Ambiguity of Morality in Crime And Punishment Essay

In Crime and Punishment, Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is painted to be both an immoral and moral person throughout the book and the moral ambiguity seen in his character is a crucial element in proving the idea that human beings are a complex mix of good and evil, which is one of the novels main themes.

Raskolnikovs more evil side is obvious all through Crime and Punishment. Firstly, the murder itself is a clear representation of his immorality. Someone who is considered a good person by society would never commit such a heinous crime. Furthermore, his reasons and justifications for murdering the pawn broker lead the reader to believe rather strongly that Raskolnikov is indeed a bad person. He had no true reason to kill Alyona Ivanovna except to see whether or not he had the guts to do it. However, he tried to justify his crime with the idea that it wasnt a human being [he] killed. It was a principle! (p.274) Moreover, his Napoleonic mindset led him to believe that he was superior to both people like Alyona, whom he considered a hindrance to society, and to the average person. Therefore, according to his logic, he had the right to do as he pleased. This furthers the readers opinion of Raskolnikov as an immoral person.

However, there are also reasons throughout the novel, especially towards the end, for the audience to view Raskolnikov as a moral man who may have committed some sins, but deserves forgiveness for he is truly a good person at heart. First and foremost of these reasons is Raskolnikov clearly shows remorse for his actions. His confession and frequent fainting spells are emissions of guilt and guilt is only felt by those who know what they did was wrong, and if someone knows that the sin they committed was immoral, they must have morals to begin with. Moreover, in Christianity, the cross represents Christs death as propitiation for the sins of the world. And though he refuses to recognize that he has sinned, the cross given to him by Sonya symbolizes that he has started down the path towards understanding the sins he has committed.

Also, morality is frequently associated with religion, and Raskolnikov is a religious man. Most religions, including the Catholic religion to which Raskolnikov subscribes, have helped to shape societal standards for right and wrong and therefore, those who claim to be followers of that religion are expected to follows those societal standards. Furthermore, at one point Raskolnikov gives money away without thinking simply to be nice, and though he later gets angry with himself for doing so, this still shows that his basic instincts are to do the right and moral thing.

This moral ambiguity that is seen in Raskolnikov all throughout the novel justifies Dostoevskys belief that no person can be classified as simply a good or bad person. He uses this novel to show that even those commit such evil crimes as murder, still have some morality within them.