Rodion Raskolnikov

Name:Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
The main character of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment.

Age: About 23 years old.
Appearance: Pale, thin, tall, with sharp facial features.
Eyes: Dark, often described as feverish or restless.
Clothing: Worn-out, almost beggar-like. His “kaftan” is especially mentioned—old and no longer protecting him from the cold.
Impression: Exhausted, detached, almost sickly—a mirror of his inner turmoil.

Personality:

Proud and detached
Raskolnikov is a loner not because he’s been rejected, but because he sees himself as above others. He despises the “crowd” and believes a special type of person exists—one who is “allowed everything.”

“I simply killed a louse, Sonya—a harmful, vile, loathsome louse.”

An intellectual lost in his own theory
He proposes the idea of the “extraordinary man”—that if you're a Napoleon, you have the right to kill for a greater purpose. But the human psyche isn’t built for that. He tries to be Napoleon but breaks down.

“Am I a trembling creature or do I have the right?”

Tortured by self-reflection
He doesn’t just think—he digs into himself to the point of madness. After the murder, he’s less afraid of punishment than he is of internal decay. He realizes his idea couldn’t survive contact with reality.

“I wanted to kill without hesitation, but I hesitated… I wanted to reject morality—and choked on it.”

Capable of empathy, but hides it
Beneath his arrogance lies a sensitive soul. He is drawn to Sonya, pities Marmeladov’s family, suffers for his mother and sister—but doesn’t know how to express love.

“Sonya, Sonya! You’re my salvation! I came to you not because you're righteous, but because you suffer…”

Torn and contradictory
He wants to be a cold, calculating killer, but remains deeply human. That’s the tragedy. Murder doesn’t free him from pain—it destroys him.

“I didn’t kill the old woman—I killed myself!”

Behaviour:

Impulsive—can suddenly resort to extreme actions, like murder.
Withdraws from others, avoids contact even with those close to him.
Constantly swings between action and inaction, as if torn between two selves.
After the crime—acts erratically: wanders, raves, sometimes loses grip on reality.
At times altruistic, helps others despite his logic (e.g., Marmeladov’s family, Sonya).

What did Raskolnikov do?
He killed the old pawnbroker (Alyona Ivanovna) with an axe. She lent money under harsh conditions and exploited the poor. By accident, he also killed her sister Lizaveta, a kind and innocent woman who walked in unexpectedly.

How did he do it?
He planned it for a long time: studied her schedule, came up with a reason to visit—brought a “pledge.”
Entered the apartment and struck the old woman with an axe.
Started searching for valuables, but panicked and acted erratically.
Lizaveta came in—he killed her too, in shock, without meaning to.
Escaped, taking almost nothing. He killed—and nearly died from terror himself.

Motive for the crime:

On the surface—financial:
He was poor, starving, dropped out of university, and couldn’t help his mother and sister. The money could’ve saved them all.

In truth—philosophical:
Raskolnikov wanted to test his theory:

Does a person have the moral right to cross a line if it’s for a “greater good”?
Can he, like Napoleon, “kill one to save thousands”?

It wasn’t about greed—it was a self-experiment. Kill not a person, but a “louse,” and see if he could live with it.

What went wrong?

Pretty much everything:
The theory failed in practice.
The murder brought no relief—only torment.
He wasn’t an extraordinary man—just a human being with a soul, consumed by guilt.