Crime and Punishment (World Library·Juvenile Edition) ((World Library·Juvenile Edition))

Author: Dostoevsky
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: The novel narrates the impoverished law student Raskolnikov killing an old usurer. Initially, he believes that "killing this useless old woman, like a louse, is no crime," but later he is tormented by "conscience" and falls into a semi-mad state of anguish. He encounters the daughter of the drunkard Marmeladov, Sonya, and learns that she has turned to street prostitution to support her family. Her philosophy of self-sacrifice to alleviate human suffering deeply moves Raskolnikov. As a result, he turns himself in to the authorities and embarks on a "new life."