Fyodor Dostoevsky drew upon his many hardships and life experiences in order to instill a sense of realism and truth into the novel Crime and Punishment. He bases many of the characters in the novel on his own life. By incorporating his own life challeges into the novel, there is a greater sense of personal reflection and emotional honesty. This is what brings the story to life. Perhaps one of the greatest occurences that influenced the writing of Crime and Punishment was the death of Dostoevsky's father. His father was a former army doctor who was murdered by serfs. Although his father had been an alcoholic, and abused Dostoevsk