The murder does not agree with Raskolnikov’s conscience, rooted in his orthodox Christian upbringing. Here the fatalistic destiny of Raskolnikov’s ideological grounding displays itself. show me the way, that I may renounce this accursed fantasy of mine!” In the end, his cold, rational side prevails to grave consequences. Before he eventually does the need, he is torn between his desire to prove he was a superior man above conventional morality and his disgust at the act of committing a murder. Here Raskolnikov’s conscience comes to the surface, horrified at the thought of committing the murder. Oh God! how loathsome it all is. . . . And how could such an atrocious thing come into my head? By virtue of her greed, exploitation, and cruelty, the old woman’s life has been deemed worthless and fair game in exchange for the common good.

He has assumed the role of God and has decided whose life is worth anything, and what the “common good” should be. Here Raskolnikov provides the cold rationale that allowed him to kill the old pawnbroker. What is the life of that stupid, spiteful, consumptive old woman weighed against the common good? It is this purely utilitarian logic that Raskolnikov uses as the supposedly noble justification for his crimes. The student is arguing for the moral necessity of killing the pawnbroker who was evil, as it will benefit many more if she was robbed and her wealth redistributed. While Raskolnikov was still contemplating killing the old pawnbroker, he encountered this argument from a young student who was arguing with an army officer in a tavern. One death, and a hundred lives in exchange-it’s simple arithmetic

Not long ago, he had seen and had been irritated by Sonya’s sacrifice in the form of her prostitution for the sake of the Marmeladovs. The idea of Dunya sacrificing herself to an untenable marriage was too much for Raskolnikov to bear.

From the details his mother provided in the letter, Raskolnikov deduced immediately that Luzhin was a bad character and that Dunya was only marrying him, so she could be better able to support Raskolnikov. Raskolnikov said these words just after reading the letter from his mother with the information that Dunya was about to get married to Luzhin.

I will not have your sacrifice, I will not have it.It shall not be, while I live, it shall not, it shall not! I will not accept it! These quotes are profound not only insofar as they help remind us of key moments or illuminate important plot points, but also because they contain great value outside their immediate context. A number of quotes in ‘Crime and Punishment’ capture most succinctly the motivations, passions, and emotions of the characters in the book.

Raskolnikov dostoevsky