Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky Audiobook

The story follows the life of Rodion Raskolnikov, a former university student living in poverty in St. Petersburg, Russia. Raskolnikov becomes convinced that he is an extraordinary individual, above the moral law, and plans to murder an elderly pawnbroker woman to prove his superiority.

After carefully planning the murder, Raskolnikov sneaks into the pawnbroker’s apartment and brutally kills her with an axe. However, he is also forced to kill the pawnbroker’s innocent sister who unexpectedly arrives. Overcome with guilt and fear, Raskolnikov barely escapes the scene without being seen.

In the aftermath, Raskolnikov is wracked with intense psychological torment and paranoia. He begins to suspect that the police detective Porfiry Petrovich is on to him. Raskolnikov’s sense of guilt and inner turmoil cause him to become increasingly isolated from friends and family.

Raskolnikov is drawn to Sonya, a young woman forced into prostitution to support her impoverished family. Sonya represents a moral counterpoint to Raskolnikov’s cold rationality, and he confesses his crime to her. Sonya urges him to redeem himself by turning himself in to the authorities.

Porfiry, the detective, cleverly interrogates Raskolnikov, playing psychological games and hinting that he knows the truth. Raskolnikov is torn between his desire to turn himself in and his fear of the consequences. He becomes increasingly unstable, lashing out at those around him.

Eventually, Raskolnikov does turn himself in and is sentenced to eight years of hard labor in a Siberian prison camp. In the prison, Raskolnikov undergoes a profound spiritual transformation through the love and support of Sonya, who joins him there. He comes to reject his earlier theory of moral exceptionalism and embraces a path of redemption and renewal.

The novel explores themes of morality, free will, and the human psyche. Raskolnikov’s belief that he is an extraordinary individual above the law leads him to commit a heinous crime, but his subsequent mental anguish and spiritual journey highlight the inescapable weight of guilt and the human need for redemption. Dostoevsky’s complex characters and philosophical explorations make “Crime and Punishment” a classic work of Russian literature.