“That’s just the point: an honest and sensitive man opens his heart, and the man of business goes on eating—and then he eats you up.”
—Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
IT was in my grandfather’s old house in Arrah in Bihar that I first read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky as a young girl. I remember the rooms were lined with bookshelves that contained in them entire universes. In those days, there wasn’t much to do. My grandfather, a student of literature, read out poems in the light of the lantern in the evenings. He would talk about the memory that foreshadowed Dostoevsky’s most famous character’s future moments.
Rodion Raskolnikov and his father had witnessed a crowd brutally killing a mule that was too weak to pull a wagon. “But by now the poor boy is beside himself. With a shout he plunges through the crowd into the sorrel, embraces her dead, bloodstained muzzle, and he kisses her, kisses her on the eyes, on the mouth…,” my grandfather read out.
This is the flashback Raskolnikov has before he kills Alyona Ivanovna. Crime and Punishment is a novel that is also about the effects society can have on those who come from a disadvantaged state in the context of class and mental health. In 1866, when the novel was published, 19th century Russia was a transition period—from medieval traditions to Westernisation. It was a time of struggle, of change and of conflict. There was violence and Dostoevsky’s novel was a true representation of the times and the people. He also used time itself as a narrative tool to let readers into Raskolnikov’s feverish mind.
This story is from the July 11, 2023 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 11, 2023 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Muslim Question
In the time of polarisation politics and othering, how to respond to the banality of hate?
Voters' Cold Wave
Heat wave, voter apathy and cyclic migration are blamed for the poor voter turnout in Bihar. Political parties are clueless about what impact will it have on election results
Occupy Ivy League
Students protesting in American universities are asking the US government to rethink its policy towards Israel
Left Side Story
Personal attacks, lower voter turnout and the BJP’s determined campaigning: how has Kerala voted this time?
Across the Pir Panjals
The newly carved-out constituency of Anantnag-Rajouri is set to witness a very close contest
Gashes in the Red Sand
Residents of the tribal district of Gadchiroli resist development models that destroy the environment
When Taps and Hope Run Dry
Peaking water scarcity and pervasive groundwater contamination have increased migration from many districts of Rajasthan.
Pilgrim's Politics
Two-time MP from Varanasi, Narendra Modi, is sculpting the eternal city in his image
Under The Model Town
Muslim ghettos in Ahmedabad are dilapidated and neglected
The Master Strategist
The Assam chief minister enjoys popularity both as an administrator and a politician despite his relentless anti-Muslim rhetoric