Fyodor Dostoyevsky once said: “Nothing is more attractive to man than his freedom of conscience. But nothing is a greater cause of suffering” (Eiermann). Existentialism emphasizes that human life is understood in terms of a single experience. Thus, being nothing or accomplishing nothing in life suggests failure and is a source of suffering. A particular example is that of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, where a young Russian student, Raskolnikov, murders an old pawnbroker to prove his theory of the extraordinary man, which suggests that the extraordinary can transgress the law of ordinary men or lower. Immediately after his crime, Rodya experiences serious illness and emotional conflicts as he faces problems with his family, the Marmeladov family, and the police during his gradual steps toward confession. The motif of the need for suffering is used throughout the novel to produce the theme of the book: great suffering leads to salvation and atonement for man's sins. In Crime and Punishment, several characters experience a great deal of pain and personal anguish, tying the apparent motive of suffering to the theme and providing a strong unifying element throughout the story. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Although many readers often conceive of Raskolnikov's suffering as having a direct relationship to his guilt for his crime, the driving idea behind his punishment is an indirect one. a result of his split personality and his obsession with proving his theory. He is best depicted as either cold, intellectual, and isolated from society, or warm and compassionate. The murder is the result of his intellectual side's need to determine whether or not he fits his theory of the Extraordinary Man. It was this aspect of his personality that developed the crime and carried out his plan, thus forcing the human side to suffer for his actions. It is important to note that Raskolnikov falls ill and loses consciousness immediately after the murder, which means that he can suffer enormously: "The conviction that all his faculties, even his memory, and the simplest power of reflection were lacking in him began to be unbearable torture. " (Dostoyevsky 81). This scene is also important for the development of Dostoyevsky's theme, because Raskolnikov's theory requires that the extraordinary man suffer greatly. Previously, Rodya had written an article about the crime in which he expressed his belief that "pain and suffering are inevitable for great intelligence and deep heart. The truly great man must have sadness on earth" (230). failure to live up to his theory since he eventually confesses and is also about to confess when his theory or intellect is insulted or questioned by Porfiry and Zamitov This view is best described by Svidrigailov when he says. to Dounia that Raskolnikov "suffered a lot and still suffers from the idea that he could develop a theory, but that he was incapable of boldly overstepping the law and that he was therefore not a genius". it is humiliating for a young man of all pride” (403). Although Rodya has grown a lot through suffering and recognizing his error in his theory, his intellect still prevents him from admitting he committed a crime because he believes he made a mistake by killing the old pawnbroker whom he continues to consider a louse. , this internal conflict between his two opposing personalities is a constant source of.