The Ambiguity of It All

To me, the mystery and ambiguity of Raskolnikov's past and personality makes this book so much more interesting than it really is. Overall, I find Crime and Punishment to be a bit boring at times, and other times I find it to be a bit disturbing (like the passage about Roskolnikov's dream about the horse). Generally, I do not like reading murder-mystery type books, but so far this book is keeping me on my toes. Some of the same questions I've had since the start of the book still haven't been answered and it's quite frustrating. I hate when authors purposefully withhold important background information and big details about main characters from the reader. It makes me feel like I know nothing about Roskolnikov, even though I've been reading about him for a lengthy amount of time now. I give props to Dostoyevsky, because the elusiveness of Raskolnikov is intriguing and makes me want to continue reading until I figure him out. I hate how "hot and cold" he is, though. One minute he's an arrogant, self-centered egomaniac and the next he's a caring, compassionate human being. His personality is up and down, which makes his thoughts and actions quite unpredictable (another aspect I enjoy about C&P), but sometimes it's hard to follow. I still do not understand why he murdered Alyona. His motives are unclear, and it's pretty confusing trying to decode his thoughts and actions. I just wish Dostoyevsky would throw us a bone every once in a while, and give us a few hints as to why Raskolnikov is the way he is.