In this paper I argue that Dostoevskij creates a tension between guilt and shame that keeps readers off-balance for the duration of Crime and Punishment. Instead, Dostoevskij portrays a man whose shame overshadows his guilt.
Shame relates broadly to human identity, guilt more narrowly to human action.
Guilt arises, in contrast, when a self acts so as to transgress against personal, moral, social, or legal norms. In Crime and Punishment, Dostoevskij fashions a protagonist whose crime results from and exacerbates an identity crisis. Nonetheless, Dostoevskij provides readers with some help separating them out. Her sister Lizaveta figures largely in the guilt script.