Crime and punishment
Crime and punishment is a novel by the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky, first published in 1866. The story follows Rodion Raskolnikov, a poor and desperate student in St. Petersburg, who commits a heinous crime by murdering a pawnbroker and her sister. As Raskolnikov grapples with the moral dilemma of his action, he becomes embroiled in an internal conflict between justifying his act through alleged intellectual superiority and his sense of guilt and remorse. The novel explores themes of redemption, responsibility, punishment, and the search for meaning in life. Through the character of Raskolnikov and his interaction with other characters, Dostoyevsky examines the complexities of the human condition and the struggle between good and evil.