Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. Why does Raskolnikov
kill the pawnbroker?
2. Discuss
the development of the poverty motif over the course of the novel.
3. Discuss
Dostoevsky's use of coincidence as a plot device in the novel. Does
it affect the plausibility of the narrative? How does it affect
the pacing?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. Describe the importance of
the city to the plot. How does the city serve as a symbol of society
and of Raskolnikov's state
of mind?
2. What impact do the descriptions
of the various apartments—including those of Raskolnikov, Alyona,
Sonya, Luzhin, and Dunya and Pulcheria Alexandrovna—have on our understanding
of the characters who inhabit them and the events that take place
within them?
3. Compare the characters of
Raskolnikov and Razumikhin. How does Razumikhin describe Raskolnikov,
and vice versa? Does Razumikhin serve as Raskolnikov's foil? Are
there other characters who are foils to Raskolnikov?
4. Discuss the use of foreshadowing
in the novel. How does foreshadowing increase the level of suspense?
Are there times when knowing what will happen later decreases the
suspense? What effect does having the murder occur at the very beginning
have on the structure of the novel?
5. Lebezyatnikov spouts a variety
of theories about society. What role does he play in the novel?
How might his character reflect Dostoevsky's own political experiences?
6. Discuss the development of
the theme of religious redemption over the course of the novel.
