Crime and Punishment

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1866

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses

Epilogue, Chapter 1 Summary

Raskolnikov is sent to far-flung Siberia. After nine months in prison and 18 months since the murder, he has gained a fresh perspective on events. At the trial, he made a full confession and the details he gave of the murder scene removed all doubt as to his guilt. He told the authorities where they could find the buried loot. The psychologists at the trial explained that Raskolnikov’s deteriorating mental state led him to make many strange decisions. His friends and family also testified to this fragile state of mind. Raskolnikov refused to allow his sanity to excuse or explain his actions, blaming his poverty more. However, he did ask the court to acknowledge his willingness to repent his crimes. Razumikhin testified about Raskolnikov’s numerous and occasionally foolish acts of charity. Porfiry kept quiet during the trial, making Raskolnikov’s confession sound more genuine. The sentence he received was surprisingly light: eight years in a Siberian labor camp. Sonia was allowed to accompany him.

After the trial, Razumikhin married Dunia. Though they initially tried to keep the details of Raskolnikov’s trial and sentencing secret from his mother, they were not able to do so. She grew ill and delirious, and then died, acknowledging the truth about her son’s fate in her final moments.

Sonia becomes the link between Raskolnikov and his family and friends in Saint Petersburg. She also successfully petitions the authorities to shorten his sentence.

Epilogue, Chapter 2 Summary

Raskolnikov copes well with life in prison. Though humbled, he still insists that there is nothing wrong with his ideas or his character: He is not a sinner, just someone who made an error. Raskolnikov thinks his confession was a sign of weakness, reflecting his inability to commit suicide. His fellow prisoners do not like him, but they do like Sonia. As he lies sick in the hospital, Raskolnikov dreams about a plague sweeping through Russia. The plague drives people insane, making each person certain that they are the only person in the world who speaks the truth. Eventually, plague victims tear one another apart.

Sonia visits Raskolnikov in prison. Even when they are not able to meet, she sits outside the prison where he can see her. He begins to realize how much he loves her. One day, they sit next to each other for a brief moment and hold hands. On the earlier occasions when Raskolnikov held Sonia’s hand, he felt horrified. On this occasion, he breaks down in a flood of tears and embraces her. They both understand the profound depth of their love and agree to wait until his prison sentence ends. Later that day, Raskolnikov thinks about Sonia and the nature of love. He pulls out a copy of the New Testament Sonia gave him—reading the book helps him feel closer to her. The prospect of any moral renewal, however, is a different story, one for another time.

Epilogue Analysis

The Epilogue chronicles the aftermath of Raskolnikov’s confession. The tone of the prose changes and the narration switches to present tense. As Raskolnikov slowly comes to terms with his situation, the more fact-based past tense narrative yields to a present tense narration that suits his ongoing progress. The change also suggests that Raskolnikov will spend a long time in this phase of his recovery.

We learn important details about Raskolnikov’s trial. Friends and family members testified to his moral character, listing numerous acts of charity that were until now withheld from the reader—a reminder that the totality of a person’s moral state may be hidden from view. Raskolnikov did not perform these good deeds to make himself appear like a good person. He did them because he felt he was doing what was right. Therefore, the jury decides, Raskolnikov is not entirely beyond redemption. He is an honest, altruistic man driven to a terrible act by his mental state and the nature of his environment.

Just as she provided quiet moral support before Raskolnikov’s confession, Sonia provides stoic support during his imprisonment. As he acknowledges his love for her, he finally experiences a dawning of healthy sexuality: Instead of being disgusted by her physical body (which possibly reminds him that of her previous sexual partners), he finds pleasure in touching her hand and kissing her. He is finally able to accept positive emotions into his life. Though the novel leaves some ambiguity about whether Raskolnikov is able to fully redeem and reform himself, it ends on a very hopeful note of possibility.