Raskolnikov
Rodion Romanovich is the main character of the novel. A smart student finds himself in unbearable living conditions. Constant reasoning leads the young man to a theory about the division of people. Having developed a system of human necessity in his head, he decides to test it in life, and takes the path of a criminal, a murderer. One crime leads to another. The theory falls apart, the young man falls under his system of conclusions as an unnecessary type of people: not ordinary, not great. The theory becomes the reason for changing one’s life, the fate of a convict.
Rodion Raskolnikov - the main character of the novel
Rodion Raskolnikov is the central character of the work. The young man has an attractive appearance. “By the way, he was remarkably good-looking, with beautiful dark eyes, dark-haired, above average height, thin and slender.” An extraordinary mind, a proud character, sick pride and a miserable existence are the reasons for the hero’s criminal behavior. Rodion highly values his abilities, considers himself an exceptional person, dreams of a great future, but his financial situation has a depressing effect on him. He has nothing to pay for studying at the university, and does not have enough money to pay off his landlady. The young man's clothes attract the attention of passers-by with their shabby and old appearance. Trying to cope with the circumstances, Rodion Raskolnikov goes to kill the old pawnbroker. Thus, he is trying to prove to himself that he belongs to the highest class of people and can step over blood. “Am I a trembling creature or do I have the right,” he thinks. But one crime leads to another. An innocent, wretched woman is dying. The hero's theory about the right of a strong personality leads to a dead end. Only Sonya's love awakens his faith in God and revives him to life. Raskolnikov's personality consists of opposite qualities. An indifferent, cruel killer gives his last pennies for the funeral of a stranger, interferes in the fate of a young girl, trying to save her from dishonor.
Marmeladova
Sofya Semyonovna is the beloved of the main character Rodion Raskolnikov. The girl is the daughter of an impoverished official who is unable to feed her family. The stepdaughter is forced to take the path of corrupt girls who earn their living with their bodies. Sonya is unable to break out of the circle of poverty and misery. She doesn't have the means to leave her father. The author shows not only the reasons for choosing “indecent work”. It helps to understand how a girl with a pure soul, meek character, and timid disposition is able to support those who, like her, fall under the yoke of society. The murderer Rodion sees his future in her, and she becomes the meaning of life for him.
Supporting figures
Sonechka Marmeladova
Sonya turned out to be the closest person to Raskolnikov. The girl was in a similar situation: poverty, a cruel stepmother - all these hardships in life forced Sonya to go out onto a dirty St. Petersburg street to offer her body for sale. Prostitution, meanwhile, did not make Sonya’s soul any less pure. On the contrary: the situation demonstrates the heroine’s sacrifice, the ability to forget about herself for the sake of loved ones.
The meek, timid girl is also lonely: Raskolnikov - like her, a suffering nature - turns out to be a person close to her. Gradually, Raskolnikov responds to Sonya’s love, although at first he does not accept the girl. Rodion may not have loved Sonya with the same love as she loved him. However, a feeling of strong spiritual kinship contributed to the fact that Rodion repented of what he had done. Together with her lover, Sonya goes into exile, where Raskolnikov’s spiritual revival continues in line with the return to the ideals of Christianity.
Old woman moneylender
The old woman whose boarding house Rodion used was called Alena Ivanovna. The old lady was about 60 years old. She and her sister lived in a nice apartment. The clean, cozy, good-quality environment indicated that Alena Ivanovna did not feel any need. Rent and usury gave the old woman a good and regular income.
“Dostoevsky’s Petersburg” is the theme of many of his works. We invite readers to familiarize themselves with the image of the northern capital.
The heroine's lifestyle is secluded. Society and the people around her rather cause distrust and some fear, so Alena Ivanovna avoids unnecessary contacts. Despite being a usurer, the old woman conducts business carefully, honestly and fairly. In addition to renting out rooms, she also makes a living by allowing people to pawn things for money.
Raskolnikov considers Alena Ivanovna the embodiment of universal evil. One day, Rodion plans to rid humanity of the “trembling creature” Alena Ivanovna, takes an ax and kills the moneylender.
Lizaveta
An unfortunate, dumb woman, Alena Ivanovna's half-sister. Lizaveta suffers ridicule from her sister, because she considers her sister inferior, an underdeveloped burden. Raskolnikov condemns Alena Ivanovna for tormenting Lizaveta, essentially holding her for a servant - a cook, laundress, cleaner, etc.
Lizaveta is about 35 years old. The author describes the woman as tall, a little awkward, but meek and humble. The unfortunate woman often got it from her older sister, who sometimes even beat Lizaveta.
The woman had a kind heart: once she sewed up Raskolnikov’s clothes. Rodion felt sorry for Lizaveta and did not want to kill her. The hero hoped that Lizaveta would leave and Alena Ivanovna would be left alone in the apartment. However, the unfortunate woman returned earlier, and Rodion was forced to kill her.
Marmeladov
Semyon Zakharovich suffers from alcoholism. He once served as an official, but he became an alcoholic and lost his position. The man is distinguished by his kindness and responsiveness. However, Semyon is also characterized by weakness of character. Marmeladov’s bad habit had a detrimental effect on the family of the former official: gradually the Marmeladovs became greatly impoverished.
Raskolnikov's mother
Pulcheria Alexandrovna loves her son Rodion very much. The woman also suffers from poverty, trying to help Raskolnikov. However, her funds are not enough to provide for herself and her son. Dunya, her daughter, lives with Raskolnikova. Pulcheria Alexandrovna is trying to solve her plight by marrying her daughter.
Dunya's supposed husband
Pyotr Petrovich is supposed to be the son-in-law of Pulcheria Alexandrovna. However, Luzhin is not against marrying Duna: not out of love, but only to satisfy his own ego. Luzhin cannot be called a pleasant person: the hero is characterized by prudence and pride. Luzhin is described as a wealthy middle-aged man.
Raskolnikov's sister
Dunya is described as an attractive girl with a good education. Svidrigailov gave Dunya a job, but when the man began to behave inappropriately towards the girl, Dunya left the job. The sister loves Raskolnikov very much, and for the well-being of the family, the girl is even ready to become Luzhin’s wife. At the end of the novel, Dunya is married to Razumikhin.
Ekaterina Marmeladova
Katerina Ivanovna is Semyon Marmeladov’s wife. A woman suffering from consumption (tuberculosis) suffers from her husband’s commitment to the glass, because Marmeladov spends all his money on drinking.
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In desperation, Katerina asks her stepdaughter Sonya, the eldest Marmeladova, to help the family by selling her body. After Marmeladov’s death, Raskolnikov gives his last money to Katerina Ivanovna, trying to help the widow with at least something. In the end, Marmeladova dies, exhausted by the disease.
Razumikhin
Dmitry Prokofievich is the best friend of the main character of Crime and Punishment. The writer creates Dmitry as a completely positive character. The young man is characterized by nobility, honesty and devotion to loved ones. Razumikhin also suffers from poverty and need, but continues to study. Dmitry is one of the few people who notices changes in Raskolnikov and tries to help his comrade. At the end of the story he becomes Dunya's husband.
Svidrigailov
Arkady Ivanovich is a man about 50 years old. Svidrigailov is a widower, but he has children, although he does not consider himself a good father. Before the death of his wife, Arkady Ivanovich lived in prosperity, but was distinguished by his extravagance. Svidrigailov is described as a villain, a swindler and a voluptuous man. Literary critics sometimes call Svidrigailov Raskolnikov's twin: Arkady Ivanovich professes the same philosophy about strong personalities to whom everything is allowed as Rodion Raskolnikov.
Raskolnikov, meanwhile, considers Svidrigailov a nasty and empty person. Dostoevsky endows Arkady Ivanovich with such traits as sinfulness, baseness, gloominess and a tendency to visit “dirty places.”
Svidrigailov's wife
Dostoevsky described Marfa Petrovna as a rich woman who, having fallen in love with Svidrigailov, redeems him from prison. Subsequently, Marfa Petrovna and Svidrigailov get married. Martha feels sincere love for her husband, while allowing him to have affairs with commoners. However, Marfa Petrovna still forbade Svidrigailova from having affairs with women of equal status. In the novel, Svidrigailov is a widower, but the reader is not told exactly how his wife died.
Lebezyatnikov
Andrei Semenovich is Luzhin’s comrade. The hero's surname speaks for itself: Lebezyatnikov is an unpleasant character, a typical sycophantic official.
Doctor Zosimov
A good friend of Razumikhin. When Raskolnikov fell ill after the murder of the old woman and Lizaveta, Zosimov treated Rodion.
Zametov
Alexander Grigorievich is a character belonging to the bribery type of official. Zametov works in an office as a petty secretary. The reader meets this hero when he communicates with Raskolnikov regarding the crime committed.
Nikodim Fomich
Good guy, employee of the police department. The character is described as a kind, open, serious and wise man. Nikodim Fomich has an assistant - Ilya Petrovich. The character has strong principles. In a conversation with him, Rodion talks about the murder of Alena Ivanovna and Lizaveta.
Porfiry Petrovich
An investigator who is working on the murder case of Alena Ivanovna and Lizaveta. Porfiry Petrovich has a good understanding of people, using psychological tricks in dealing with alleged criminals. When the hero realizes that it was Raskolnikov who committed the murder, he convinces Rodion that he should make a sincere confession.
Amalia Ivanovna Lippevehzel
The owner of the house from whom the Marmeladovs rent rooms. Described as an unpleasant woman with a quarrelsome character. Judging by the surname, the woman is of German origin. It is also obvious from the novel that Amalia Ivanovna does not know Russian very well.
Old woman-pawnbroker
Alena Ivanovna is an old cruel woman who profits from people’s grief. Taking advantage of the need for money, the old woman takes things as pawn. He gives little money, charges high interest rates. She evaluates the items handed over to her cruelly, assigns a price that is incommensurate with the real one, but it is impossible to find another sale, so the poor and those who have nowhere to get money come to her. The woman is angry and grumpy, does not evoke any feelings other than hostility, but, according to Raskolnikov’s theory, killing her makes Rodion great. This approach raises doubts in the reader. There is not even a hint of positive qualities in the image of the evil old woman, but killing her is illegal.
Luzhin
Pyotr Petrovich is a court councilor with big plans. He is ambitious and practical. In the future, Luzhin plans to open a law office. Peter chooses Dunyasha Raskolnikova as his wife in order to keep the girl in subjection. He calculated the whole future: the poor girl will always be indebted to him for her salvation, she will become an excellent wife and servant to him - the savior and benefactor. In his image there is undisguised pettiness, greed, meanness and naked calculation. It is difficult for love to settle in the heart of such a man, but cruelty and hypocrisy are easily located.
Svidrigailov
Arkady Ivanovich is a person with criminal content. It is surprising that all his actions are hidden and unproven. He manages to leave the most brutal crimes (rape) unpunished. Svidrigailov is a sharper, a deceiver, a libertine and a tyrant. Nobility awakens in a man at the end of his life. He does strange things and commits suicide. The reader does not fully understand the hero's changes. What is this? Epiphany? Perhaps another deception. The character’s character is complex and multifaceted; it’s scary to meet such a person in real life.
Porfiry Petrovich
The investigator in the Raskolnikov case is one of the talented detective professionals. He approaches the case in his own way: he examines the crime from all sides, by details and inconspicuous features. The investigator feels the criminal in his gut. Without evidence, he seeks recognition and closure of the case. A man has many different qualities: he is perspicacious, cunning, attentive, careful. Porfiry is noble and calm, he does not use illegal measures, but finds the criminal, identifies him in details unnoticed by others. Porfiry calls the criminal for a conversation in order to understand what led the young man to such a step, how he decided to kill two women.
Top 10 film adaptations:
Film "Crime and Punishment" (1969)
Film studio named after M. Gorky. Director: L. Kulidzhanov A favorite Soviet black-and-white adaptation of the novel. The film is built on the confrontation between Raskolnikov and investigator Porfiry Petrovich, played by Georgy Taratorkin and Innokenty Smoktunovsky.
Meeting of Raskolnikov and Marmeladov. Still from the film “Crime and Punishment” (1969)
TV series “Crime and Punishment” (2007)
First channel.
Director: D. Svetozarov. 8 episodes One of the most recent and popular film adaptations of the novel, with the participation of famous Russian actors. Starring Vladimir Koshevoy.
Vladimir Koshevoy as Raskolnikov in the series “Crime and Punishment” (2007)
The plot of the series generally follows the plot of the work. The action unfolds around the main character, Rodion Raskolnikov, in whose head a theory of the crime is ripening.
Mini-series “Crime and Punishment” (2002)
Crime and Punishment.
England. Director: J. Jarrold English adaptation of Russian classics from the BBC. The creators tried to fit Dostoevsky's entire novel into two episodes, which is why many scenes were slightly changed (for example, Raskolnikov meets Sonya Marmeladova for the first time in a tavern, and Marmeladov's famous monologue was reduced to a few key sentences), but on the whole the film corresponds to the plot of the work.
John Simm as Raskolnikov in the TV series Crime and Punishment (2002)
Starring John Simm, who is known to the Russian public for his role as the Master in the TV series Doctor Who, and Ian McDiarmid, a theater actor known for his role as Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars saga.
Film "Crime and Punishment" (2015)
Crime & Punishment.
Australia. Director: E. O'Keefe A modern adaptation of the novel of the same name by F.M. Dostoevsky, from Australian director Andrew O'Keefe. Lee Mason plays the role of Raskolnikov. Anna Samson as Sonya Marmeladova.
Film "Crime and Punishment" (1956)
Crime Et Chatiment.
France. Director: J. Lampin French film adaptation of the novel of the same name by F. M. Dostoevsky. The action moves to post-war France.
The film was quite dark, showing the "underworld" of the Parisian streets, at times more focused on creating atmosphere than on the story of the characters.
Cartoon “Crime and Punishment” (2000)
Zbrodnia i Kara.
Poland Polish animated film by Piotr Dumal. The film adaptation of Dostoevsky's book took 29 minutes. Director Piotr Dumala drew the cartoon for three years, from 1997 to 2000.
There are no words in the cartoon, only disturbing music.
Film "Crime and Punishment" (1983)
Rikos ja rangaistus.
Finland. Director: A. Kaurismaki The debut work of the famous Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki. The film takes place in modern Helsinki, early 1980s. The film received two Jussi awards - for best debut film and for best screenplay.
Film "Crime and Punishment" (1935)
Crime and Punishment.
USA. Director: D. Sternberg A film inspired by Dostoevsky's novel, but with a very different plot. Roderick Raskolnikov is yesterday's student, having recently brilliantly completed a course in criminology, but now he is an aspiring writer, embittered by his impoverished existence. He is not able to help his family financially, and this torments him very much. One day, Roderick meets Sonya, a young girl forced to become a prostitute due to debts at a pawnshop. Raskolnikov decides to rid the world of evil in the person of the pawnshop owner.
The film was awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actor (Pierre Blanchard) at the Venice Film Festival.
Film "Crime and Punishment" (1998)
Crime and Punishment.
USA. Director: J. Sargent American television drama film directed by Joseph Sargent, based on the novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Starring Patrick Dempsey (Raskolnkov), Ben Kingsley (Porfiry Petrovich) and Julie Delpy (Sonya).
Poor student, Rodion Raskolnikov, commits a crime, which is inevitably followed by pangs of conscience: his soul, burdened by the sin of murder, rushes between faith and unbelief, hope and despair. The investigation of the detective, Porfiry Petrovich, ultimately leads the investigation to Raskolnikov, but even before meeting the investigator, Rodion meets true love. She will help him come to repentance...
Film "Nina" (2004)
Nina.
Brazil. Director: H. Dhaliya Free adaptation of the novel “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky in the Gothic style. Instead of Rodion Raskolnikov, the main character here is a young girl, Nina. The heroine's behavior is very different from the behavior of her prototype. Rodion’s actions come from his philosophical wanderings, while Nina is impulsive, most of her antics are emotional outbursts.
There is also a prostitute in the film, but unlike Sonechka Marmeladova, she is simply the heroine’s best friend and, moreover, is not ashamed of her lifestyle.
Lizaveta
The sister of the old pawnbroker is a typical image of women, lonely and offended by fate. God did not give them beauty or intelligence, but endowed them with a kind heart and a pure soul. What awaits such people? The greedy sister beats the woman and treats her like a servant. Men use Lizaveta for their lust. She is constantly pregnant. It is no coincidence that F. Dostoevsky introduces a weak-minded woman into the gallery of his characters. There are many such people in Rus', most of them become objects of ridicule and humiliation. Lizaveta’s fate is to be killed along with the one who offended and humiliated. The whole theory becomes wrong, but the people’s superstition becomes true: one crime leads to another. The unscientific approach of people, simply noticing life situations, takes precedence over Raskolnikov’s scientific and complex system. Lizaveta is loved by those around her in the novel; the reader feels very sorry for the woman.
Minor characters in Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment”
The gallery of minor characters in the novel “Crime and Punishment” opens with the image of an old money-lender. Alena Ivanovna
about 60 years old. The relationship between this character and Raskolnikov is that the old woman is engaged in usury, and Rodion comes to her as a client. The author shows the heroine greedy for money and absolutely soulless. She doesn’t care about people’s life situations; she makes huge profits on valuable things that her clients pawn, as she takes high interest rates.
It is precisely such a heartless woman that Raskolnikov kills, testing his theory. However, in addition to Alena Ivanovna, at the time of the murder, her pregnant sister Lizaveta was also in the house, whom Rodion also kills. Lizaveta had a rather tragic fate. She had health problems, no one took her seriously, her own sister used her as a servant. However, she was not embittered by the world, she was kind and meek.
The main characters are united by the fact that they treated their families with trepidation and love.
Pulcheria Alexandrovna is the mother of Rodion Raskolnikov. She sincerely loves her son and, despite her poverty, tries in every possible way to help him financially. She is very close to her daughter Dunya.
Dunya
– the sister of the main character, who share a warm relationship. This is a beautiful and educated girl. Despite her poor situation, she is quite proud, ready to stand up for herself.
Semyon Zakharovich Marmeladov
- Sonya's father. He is a kind man who is broken by life's difficulties, as a result of which he becomes a drunkard and then tragically dies. The author calls the hero only by his last name, since Marmeladov is a small man, one of the most prominent representatives of this type in Russian literature. The significance of this image in the work is quite great. It is after Raskolnikov’s meeting with Marmeladov that the main character becomes convinced of the injustice of the world, of the injustice of dividing people into rich and poor. The meeting of the heroes became a kind of confirmation of Raskolnikov’s theory.
Marmeladov's wife - Katerina Ivanovna
– has a stronger and more solid character. A noblewoman by birth, she became poor and remained a widow with three children, and then married Marmeladov. Despite all life's difficulties, she does not give up and goes to the end. However, the heroine's life ends tragically: she dies of consumption.
The entire Marmeladov family is the personification of humiliated and insulted people. This shows the inconsistency of the social situation reigning in St. Petersburg at that time. This is what prompted the main character not to use empty words, but to take concrete actions, to try to fight the injustice of the world.
However, as can be seen further, F.M. Dostoevsky showed the inconsistency of the main character's theory.
Two other heroes are also associated with the image of Sonechka: Svidrigailov
and Luzhin. They, in turn, are peculiar doubles of Rodion Raskolnikov.
Petr Petrovich Luzhin
- a rich man holding the rank of court councilor. Money turned the hero into a vile and greedy person. He is calculating and wants to own Sonya as a slave. He considers himself her savior. The heroine's poverty leads to Sonya's wedding with Luzhin, but it was not destined to happen. Luzhin, like Raskolnikov, has his own theory. This is a theory about the whole caftan, according to which you need to care only about your own well-being and not think at all about the situation of other people. Luzhin is not used to compassion for people; he is mean and financially dependent.
Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov also has his own theory. This theory is similar to Raskolnikov’s theory. The hero believes that evil in the name of a good goal is not considered evil. That is why Svidrigailov commits many bad deeds in life. The author does not exactly talk about the hero’s involvement in the death of Marfa Petrovna, Svidrigailov’s wife. However, the hero thinks about it. But he is not as soulless as Luzhin. At the end of his life, Svidrigailov realizes that he has led the wrong lifestyle all this time, so he commits suicide.
F.M. It is not for nothing that Dostoevsky uses the technique of duality in his work. The theories of Luzhin and Svidrigailov are a kind of mirror reflection of the theory of Raskolnikov himself. And Raskolnikov, and Luzhin, and Svidrigailov use the principle of permissiveness. Double heroes are needed to show the practical life of this theory, to show its inconsistency.
The author also reflected his opinion on nihilism, the face of which is the image of Lebezyatnikov. He describes it quite satirically and ironically. This hero is connected ideologically with Raskolnikov. Only one lives by theories, and the other, on the contrary, by practice.
Much attention to F.M. Dostoevsky devotes his attention to the investigation of the murder of the old pawnbroker and her sister. Images of investigators appear in the narrative.
One of the important ones is the image of Porfiry Petrovich
. This is an intelligent and rather cunning investigator who, from the very first minutes, was confident of Raskolnikov’s involvement in the murder. For him, it was important not to prove Rodion’s guilt, but to make sure that the murderer in the crime was created independently. To do this, he uses psychological techniques to influence the main character, which makes the character a truly talented investigator.
As a result, and in the narrative as a whole, the image of Mikolka appears, who takes the blame for the murder of the old pawnbroker. This hero is the embodiment of the idea of voluntary suffering. This character and the image of Lizaveta are unique doubles of Sonya Marmeladova. All of them are gentle in character, ready for mercy and self-sacrifice. These images are the personification of humility.
To further characterize Raskolnikov, other characters are introduced into the narrative.
Razumikhin
- a friend of Rodion, a fellow student. Such people are usually called optimists. He, like Raskolnikov, is poor, but this does not break him, he is a cheerful and sociable person who tries to help Rodion in many things. The author describes the hero as a good person who you can always rely on. This spiritual kindness helps the hero connect his life with Dunya Raskolnikova, although their wedding was poor and “quiet.” Razumikhin seems to be opposed to Raskolnikov. This is manifested in the fact that Rodion’s friend is used to doing many “small” things, and Raskolnikov is an adherent of one big thing.
Thus, F.M. In his novel Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky placed the poor student Rodion Raskolnikov at the center of the narrative. And to understand and reveal the inconsistency of the theory of this character, the author introduces many heroes: Luzhin, Svidrigailov, Porfiry Petrovich, Razumikhin, Lebezyatnikov, who have their own views. Some of them are similar to Raskolnikov’s point of view on the world, some are completely opposite to him. The secondary characters seem to reveal some qualities of Rodion Raskolnikov and Sonechka Marmeladova.
Lebezyatnikov
Luzhin's friend is trying to be progressive, he spreads the ideas of transforming society. Outwardly, it seems that Andrei Lebezyatnikov’s thoughts are correct and interesting, but the young man does everything somehow absurdly, ill-considered. Propaganda of communist theories of the structure of the country sounds absurd. The young man has already achieved results with his chatter - he ended up in the ministry. This is the place where real solutions can be achieved. The author helps to introduce deceitful bureaucrats who make promises and leave things in the air or on paper.
