Crime and Punishment is a work written by Dostoevsky in 1866. In this article, we describe the summary of the epilogue. Crime and Punishment is a novel that addresses the most important issues of faith. They are fully disclosed in the two small concluding chapters of the work. They make up the epilogue of the novel Crime and Punishment. This work was written by Dostoevsky in many ways for his sake. You will be convinced of this by reading the analysis of the epilogue presented in this article.
The time and place of the epilogue
The epilogue takes place in Siberia. One of the administrative centers of our country is located on the banks of a deserted, wide river. There is a fortress in this city, and there is a prison in it, in which Rodion Raskolnikov, the exiled convict, has already been imprisoned for 9 months. Almost 1.5 years have passed since the crime of this hero.
The sentence handed down to the protagonist
We continue to describe the summary of the epilogue Crime and Punishment. It briefly describes the events that preceded Rodion's hard labor. Raskolnikov did not hide anything in court. The judges and investigator were struck by the fact that he did not use his things and wallet, hiding them under a stone, and did not even know how much money was there. This allowed us to conclude that the crime of Rodion was committed with "temporary insanity." This circumstance, as well as sincere confession, somewhat softened the sentence.
Other points were taken into account, favorable for the defendant. During his studies at the university, he kept a comrade suffering from consumption at the last resort, and after he died, he looked after his father who was ill. Raskolnikov took this man to the hospital and buried him when he died. At the trial, the landlady of Rodion reported that he once saved two small children from a fire, while getting burned. Judges took into account all the circumstances, on their basis the offender was sentenced to only 8 years of hard labor.
What happened to Pulcheria Alexandrovna, Razumikhin and Dunya?
Everyone assured Pulcheria Alexandrovna that her son had gone abroad. However, she felt with her soul that something terrible had happened to him, and only lived waiting for a letter from Raskolnikov. Her condition was getting worse every day, and soon this woman died. Razumikhin married Duna. Zosimov and Porfiry Petrovich were among the guests invited to their modest wedding. Razumikhin resumed his studies at the university, a few days later he was going to move closer to Rodion, to Siberia. In this he was supported by Dunya.
Sony's act
The epilogue of the novel Crime and Punishment is largely based on the image of this girl . It is difficult to imagine Dostoyevsky’s work without this heroine.
Sonya, with the money Svidrigailova left before her death, went to Siberia, and regularly in letters wrote about everything to Razumikhin and Duna. Quite often, she visited Raskolnikov, who, in her words, was not interested in anything, and was always in a gloomy mood, was wordless and sullen. He clearly understood his position, did not expect anything good from the future, did not harbor any hopes, and was not surprised at any of what he was observing around. He did not shy away from work, however, he did not ask himself, he was indifferent to food, and lived in a common cell.
As Sonya wrote, Raskolnikov was not particularly interested in her visits at first, but after a while he suddenly felt a need for them and even yearned when she could not come to him. This girl reported to herself that she had met influential people during this time, earned her living by sewing, and even achieved great success in this matter, since there was no milliner in the city. However, Sonya did not mention in the letters that with the help of her acquaintances the authorities began to relate better to Rodion and made his work easier. The girl reported in her last letter that Raskolnikov was seriously ill and was admitted to the hospital.
Raskolnikov’s life in prison
This hero lived in a prison, not noticing much. Over time, he began to be surprised at some things, for example, the abyss that lay between him and the rest of the people who were here. The exiles tried to avoid Rodion, they did not like him, and after a while they began to hate what Dostoevsky mentions in the finale of the work. This can be seen if you open the epilogue ("Crime and Punishment").
Raskolnikov's dream
Raskolnikov during the illness was delirious for a long time. This hero all the time imagined that because of an unprecedented ailment, the world should perish, and only a select few can survive. People struck by a microbe went crazy, considering any thought of their own, any belief to be the ultimate truth. No one knew what was good and what was bad, everyone was convinced that the truth was only in it.
We continue to describe the work "Crime and Punishment" (a summary of the epilogue). Raskolnikov’s dream in its structure is important because it symbolizes the transformation of the protagonist. We will talk more about this in more detail in this article. Sonya during Rodion’s illness was on duty under his windows, and he accidentally once saw this girl. Sonya did not come after this for two days. Rodion, returning to the prison, found out that the girl was ill, and therefore lay at home. Sonia, having learned that Raskolnikov was worried about her, sent him a note in which she wrote that she was already recovering and would soon come to see him.
The explanation with Sonya
When the next day Rodion worked at the river to kiln the furnace, the girl went up to him and held out her timid hand. This time, Raskolnikov, who usually took her as if with disgust, and met Sonya herself with annoyance, sometimes remained silent stubbornly during the visit, took the girl’s hand and did not let her go, and then suddenly fell at her feet, hugged her knees and cried. The lovers decided to endure and wait. Seven years left.
The beginning of a new life
That night Rodion took the gospel lying under the pillow and opened it. This book belonged to Sonya, was the one from which the girl read to Raskolnikov about the resurrection of Lazarus. Rodion thought at the beginning of hard labor that she would torture him with religion, would impose books and talk about faith.
However, she never did this, did not even offer the gospel. Shortly before the illness, he himself asked her for it, but has not yet disclosed it. However, now the main character decided to do it.
The girl was also excited all day, and at night fell ill again. But she was happy to the point that she was almost afraid of her sudden happiness. Only seven years old!
At this Dostoevsky completes his work. Accordingly, the summary of the epilogue “Crime and Punishment” ends. It does not say about the future fate of Sonya and Rodion, but it can be concluded that a new life awaits them.
The structure of the novel, the role of the epilogue
The six-part structure is Dostoevsky’s novel entitled Crime and Punishment. A summary of the epilogue has been presented to you. The epilogue, as you know, is the final chapter of the work, which acquaints readers with the fate of the heroes. This part of the novel is one of the strongest in the work. It would seem that a climax has long passed, the main events have already taken place (the crime has been committed, the confession has been made, the punishment has been carried out), but only in the epilogue does the novel actually reach a true, spiritual peak.
Epilogue Structure
The summary of the epilogue “Crime and Punishment” in chapters is divided into two parts. It consists of two heads, small in volume. If the first is more formal, covering mainly the "external life" of the characters, the second is devoted to the internal life of Sonya and Rodion.
This part (a summary of the epilogue “Crime and Punishment”, see above) highlights the very significant stage that marked the spiritual development of the protagonist. We learn at first that he, having confessed everything in court and spent a lot of time in hard labor, did not repent of his crime, did not reconsider his attitude to him.
The only thing Rodion complained about that upset him was his disappointment because he could not bear his deed and confessed. The author tells us about the sharp turn in the inner world of the hero only at the end of the work (epilogue of the novel Crime and Punishment). And its value is difficult to overestimate.
What did Raskolnikov feel after committing a crime?
As we see, the protagonist of the work “Crime and Punishment” evaluates his action only from a worldly point of view. A brief summary of the epilogue shows how his inner world has changed. In the beginning, Raskolnikov only cares what people think or say about him.
Rodion, reasoning from such positions, is perplexed. He cannot understand why his crime is so terrible if everyone else allows themselves the same thing, and the law is only the result of the desire or whim of individuals. From this he concludes that his fault consists only in weakness, in the fact that he was not able to overcome moral torment.
The hero does not think about the very essence of the issue, does not believe that murder is a terrible act that is contrary to human nature. That’s why he began to torment. But while the hero is still very far from this discovery.
Spiritual fracture in hard labor
At Raskolnikov's hard labor there is a spiritual turning point that marked the beginning of a new life. His harbinger is the disease of the protagonist. Strange visions come to him in delirium. Rodion’s soul once again gives him a hint, seeks to direct the true path.
The role of Raskolnikov’s dream, which he saw during his illness
In a dream that Raskolnikov sees, through a fantastic story, Dostoevsky conveys his own point of view about the spread around godless, nihilistic ideas like that which Rodion had. This dream is not accidentally described in the work (epilogue of the novel "Crime and Punishment").
An analysis of it can be carried out as follows. Theories like the one that Raskolnikov had made people demonic, crazy, infect them. But, worst of all, this is not noticed by the infected, who imagine themselves to be missions, the chosen ones. The craze for such ideas degenerates the human race. Only a few fragile souls who have maintained moral purity can save people from destruction.
It was a dream that changed something in Raskolnikov’s mind. He helped him understand what Rodion had long felt. He finally realized that he loved Sonya, that she was his support, support and salvation. Having woken up, the protagonist does not yet realize that a change has occurred in him, but he feels in his soul that the other prisoners unconsciously did not like him: that he is sick with this same infection. Her name is contempt for people, pride, dislike, unbelief!
The true climax of the novel
When Rodion sees Sonya once again, his soul finally wakes up, and his eyes, opened again, are filled with tears. Severe pain, but already giving light, and not hopeless, throws it at Sonya's feet in sobs. Thus, the rebellious heart of the protagonist is cleansed.
Raskolnikov, having discovered love for one person, gradually began to love everyone. It is not for nothing that other convicts changed their attitude towards him, as Dostoevsky mentions (the epilogue of the novel Crime and Punishment). Analysis of the composition allows us to judge that it is in the epilogue - the real climax of the novel! This is the triumph of faith and love. Raskolnikov finally discovered for the first time the Gospel, which ends the epilogue.
“Crime and Punishment,” which we reviewed briefly, would have lost a significant part of the ideas that Dostoevsky wanted to convey to us without this ending. It is in him that we understand that in Raskolnikov’s life a new moment comes — the moment of rebirth. And although the writer does not tell us about the future fate of Rodion, it becomes clear that this life will be completely different. Between the lines in the epilogue sound life-affirming, light chords that mark Raskolnikov's spiritual rebirth. In full measure, Dostoevsky’s deep conviction that each person has a divine spark in his heart is fully revealed.
In many ways, the work Crime and Punishment was written precisely for the sake of this epilogue. Dostoevsky argues in it that rebirth and forgiveness is possible for any person, even if he is a terrible criminal. The epilogue of the novel Crime and Punishment, the brief outline of which you just read, gives everyone hope for a spiritual rebirth. All that is needed is repentance and a “turn” towards people, towards love, towards peace, towards God. It was for this that an epilogue was needed. Crime and Punishment, a brief summary of which, of course, does not convey the greatness of this work, is a novel about spiritual revival, in which the writer never ceases to believe.