Thesis Statement Ideas (Alexia Barrios)

            The first idea for a thesis that I had for Crime and Punishment is to discuss the several psychological aspects implemented throughout the novel by Dostoevsky. Psychology is a key theme throughout the novel as we see the psychological effects that guilt has on Rodia, such as paranoia, denial, and fear of discovery. The book in general is a psychological analysis of a murderer as the focus of the novel is not about the actual murder itself, but the psychological torment that occurs after, which leads the reader to believe that psychological torment is far worse than the whatever punishment the justice system gives.

            The second idea that I had for a thesis is to focus on Dostoevsky’s idea of this superior being or “superman” who is above of the moral rules and the rest of society. The idea of a superman is one that I find very interesting, as Rodia himself in the beginning of the novel categorized himself as one of these “supermen”, which is where his rationale for committing the murder of the pawnbroker stems from.  Even more interesting than that is the fact that later one his “superman” characterizing is broken as he realizes he is unable to live up to the standards of the “superman” and that he is not entirely superior to those who he surrounds himself with.

            The third idea for a thesis that I had was to discuss Rodia’s alienation from society. His alienation from society stems from both the environment that he is (the city of Petersburg) which is surrounded by poverty and described thoroughly as being dirty and inhabitant by those who are very low on the social hierarchy. Also his alienation from society stems from his superiority complex, which leaves him unable to relate to those who he is surrounded with. After he has committed the murder his alienation only grows more due to his psychological torment due to his intense guilt which leaves him even more incapable of creating and keeping up with those who are trying to help him.

            The fourth thesis idea that I had was to analyze Dostoevsky as a person based on his theories in both Crime and Punishment and Notes from the Underground. It is evident that Dostoevsky had some very strong theories that he portrayed in his novels, such as the theory of the “superman”. Also he had very strong interest in exploring human psychology when it came to committing crimes such as in Crime and Punishments and then in Notes From the Underground the psychology of someone who is a mere observer of the society in which he has alienated himself from.