Topic > Crime and Punishment, one of the main themes is the value of suffering. Suffering in the context of this novel can be defined as the state of suffering, distress, or difficulty. Throughout the novel, some characters experience emotional and physical pain and suffering. But the main portrayal of suffering is the main character, Raskolnikov, as he feels that suffering can be a means to achieve moral redemption of the extraordinary man, and ultimately wants to be forgiven of sins. Raskolnikov kills an old pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanovna, with the aim of using her wealth for good causes with his founding of the extraordinary man theory. According to Raskolnikov people are divided into two groups; some people are ordinary and some extraordinary. Ordinary people are the common population while extraordinary people are those who do not have to follow the ethical codes that others have to follow because they are destined to be superior men. He considered himself an extraordinary man, which justified why he thought he could commit Ivanovna's murder. Before she can leave Ivanovna's apartment, her half-sister Lizaveta enters and sees Alena's corpse. At this point, Raskolnikov's plan is ruined, so without a second thought he kills Lizaveta and her unborn child who he absolutely doesn't want to be responsible for. The concrete act of bringing the ax down on Lizaveta's innocent head never seemed to distress Raskolnikov, but what caused him pain was that he was unable to be the extraordinary man he had imagined. Soon after this crime, Raskolnikov experiences illness and emotional suffering while dealing with a variety of people and families until his confession. Dostoevsky describes Raskolnikov's ability to grieve immediately after the murder when he states: “The belief that everything, even memory, even simple power
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