Many authors derive ideas and themes for their novels through experiences in their own lives. Images of Fyodor Dostoevsky's life, full of hardship and evolution of his ideas and beliefs, can be seen in the characters, events, and themes of Crime And Punishment. Recollection of the deaths of his parents and a horrific horse beating incident; his arrest, pardon, and imprisonment; his first failed marriage to Marya Issaeva; his return to St. Petersburg after years of exile; his meeting with the love of his life, Anna Snitkina, and his disdainful travels abroad are all manifested in Crime and Punishment.
Like most authors' characters, Dostoevsky's characters are complex manifestations of people and events in his own life. Raskolnikov, the troubled and criminal protagonist, obviously lacks a double in the reality of Dostoevsky's life. However, the inspiration of Raskolnikov's plights and suffering are not untraceable. Sigmund Freud muses that Dostoevky, although he displayed no criminal tendencies, did in fact possess a destructive instinct that was directed at himself instead of others, thius obstructing any connection between Dost and Raskolnikov's destructive inclinations, which are expressed outwardly . This identification with Raskolnikov also explains Dostoevsky's unwavering sympathy for his protagonist and criminals in general. The Marmeledovs are also reminiscent of people in Dostoevsky's life. Dostoevsky's first marriage was to Marya Isaeva, an unstable young woman who was married to a hopeless drunk at the time that Dostoevsky met and fell in love with her. The Marmeledov plotline is very reminiscent of the situation created by this love triangle, as well as of Dostoevsky's own struggles with fina ...