Russian History and Influence

As a purely psychological novel, key factors in influencing the character Raskolnikov are history, setting, and environment. Russia is very enigmatic and mysterious to the rest of the world, as it has experienced periods of isolation and detachment from the influence and culture of the rest of the world. As a result, Russian literature is highly different than the Western canon, with key authors such as Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy. However, during the novel’s time period of mid nineteenth century, Russia was going through a period where it was quite similar and open to its neighbors in Europe. The Romanov family, who ruled from the 1800s until the communist revolution in 1917, was very accepting to foreign culture and often tried to emulate countries such as Germany and France. However, during this time a massive gap developed between the aristocracy and the lower class peasants, and life was very difficult for those at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. In the novel, Raskolnikov falls under this category, and lives in the poorest section of St. Petersburg. It undoubtedly affects him as his financial condition causes him to act irrationally and question the very ethics of society. Why is he in this situation, why can he not kill and steal if it is justified by a good cause? Questions like these hover in his mind. Money is definitely a variable in his decision-making and actions.

**Interesting--Raskolnikov may have received his names by the event known as "Raskol" where the Russian Orthodox Church split into two groups. Nikov, the church patriarch, brought sweeping reforms to the church and many disagreements and disputes ensued. Religion probably impacted Dostoevsky's existentialism and philosophy in writing Crime and Punishment.