Crime And Punishment Word Count– Popular Books
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Crime and Punishment is a Russian novel written by Fyodor Dostoevsky. This is a philosophical novel that has both crime and psychological fiction.
The main character of the story is Rodion Raskolnikov. He is a poor student that makes a plan to kill a pawnbroker for her money. In 1886, it was published in the Russian Messenger in 12 monthly installments.
It was later on published in a big batch. It was Dostoevsky’s first novel which he wrote right after his exile in Siberia for ten years. Crime and Punishment is considered to be Dostoevsky’s first full-length novel.
Now let’s get into the length of the book
Crime and punishment word count
The book has a word count of 208 016 words. The number of pages varies depending on the language and font of the book. The penguin classics version has 718 pages, while some versions have 430 pages.
For an average reader, reading this book will take around 13 hours 33 minutes. This is considering that the reading speed is 250 words per minute.
Details On The Author
Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoevsky was born in November 1821 in Moscow, Russia. He was a novelist and short-story writer who penetrated the darkness of the human heart.
Dostoevsky was an enlightened writer who made a significant mark on 20th-century fictional writing. He is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists that ever lived.
Some of the themes he highlights in his novels include existentialism, literary modernism, literary criticism, and various psychological theology schools.
Some of his work was considered prophetic. This is because he correctly predicted how Russian revolutionaries would act when they were in power.
Fyodor Dostoevsky was well known even before he started writing novels. Events like his ten-year imprisonment in Siberia, mock execution, and seizures due to epilepsy made him famous.
It is for this reason that he drew most of his central characters from his own life. There are some details about his life that he never really clarified.
This mysterious nature caused people to make wild speculations about Dostoevsky. These speculations got embraced by the public and were taken as facts.
Some of his other works include ‘The dream of a ridiculous man,’ ‘The possessed,’ ‘Notes from the Underground,’ ‘The Double,’ ‘The Idiot,’ ‘The Gambler,’ ‘A Raw Youth,’ ‘The Brothers Karamazov,’ and Not by Bread Alone.
Fyodor Dostoevsky was homeschooled before joining a day school, then boarding school. He, later on, joined the St. Petersburg Academy Of Military Engineering.
Dostoevsky was not cut out for the military career. He dropped it and went into journalism along with his older brother Mikhail. Dostoevsky was constantly in need of money, so he rushed his work through publication.
Fyodor Dostoevsky had 4 children; Sonya, Fyodor, Lyubov, and Alexey. His first wife was Maria Dmitriyevna Isaeva. She died in 1864. He remarried Anna Grigoryevna Snitkina, who was the mother of his children.
Plot Summary
The main character of the novel is Raskolnikov, and he is alienated from society. He is materialistic, a rationalist, and an atheist that believes God is dead.
He is a sick and poor yet handsome and intelligent former law student. He was unable to pay for his studies. He was a character with a lot of mental anguish, and he ended up in many moral dilemmas.
Raskolnikov’s mother is called Pulcheria. She is very dedicated to him and is ready to sacrifice anything for his success.
His sister is Dunya, who is also intelligent and beautiful. She is kind, compassionate, and selfless.
Marmeladov is a drunkard public official that Raskolnikov makes acquaintance within a tavern.
Marmeladov’s daughter, Sonya, has been forced to become a prostitute, and his wife is sickly. Marmeladov knows the drinking will ruin him, but he can’t stop. Sonya is very religious despite her tribulations.
The voice of reason in the novel is Raskolnikov’s former college friend, Razumikhin. The story is based in poverty-stricken St. Petersburg. Most of the characters are poor and alcoholics.
The book starts with Raskolnikov receiving a letter from Pulcheria informing him that Dunya is engaged to a government official. The official, Luzhin, is a rich man looking for a slave wife.
Dunya does this to help Raskolnikov financially, but he is against the engagement. Raskolnikov goes to a tavern where he hears a student say that the world would be better with Alyona dead.
Alyona was a wealthy pawnbroker who takes advantage of everyone. She physically and emotionally abuses her half-sister, Lizaveta. Lizaveta is mentally challenged.
Raskolnikov is faced with a moral dilemma between good and evil. He sees himself as an extraordinary man.
He believes that extraordinary men can go against moral standards for the common good without feeling guilty.
Raskolnikov goes to Alyona’s house and murders her with an ax. Lizaveta walks in, and he kills her as well. He escapes with the loot and goes back to his place, where he collapses.
He claims that the murder was a good thing. However, the guilt torments him showing that he is not extraordinary after all.
The following day, Raskolnikov is summoned by police, but he faints at the mention of the murder. This causes them to start suspecting him. He hides the goods he stole under a stone.
He visits Razumikhin, who offers him a job. Raskolnikov turns the job down and leaves. He falls into a sleep that is full of nightmares, fever, and delirium for several days.
He is visited by a doctor, Zossimov, and a detective to whom he nearly confesses. Raskolnikov finds out that Marmeladov got run over and is badly wounded.
He visits him and gives Sonya all the money he had stolen. He goes back to his house, where he finds his mother and sister. He gets irritated by them and orders his sister to break off the engagement.
Razumikhin starts to fall for Dunya. Raskolnikov visits the magistrate in charge of the investigation. This is the primary antagonist. He wakes up from a nightmare and finds a stranger, Svidrigailov, in his room.
Svidrigailov also believes he is an extraordinary man. He is Donya’s former employer, and he is in love with her. He offers a large sum of money for her, but Raskolnikov is suspicious.
Raskolnikov breaks off Dunya’s engagement. Razumikhin discovers that Raskolnikov killed Alyona after Raskolnikov tells his family he never wants to see them again.
Raskolnikov eventually confesses to Sonya. She tries to convince him to turn himself in. Later on, she gives him a cross; he then walks to the marketplace, kisses the ground, and then confesses.
He is sent to prison in Siberia for eight years. Sonya visits him regularly, and they love each other. In the end, Raskolnikov embraces religion after his mother died.
Why You Should Read Crime And Punishment
Crime and Punishment is a book that goes into the roots of modern society. It is a very enlightening book that any scholar ought to read. Some of the novel’s strengths include;
The correct choice of the main character
Dostoevsky created the perfect main character. Raskolnikov was a character with good background and reason to commit murder.
He was mentally unstable with financial problems. He believed that Alyona deserved to die. According to him, he was a better man, and he could transcend the rigid moral guidelines.
He also believed that he would have a clear conscience after killing her, but as it happens, he does not. He feels guilty to the point of confessing.
It has practical moral dilemmas
In the book, many characters are faced with choices that question their religion and morality.
The protagonist believes that killing is right if it is done for the greater good. Donya has to choose between her happiness and caring for her family.
She decides to get engaged to a government official. Sonya has to prostitute herself. This goes against her religion, but she puts her duty towards family above her religion.
Dostoevsky’s emphasis on Punishment
In the book, Dostoevsky emphasizes that anyone committing a crime has to be punished.
This is seen in the main character. He kills the pawnbroker and gets away without being seen. He is, however, punished by his guilt, and he suffers from it until he turns himself in.
Dostoevsky makes it feel like getting punished by the law is better than the anguish and self-torture. Raskolnikov finally goes to prison, where he is better than he was while free.
It speaks to religion
If you are a religious person, this is a book that will work as an inspiration to you. Raskolnikov starts as an atheist that believes God is dead.
He later on reflects, and he comes back to religion. Throughout the book, religion plays a significant role in shaping the characters. The book ends with a win for faith.
Conclusion
Crime and Punishment is a fantastic book highlighting some major issues affection both the old society and today.
The main character portrays the mental state of most members of poverty-stricken communities.
The book has stayed relevant over the years, and it is an amazing book that you must read. It gives a deeper look into the psychology of society. Fyodor Dostoevsky truly outdid himself with this book.
