In "Crime and Punishment" one witnesses a murder as it is graphically described by Fyodor Dostoevsky. How, after such a graphic display of evil, can the reader be compassionate towards Raskolnikov? Superficially, Rodion Raskolnikov appears purely evil, but readers become sympathetic towards his character through in a depth scrutiny of his personality. The full presentation of Raskolnikov's thoughts reveals his true reasoning behind his crime. Dostoevsky rationalizes Raskolnikov's actions by bringing the reader into an …showed first 75 words of 1071 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1071 total…her sister cause Raskolnikov to appear cold and evil, but as the readers peek into his life, he begins to take on some somewhat virtuous aspects. McKee 5 Works Cited Barzun, Jacques. "Fyodor Dostoevsky" European Writers. Vol. 7. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons: 1985. 1360-1361. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. New York: Bantam Books. 1981. Forbes. "Dostoevsky" Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: Diderot: 1998. 75. Lanzen, Laurie. "Dostoevsky." Nineteenth - Century Literary Criticism Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale Research: 1982. 157 - 196