Point of view in Crime and Punishment

The narrative in Crime and Punishment is third person. Despite not being told directly by Raskolnikov, the novel allows an intricate look into the inner workings of his tumultuous psyche. The narrator in the story seems to be all-knowing. He/she understands exactly what each of the characters are thinking at any given point, as opposed to being narrated by someone who was simply there and would have only been able to observe the events in question. The type of narration used in the novel allows for the reader to understand the inner workings of each character as an individual along with their reaction to Raskolnikov's illness. If the story was told in first person by Raskolnikov, the author would be unable to incorporate the internal dialogue of other characters, unless he gave Raskolnikov the power to read minds. This would be silly. (Raskolnikov would OBVIOUSLY be given laser vision, if he were to be given a super power) If the story were to be told by a witness, the narration would be unable to give the reader a greater understanding of the thoughts of the secondary characters, but would also be unable to provide insight into Raskolnikov’s descent into madness. The all-knowing third person narrative is the best selection for the story.