Formal document IIThrough suffering and guilt arises a personal need to redeem oneself and find inner peace of mind. This process of redemption is not easy, but it is worth the price of being reborn into a new being. When one is fully committed to being saved, nothing can stop the end result. In Crime and Punishment, Dostoyevsky draws on his personal experience to create a story based on suffering, which ultimately illustrates a message of redemption and rebirth through said suffering. Crime and Punishment takes place in Russia; a place well known for its harsh and capitalist punishments. The setting of the novel is Russia for several reasons. Crime and Punishment largely resembles moments from Dostoyevsky's real life. Fyodor Dostoyevsky was a member of the Russian Orthodox Church and was arrested for participating in a socialist political group when he was younger. He was sentenced to be executed, along with others, by firing squad, but as all the men lined up to be shot, a messenger arrived with a reprieve from the Tsar. Instead of being shot, these men in line, including Dostoyevsky, were exiled to Siberia (Kearney). Siberia is known for its punitive prisons and harsh climate. Today, the once cruel and unjust penal system has given way to a program based on reforms providing for fairer sentences; however, this was not the case in the 1860s when this novel took place (Becky). The sentence in Siberia was not only cruel in its distressing conditions, but also in the paranoia of death it imposed on the prisoners. Dostoyevsky was extremely traumatized by this experience and developed epilepsy which affected him for the rest of his life. On the road to Siberia, Russi...... middle of paper ......traordinary and is able to love Sonia (Ivants). Both are aware that their love will take years of endurance to finally come true when Raskolnikov is released; however, they are also aware of the extremity of the matter and are truly grateful for Raskolnikov's revival. Dostoyevsky presents a theme of redemption and rebirth in his novel Crime and Punishment, which not only strongly reflects his life, but also those of many Russian prisoners. . In Siberian prisons, prisoners are encouraged to pray and repent. Raskolnikov is an example of someone who, despite his lack of compassion and good judgment, managed to be reborn through his religious inspiration and influential connections. Dostoyevsky teaches his readers that in order to be reborn like Lazarus and Raskolnikov, one must go through the necessary stages of suffering and punishment to achieve this. Annotated bibliography