What could murder, a madman, guilt, superiority, and alienation all have in common? They all are pawns that play much bigger roles by coming together to form the themes behind Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. All these things and more are the backing for the different themes encompassed in the book.
One such theme is that of superiority. Superiority is the trigger for the rest of the book. Raskolnikov, the main character, believes he is superior to mankind. He demonstrates his believe by going above the law to murder two innocent people. This action sends him into a downward spiral and sets the stage for the adjoining themes. The themes to follow his crime are very negative ones. These are actually part of an even grander overall theme, a psychological insight into the criminal mind.
The themes succeeding the crime give you an in depth look at a criminal's mental torment after committing a crime. The first and most obvious is that of guilt. It is human nature to feel the guilt after committing a violation to someone else. In this case it is murder. Raskolnikov's feeling of superiority flees him and he becomes vulnerable. His mind becomes open to second-guessing and sorrow.
Another of the themes pertaining to the psychological state of a criminal after a crime has been committed is alienation. When a crime has been performed, especially one to this great of degree, the person who committed the act must bear his feelings alone. This is the case with Raskolnikov. He turns away everyone who loves and truly cares for him. He badly wants to share what he has done, but he realizes that it would be foolish to confide in someone because he would go to prison. Raskolnikov must shut himself off from his friends and family and keep everything too himself. This causes his behavior to appear strange to them.
His friends and family began to take him as being sick, when in reality he was going through a slight state of delirium and psychosis.
