Punishment and Crime

The book then concludes with an epilogue that takes place in a prison in Siberia, eighteen months after the day of the murder and nine months after Rodion Raskolnikov had been confined in the prison. Raskolnikov had received a lighter than usual sentence of just 8 years because of the circumstances of his confession-having confessed even though another had confessed to the murder-, as well as numerous witnesses testifying to his numerous acts of charity, mental instability as well as the fact that he had not spent any of the money. We learn that Dunya and Razumikhin are married and that Sonya had moved to Siberia to be close to Raskolnikov. Raskolnikov gradually moves from being sullen and distant as well as being antagonistic to Sonya to eventually realize the error of his theories and appreciating Sonya’s importance to his life.