Crime and Punishment written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a Russian novel about a handsome but very poor man in his twenties who believes that all men are separated into two groups, “ordinary” and “extraordinary”. .” The “extraordinary” man has the right to commit any crime he wishes. The “ordinary” man is obliged to live his life in strict obedience, is not allowed to violate the law and his only goal is simply to exist. The reason these “extraordinary” men are allowed to break the law is because if they are not judged to be more demanding, they will no longer be great. To be great is to be able to free oneself from common laws. Raskolnikov lays out his theory throughout the book, starting when he commits two murders and he believes that this is an acceptable thing for him to do because he thinks he is an "extraordinary" man. But soon after Raskolnikov committed the crime, guilt quickly overcame him. His mind is surrounded by paranoia and he feels like he's going to be caught at any moment of the day. Even if Raskolnikov wants to consider himself an extraordinary man, he is confronted with two sides: the generous/caring side and the “extraordinary” side. Symbolization, diction, repetition, and allusion are various aspects of Dostoyevsky's style that help support one of the major themes of Crime and Punishment, the identity crisis caused by two conflicting views of oneself. AllusionRaskolnikov believes that the purpose of "ordinary" people is simply to exist, to form the world and society. The second group consists of those who are “extraordinary” and a step above those who are merely ordinary. Raskolnikov cites “extraordinary men” like Newton, Mohammed and Napoleon. He tells us that Newton had the right to... middle of paper... or his twisted mind. Another very important symbol of restoration for Raskolnikov was the cross that Sonya gives him before going to the police station for him to confess. The cross symbolizes Jesus' selfless sacrifice to forgive the sins of humanity. Raskolnikov rejects any sense of sin or spirituality even after receiving the cross, but he unconsciously begins to recognize that he has sinned. This symbolizes that he is on the path to recognizing the sins he has committed. The ax with which Raskolnikov committed the murders symbolizes the two halves of Raskolnikov's nature. These contrasting sides are in conflict throughout the book and are reflected in its two victims, Alyona and Lizaveta. He uses the dull side to murder the old woman and the sharp side to kill Lizaveta, symbolizing that he also committed suicide in the action..