Epilogue of Crime and Punishment

In Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Raskolnikov (Rodya) murders two women in a delirious rage. Rodya, motivated by greed and hunger, commits the heinous act in broad daylight. Though for the vast majority of the novel Rodya is free from accusation of the crime, it is his own paranoia and guilt the lead to his confession and demise. In the epilogue, Dostoyevsky exemplifies Rodyas punishment by including details about his imprisonment, illness, and his mother’s death. The literary device catalog is used to fast forward the lives of the characters and furthermore express Rodyas guilt and redemption.
During the epilogue, Rodya had been confined in jail for nine months. In his trial his confession was concise and detailed as he reveals explicit details about the murder. From the weapons he used to where he hid the evidence. His sentence was lessened due to his honesty and open proclamation of guilt and remorse. Once in prison, Rodya was able to free himself of his guilt of the murders because he was able to put it out in the open he no longer had to hide what he did. It was easy to perceive that Rodya had begun to feel better and his burden was lifted off of his shoulders. Rodya speaks positively of his circumstance saying, “But now in prison, in freedom…” While unprosecuted for his crime, his guilt was unbearable. Ironically, while imprisoned Rodya is finally at ease. Before he confessed he sought out ways to deal with his guilt. In trying to cope with his guilt, Rodya began isolating himself. According to Fyodor Dostoevsky, man can be redeemed by the punishment of one's sins through extreme suffering. His restoration is reliant on his distress. In the case of Raskolnikov, he begins to experience his suffering instantly after murdering the pawnbroker and her step-sister. He stays locked in his room for days at a time because he is ill and down for the count, which is a part of his suffering. This is reasonable for Rodya because he considers the fact that