ends in a big
argument. Dunia ends up making her fiance out of the room.
Raskolnikov resumes the conversation with his sister about Arcadius, who has confessed to him
that his wife left money to Dunia. After talking and talking, Rodión decides to leave suddenly and
his best friend follows him, intuiting that he has something to do with the murder of the loan
shark.

Raskolnikov asks Sonia to run away with him, soon she will tell him what happened with the
murder. The conversation is overheard without them knowing by Arcadio.

Rodión goes to the police together with the judge, who is deeply interested in the young man’s
student years. Raskolnikov begins to suspect that the judge is interrogating him.

While he and the judge are saying goodbye, a painter enters and confesses guilty of the murder.
Raskolnikov leaves and he can’t help but think about how they must have tortured that man into
confessing to something he didn’t do.

Pedro Petrovich tries to solve the problem with Dunia and her mother but there is no way. He
leaves very upset and decides that he wants to get back at them. Marmeladov’s funeral is taking
place, his wife has prepared everything to make it a big farewell.

Raskonlikov arrives late to the funeral and finds that Peter is blaming Dunia for stealing ten rubles
from him – which he actually gave her himself – she denies it.

Pedro’s lawyer also accuses Sonia, and Catalina defends her. They start searching her and find the
money. Raskonlikov does not take part in the scene. Pedro tries to be generous about an event that
he had already calculated and tells them that he will not press charges.

Raskolnikov confesses to Sonia that he has killed the old loan shark and Isabel, the sister. The girl
wants him to turn himself in so she can redeem her grief. Sonia reacts very tenderly and is not
frightened by Rodion.

Andrei Semyonovich appears to warn Sonia that her mother is very upset. She runs in search of
him. Rodión returns home with Dunia and when he thinks that she is going to tell him that she
knows about the murder, he starts telling her about his best friend and how amazing he seems to
her. Soon after, Rodion learns that Sonia’s mother has completely lost her mind. They chase her for
a while until they finally manage to take her to her room, where she dies.

His best friend visits Rodión to reassure him by bringing him the news that the murderer of the
loan shark has already been convicted. When he goes out to the street, the boy meets the judge,
so he invites him in.

As many other times, the conversation between the protagonist and the judge becomes reflective
and philosophical. The judge assures him that she has changed her mind regarding her suspicions
about him as guilty of the murder. But a second line of dialogue begins to confuse Rodion, he gets
scared when the judge decides to defend the painter who has confessed. When Rodión asks the
judge who the murderer is, he lets him know that he already knows it’s him.

Raskolnikov enters a canteen where he finds Arcadio. After a chat, the student threatens the man
with killing him if he gets to marry his sister.

After the talk, Arcadio goes to Dunia’s house. Rodia imagines that this man is
up to something, but he loses track of it. Once reunited at Dunia’s house, he
tells her that the murderer of the loan shark is his brother.

Dunia refuses to believe it and while they argue Arcadio throws himself on her
with sexual intentions. Dunia points a revolver at him and accuses him of being
the murderer. When Arcadio asks her if one day she will love him and she
answers that she will not, he lets her go.

Arcadio visits Sonia to give her money to help her family. He gives it to him
claiming that he is leaving the city, but on leaving, he commits suicide with a
revolver.

Raskolnikov says goodbye to his mother and sister, is ready to surrender to

justice. Dunia explains that she was afraid of his suicide, but Rodion explains
that he wants to be a strong man and redeem his guilt.

Finally, Raskolnikov wants to say goodbye to Sonia, but she chooses to

accompany him to the police and not leave him alone in his confession.

Topics:
Crime and redemption
Poverty
Nihilism and utilitarianism
The Russian idiosyncrasy
The sacrifice
Community and alienation
Pride and shame
The content of the work in our current era, we will realice that a lot of what
happened in it we can verify since there are people who commit murders or
other serious crimes, and they are tried or plead guilty they pay their
sentences and inside the prisons, they resume religious beliefs that allows
them repentance, and hopefully they come out in a phase of trust and they can
reintegrate the little family they have left, or they dedicate themselves to
altruistic activities which seems to be that they really achieved a true
redemption, making it very clear that it is a very minimal percentage, to
achieve the above they must make sacrifices very big because even if they
have served a sentence, society will always see them as “murderers” and they
may never regain confidence, which often prevents them from getting a formal
job because they are considered exconvicts. And as in the play, the murder
committed was for stealing, which in the first instance was not murder, but
when they are discovered they make the worst decision, because no situation
of poverty will justify murdering our fellow human beings

1.- Why do you think Dunya defends Svidrigailov when he is accused of having
killed his servant?

Because there was an intimate relationship between them, that is, beyond a
simple

2.- In what sense can it be said that water has an ambiguous meaning in the
work?

Because it was considered that water was a symbol of death and even more so
if it was not transparent.

3.- What does it mean that at the end of the novel, in the “Epilogue”, all the
Siberian prisoners define Sonia like this: “You are our compassionate and kind
mother”

Because she was in charge of taking care of them and giving them attention as
the mother they did not have, considering them excluded from society.

4.- Who is the author of the work “Crime and Punishment?

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky

5.- What event happens in Crime and Punishment?

Raskolnikov sentenced to hard labor in Siberia

Annexes
Interview:

Interviewer: Good morning, Mr. Rodion Raskolnikov, we cannot say that it is an

honor to have you is our studies after the double murder that is charged to
you, but we want to know what is the version of events.

Rodion Raskolnikov: Believe me, it’s not a matter of pride for me either that the
whole society knows me for a fact that earned me the repudiation of the whole
society.

Interviewer: Do you think that the necessity that led him to commit such
murders was worth it.

Rodion Raskolnikov: Of course not, but it was something accidental. All I wanted
was to get hold of the loan shark’s assets at no time to kill her and of course
when I was discovered I had to murder the witness.

Interviewer: And don’t you consider that theft is also a crime?

Rodion Raskolnikov: Yes, but that woman also stole from the neediest people
like I am, so thief who steals thief has a thousand years of forgiveness.

Interviewer: It’s a pity that this is his mentality, and believe me, if at any time
we thought that he might be regretful, it’s already very clear to us that this is
not the case.

Rodion Raskolnikov: Yes, I do regret it, but there is no going back now, so I am
ready to serve whatever sentence is imposed on me.

Interviewer: We hope that the fact that you are detained will not revive your
victims, but at least you will be one less murderer of whom we will no longer
have to fear. Happy stay in prison Rodion Raskolnikov