Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment is a psychological novel and rarely, if at all, discusses or includes traditional art. The characters in the novel are not in financial situations to permit such frivolous spending or occupation. The novel is more concerned with logic than creativity, and yet to argue well a certain degree of creativity and fast thinking is required. I suppose the most artful rhetoric occurs between Raskolnikov and Porfiry, as each pits his wits against the other. Chaos is definitely present in this novel and these competitions do nothing to reconcile the madness; on the contrary, they exacerbate it. Furthermore, Svidrigailov's arguments are undoubtedly creative, perhaps too much so. He ponders, " 'Instead of all that, what if [eternity is] one little room, like a bath house in the country, black and grimy and spiders in every corner, and that's all eternity is? I sometimes fancy it like that' " (288). His thoughts could perhaps be described as chaotic; philosophy lends itself to abstract thinking. He also regards Raskolnikov with interest and with some amusement. After Raskolnikov denies him permission to see Dounia, Svidrigailov "laughs openly. 'But this is what the French call bonne guerre, and the most innocent form of deception' " (280). The paradoxical statement, "bonne guerre", meaning good war, is indicative of his skewed view of the world. He takes pleasure in chaos and creating a stir.