Which novel has Raskolnikov?
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is the main character in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s 1866 novel Crime and Punishment. He is a young ex-law student living in extreme poverty in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Raskolnikov believes in a theory that certain extraordinary individuals have the moral right to commit crimes if it serves a greater good. To test this idea, he murders a pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanovna, whom he views as a “louse,” a parasite on society. He also kills her innocent sister, Lizaveta, who walks in during the crime.
After the murder, Raskolnikov spirals into guilt, paranoia, and psychological torment. The novel explores his internal struggle between his intellectual theories and his human conscience.
Eventually, he confesses and is sentenced to penal servitude in Siberia, where the process of spiritual redemption begins, especially through the influence of Sonia, a humble and deeply religious prostitute who represents compassion and faith.
Themes associated with Raskolnikov:
- Guilt and redemption
- Morality vs. utilitarianism
- The psychology of crime
- Alienation and isolation
- The duality of human nature
