Raskolnikov's Sufferings

The extravagant novel Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, truly exemplifies the quote “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. After murdering a pawnbroker and her sister for the good of humankind, Raskolnikov, a deprived student in Russia, succumbs into a miserable depression full of hallucinations, illusions, and changing moods. He struggles between deciding whether he is part of the “extraordinary” humans, who can kill with moral reasoning, versus “ordinary” humans, who are just plain citizens that must obey the laws. This outrageous theory lets Raskolnikov believe that his criminal activity is justified. Yet, after the action is complete, Raskolnikov realizes a little too late, that he is overcome with guilt and grieves for over a month. (To his dismay, he realizes that he is only an ordinary human.) Within this time, Raskolnikov goes through several trials of hardship including his sister being engaged to a monstrous man, meeting a drunkard with a broken down family, being psychologically tortured by the police investigator, and being blackmailed by a rich man. All of these dilemmas plus his own hypochondria caused Raskolnikov to fall into several horrible, delirious illnesses that lasts anywhere between a few hours to days. What seems like an eternity later, Raskolnikov finally decides to face his suffering and confesses his wrongdoings to the police. He is forced to complete eight years in the Siberian prison, full of hateful criminals and physical labor. Yet, Raskolnikov is not alone. A good thing has come from this suffering: Sonia, the daughter of the drunkard that Raskolnikov met in a bar. Sonia believes in this man who has little hope for life and follows him all the way to the rough prison. After nine months of imprisonment, at the very end of the book, Raskolnikov learns what it means to be loved and wanted. Therefore, at the very end of the book, he looks forward to a new life once he gets out of confinement. After all of these illnesses, dreadful situations, and finally going to prison for his sins; after all of his psychological nonsense talks to himself, going into roundabouts with the police, and facing mental torment every day for many months before, during, and after the murder, Raskolnikov is finally free from his own problematic thoughts. Raskolnikov had to go through his own hell, before he was able to start slowly healing his mental illness. So yes, Raskolnikov was strong enough to say that “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. One does not suffer for any simple reason.