Crime and Punishment

Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a genius. Crime and Punishment is a fascinating look into the mind of a murderer before, during, and after the crime. I would, however, contest the label of "murderer" being applied to Raskolnikov; just as someone who tells a lie must lie consistently to be called a "liar", so should one consistently murder to be called a "murderer". Raskolnikov isn't an evil person. As was demonstrated at Marmeladov's death he gives nearly all of his money to the widow on a whim, while murdering a loathsome old woman took months of careful, neurotic planning with Raskolnikov second- and tenth-guessing himself. The pure anguish he experiences after the crime, his desperate attempts to rationalize his actions to himself, give credence to his fundamentally good nature. Nietzsche, whose favorite author was Dostoyevsky, once said that the one who is punished is never the one who committed the crime. I can't help but think that Raskolnikov is the inspiration of his statement.