Crime+and+Punishmen

Question 1:

Is Raskolnikov's salvation by the saintly prostitute Sonia plausible? Could it be argued that Dostoevsky was so anxious to make a point that he moved from realism to parable at the end of the novel? If so, what motivates the shift in tone in the Epilogue?

Question 2: Raskol means "schism" in Russian. Why then does Dostoevsky name the hero Raskolnikov?

Question 3: Svidrigailov originally appears in the novel almost as Raskolnikov's dream double. Why does Svid commit suicide while Ras does not?

Question 4: Have the issues debated in // Crime and Punishment // lost their relevance to us, or are they still alive? If so, what are the contemporary examples of the questions he raises?

Question 5: Henry James, speaking of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, noted, "How great a vice is their lack of composition, their defiance of economy and architecture." Do you agree with James? Is there a defense of Dostoevsky against this charge?

Question 6: Trace the recurring mentions of water, yellow, thresholds, blood, and bells throughout the book. What are they associated with and what meanings do they take on?

Question 7: Writing in 1891, William Deam Howells said he believed that America, lacking "shadows and inequalities," could not produce a fistion like // Crime and Punishment //. Is Howell's premise sound? Did America then lack "shadows and inequalities"? Does it now? Can you cite examples of subsequent American novels that bear a kinship with // Crime and Punishment //?

Question 8: If you read Crime and Punishment exclusively as a psychological novel, omitting the religious aspect, what does that leave out of Dostoevsky's view of human nature?

Question 9: Why does Dostoevsky have Raskolnikov almost confess his crime in a tavern called the Crystal Palace? How is it connected to Dostoevsky's argument with socialism?