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Interesting. I have long thought that "Crime and Punishment" should have been called "The Idiot" due to the protagonist's infuriating idiocy, (all he had to do
by smcameron 5y ago
Interesting. I have long thought that "Crime and Punishment" should have been called "The Idiot" due to the protagonist's infuriating idiocy, (all he had to do was keep his mouth shut), but now I wonder if the translation I read (which was Constance Garnett, it turns out) was just terrible.
- Andrew_nenakhov 5y agoYou didn't quite understand the protagonist's problem and his motivation to commit crime.
- geebee 5y agoI agree with you, thoroughly, but I don't think it's entirely fair to write a one-liner like this. If you're going to say this, you should write an explanation for why.
- Andrew_nenakhov 5y ago"Crime and Punishment" is such an important landmark in world literature, that there are literally millions of words written on this subject. Whatever my own interpretation, I could hardly write something that would meaningfully add to the existing works. However, I thought it fitting to point out that Raskolnikov's real motive wasn't raising some cash and getting away with it.
- geebee 5y agowho in this thread claimed that Raskolinov's real motive was "raising some cash and getting away with it"? You can provide a sort summary of an argument you find compelling regarding Raskolnikov's motivations without adding about to the millions of words written on this subject. You are also free to describe your own interpretation without feeling obliged to add something novel or useful to what's already out there. Considering how much I agree with you that Raskolnikov didn't "just need to keep his mouth shut" (a phrase that did show up in this thread), I'm actually and sincerely very interested in your interpretation.
- mmcdermott 5y agoCrime and Punishment doesn't tend to be what most Americans would expect. The major plot points happen up front and the remainder of the book is a philosophical exploration of, well, crime and punishment. The fact that the protagonist was free of the justice system but still tormented by what he did was the whole point.
- oh_sigh 5y agoRaskolnikov was literally going insane even before he said anything of his crimes. I don't think everything would have been fine for him if he just didn't talk to Porfiry
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- andrewjl 5y agoI found it very illuminating to read Dostoyevsky's works alongside Goethe's Faust when thinking about the protagonist.