Seeking Atonement in Crime and Punishment Raskolnikov, the protagonist of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, was a complicated man who had committed a crime. Raskolnikov murdered a woman who was a scourge to humanity, especially to the poor of Russia. However, in the process of cooling down, he also murdered his younger sister, Lisaveta. To purify himself, he indulges in numerous sufferings. It was only at the end of the novel that he realized he had to confess in order to be atoned for and find love. Consciously, Raskolnikov was reluctant to admit his wrongdoing. He rationalized himself by asserting that the end justifies the means. Alyona's malignant nature, extremized by her outward appearance, and its effect on the core community that depends on her and surrounds her. His only use of the profits was to continue continued prayers in his horrible name. Although Raskolnikov apologized in this way, the real and conscious reason was only to test his power and ideologies on criminal psychology and "superman". In his theory, being above the law cannot be discovered because to be punished would amount to...