Characteristics of Raskolnikov in the novel Crime and Punishment. What is the possible future of the characters in the novel?

In this article we will look at and discuss the characteristics of Raskolnikov, the main character in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. Overall, the novel can teach the importance of exercising discretion, being open to forgiveness, and showing true love. It took Dostoevsky about six years to think through the plot and main ideas of the novel, so the book is certainly insightful and worth reading if you haven't already.

Let us immediately note that on our website you can get acquainted not only with Raskolnikov’s characterization, but also read a summary of “Crime and Punishment”, as well as an analysis of the novel.

So, the events mainly revolve around just a few characters, that is, there are not many of them for such a serious work. The main character is Raskolnikov Rodion Romanovich, who killed the old pawnbroker Alena Ivanovna. In addition, he kills her sister Lizaveta.

Description and appearance of Raskolnikov

Already in the first chapter, the reader meets the main character. This is a young man, his general condition can be called painful and mixed. He is gloomy, constantly thinking about something and withdrawn into himself. Rodion Raskolnikov abandoned his studies at the university, where he studied to become a lawyer, and now lives in meager surroundings, in a small, pitiful-looking room. His clothes are already worn out, and he has no money to buy new things, as well as to pay debts for an apartment and studies.

We see how Raskolnikov’s characterization in the novel “Crime and Punishment” is revealed more clearly when we study his portrait. The hero has a pretty good appearance, beautiful dark eyes, dark brown hair, he has a slender build, and his height is average, or slightly higher.

Raskolnikov’s character and personality are as follows: the young man is quite smart, educated, but at the same time proud and tries to be independent. The fact that he finds himself in such a humiliating financial situation affects his mood; he walks around gloomily and looks at everyone from under his brows. Raskolnikov does not want to communicate with others, and he considers accepting help even from close people, such as Dmitry Razumikhin (his friend) or his elderly mother, to be a shame and humiliation.

What is Raskolnikov's idea?

Proud of himself, with sick pride, and at the same time a beggar, the main character Raskolnikov, whose characteristics we are studying, hatches an idea. It lies in the fact that people are all divided into two groups: ordinary and entitled. Raskolnikov ponders what his purpose is and prepares a crime. By killing the old woman, the hero will understand whether his idea is correct and whether a new life will begin, and he will somehow make society happy.

Life shows that everything is wrong. Raskolnikov failed to rob the apartment - he did not force himself to take the stolen goods for his needs, but at the same time, Raskolnikov’s characterization is overshadowed by two murders - the old money-lender and the wretched Lizaveta. He becomes disgusted with himself, and now begins to understand that there was no need to imagine himself as Napoleon and accomplish the feat. Now the moral line has been crossed, he has become a murderer. Raskolnikov cannot communicate with people and is practically going crazy.

Punishment and the idea of ​​Dostoevsky

Raskolnikov’s close people are trying to help the young man get rid of his oppressive state and provide support, but the young man’s pride does not allow him to accept help. As a result, he finds himself alone.

He begins to take part in the destinies of other, unfamiliar people. This can be seen in the example of the Marmeladovs. However, nobility leads to irritation, annoyance and melancholy.

Although we briefly examined the characterization of Raskolnikov in the novel “Crime and Punishment,” the question arises, what was the main idea that the author of the novel wanted to convey to readers? The hero receives punishment instantly, immediately after committing a murder. He is painfully tormented by doubts, conscience and other oppressive feelings. After breaking up with family and friends, he is on the verge of madness, and this is a hundred times worse than the many years spent in hard labor. Fyodor Dostoevsky tries to give a warning to readers so that they do not make mistakes and do not act recklessly. The main thing that should be in a person’s life is high morality, genuine faith in God and the manifestation of love for others.

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The world of Fyodor Mikhailovich includes many plans and levels. The novel by the Russian writer, Dostoevsky’s characterization of Rodion Raskolnikov, the main character, is an occasion for reflection on a host of socio-philosophical problems.

The reader meets Rodion Raskolnikov as soon as he opens the book. The life of the hero and the circumstances of the story make us think about the problems of social development. These problems, affecting the moral and spiritual spheres, areas of family and personal life, the topic of social progress, are relevant for us today.

Rodion Raskolnikov: analysis and characteristics of the character of Fyodor Dostoevsky

Facts about the hero

In the first chapter, the reader already finds a description of the character’s appearance, as well as information about Rodion’s position in society. Let's look at some milestones in the biography of the main character in more detail:

1. Rodion Romanovich is described as a poor young man (the hero’s age is 23 years old), who probably comes from a bourgeois family. The reader learns about the degree of poverty of the young man from the words that Rodion’s mother is not far from asking for alms.
2. Rodion was forced to leave his studies at the Faculty of Law. Previously, Raskolnikov was a student at St. Petersburg University.
3. Because of poverty, the hero is often malnourished, wears worn and old clothes, and is forced to live in a miserable little room that looks like a closet for mops. The plight of Rodion Romanovich does not allow the hero to continue his studies, pay for the apartment and pay off debts.
4. Despite poverty, Raskolnikov does not accept help from the hands of his best comrade - Dmitry Razumikhin, or his mother. The hero regards this as his own weakness, considering accepting help to be humiliation.
5. Raskolnikov is depicted as a young man of extraordinary intelligence. Razumikhin repeatedly notes that his friend is very smart.
6. In addition, the young man has a good education. Marmeladov emphasizes that Rodion is educated and knows German, as he reads “German article sheets.”

Reading is cool! We invite you to familiarize yourself with Fyodor Dostoevsky

External features of Raskolnikov

On the first pages of “Crime and Punishment” there is also a description of Rodion’s appearance. The hero is endowed with beauty and delicate facial features. Raskolnikov is tall and thin. The slender young man is distinguished by dark brown hair, equally dark eyes and pale skin color. Rodion gives the impression of a sick person. Raskolnikov walks around in old clothes that look so worn that the woman once intended to help the young man with alms.

The character and inner world of Raskolnikov

The main character of Fyodor Mikhailovich’s work is distinguished by his gloominess, isolation and thoughtfulness. Rodion avoids society, he is uncommunicative and shows a commitment to Nietzschean philosophy and nihilism. Raskolnikov's gloominess contributes to the hero's tendency towards self-isolation: unnecessary things in common with people cause him irritation. The melancholy of the main character is combined with hot temper, which sometimes transforms into coldness. Fyodor Dostoevsky describes Raskolnikov as a young man with contrasting features: sometimes the coldness of the protagonist reaches the point of inhumanity and even insensibility. The reader notices that in Rodion two opposing personalities are fighting, which alternately dominate the character of the hero.

Raskolnikov is emotionally reserved, rarely expresses feelings and emotions. The young man avoids society, motivating his own reticence by being busy. However, the hero’s busyness is internal, looking from the outside as laziness or passivity. Indifference to what is happening shows a proud and arrogant nature. However, Raskolnikov’s pride turns into arrogance. These traits are combined with manifestations of pride and vanity. Poverty did not defeat the main character, leaving arrogance and domineering traits alive. It seems that Raskolnikov values ​​and extols himself for no reason.

Education leads to arrogance and self-confidence, as well as seriousness. Meanwhile, Raskolnikov also has positive traits that Sonechka Marmeladova saw in the hero. This is generosity and kindness, nobility. The main character’s mother says that kindness is a trait that distinguishes both her son and her daughter, Dunya. Raskolnikov does not feel sorry for money, which he himself is in constant need of: Rodion repeatedly helps Sonya with money, and once even gave his last funds to a poor widow - for her husband’s funeral.

The investigator, Porfiry Petrovich, notices that Raskolnikov is a scoundrel, although he has numerous talents and virtues. In addition to philosophical talent, the young man is endowed with a writing and literary gift. The reader knows about this from the novel: while staying in a rented apartment belonging to Lizaveta, whom he killed, Rodion writes a newspaper article “On the Crime,” which is deeply symbolic, given subsequent events. The complexity of Rodion's character shows a symbiosis of painful traits and impatience.

Raskolnikov's ideological struggle

In the context of the characterization of Rodion Raskolnikov, mention should be made of the ideas for which the hero, in the opinion of Porfiry Petrovich, fights with terrible strength and courage. The traits mentioned above - pride, poverty, arrogance - give rise to an idea in the hero’s mind. Here the influence of the ideas of German philosophy of the late 19th century and Friedrich Nietzsche, in particular, is evident. The essence of the socio-philosophical ideas is as follows: the hero classified all people into two groups - ordinary people (“trembling creatures”), and outstanding individuals “having the right.”

Raskolnikov certainly considers himself to be “those who have the right.” Connoisseurs of Nietzsche's doctrine of the superman will easily notice that this group of people correlates with the image of the superman: a rope stretched over an abyss, like lightning striking from a thundercloud. Nietzsche thinks of man as a bridge between the animal and the superman.

“Eligible” superhumans are not limited by generally accepted rules. Therefore, having gained inner confidence in permissiveness, Raskolnikov kills the unfortunate old woman, the owner of the boarding house. But punishment comes to the hero in the form of the most terrible executioner - conscience.

About crime and punishment

However, life is far from abstract ideas. The idea is close to the ideal, which is something that is always moving away; the ideal is something unattainable. Raskolnikov did not take into account that he was going to destroy the embodiment of universal evil (in the opinion of the hero), lurking in the image of the old money-lender, greed and social injustice. But the death of the old woman also led to the death of Lizaveta - an unhappy old woman who did not cause any inconvenience and tried to survive - like the main character himself.

Raskolnikov stole the money, but it turned out to be useless: using what was taken from Lizaveta was disgusting and disgusting for Rodion. The hero was overtaken by the most terrible punishment, which cannot be hidden from view - conscience.

Fear haunted Raskolnikov: Rodion was afraid that the police would reveal the crime and the identity of the criminal.

The now popular writer JK Rowling emphasized that murder is a crime that splits a person’s soul. This is also true for Raskolnikov, since the murder of the old woman turned into a moral crime for the hero, placing Rodion in a dangerous situation. Avoiding social connections and communication, the hero felt that he was losing his mind. Raskolnikov finds relief only in communication with Sonya. Rodion opens his soul to the girl - he admits to what he did.

Raskolnikov reconsiders his own personality, rethinks himself. The offense contributed to the hero looking at himself from the outside: Rodion saw that Razumikhin was his best friend, his mother and sister loved him, and, as it turned out, they loved him undeservedly. Dmitry wants to understand the reasons for Raskolnikov’s deplorable state, but he closes himself off.

But a fateful incident transforms the hero’s behavior - towards himself and those around him. Raskolnikov is trying to improve his communication with people. The offense awakens in the hero feelings that were dormant until that moment: Rodion realizes that loving someone is a heavy burden. The hero tries to compensate for the crime with new actions - socially significant ones. Rodion helps the widow of the official Marmeladov, saving the girl from violence.

At the same time, the essence of the hero is deeply ambivalent. High, noble traits are combined with moral decline and annoyance. Raskolnikov gets irritated with people close to him, feeling loneliness and isolation. The crime threw Rodion into a spiritual vacuum. For Rodion, conscience has transformed in its meaning: Raskolnikov is not ashamed of the crime, but of the fact that he turned out to be too weak for the test. Considering himself to be in the category of “having rights,” the young man does not regard the offense as evil.

The reluctance to be caught and spend time in prison forces Rodion to hide and be cunning. The investigation is led by the smart and wise investigator Porfiry Petrovich, while Raskolnikov spends all his energy trying to confuse the investigative work. The need to lie and pretend devastates the young man.

The role of Sonechka Marmeladova in the fate of Raskolnikov

By the time he met Sonya, Raskolnikov’s condition caused extreme concern. On the one hand, the young man was burdened by his conscience and a vague awareness of guilt. On the other hand, Rodion did not believe that he had committed a crime. Sonya returns Raskolnikov to the path of spiritual improvement, showing that salvation lies in Christianity and a return to God.

For adherents of Nietzschean philosophy, Christianity did not look like an attractive religion: rather, Nietzscheans and nihilists viewed the Christian faith as resentment.

Sonya was 18 years old when the girl met Raskolnikov. Rodion felt a spiritual kinship with Marmeladova, because she was also in distress. Poverty and the need to take care of her family pushed the girl to sell her own body. Prostitution did not break Sonya's spirit and did not make the girl less pure in moral terms - this is a paradox. Sonya, despite life's adversities, managed to preserve the light in her soul that she shared with Raskolnikov. The heroes find the salvation they need by turning to each other.

Sonya’s fate is a “yellow ticket”, because the girl gave all the money she earned to a needy family. Marmeladova is a victim who suffers humiliation, insults, and a target for the expression of anger on the part of others. The principle of talion is alien to Sonya: rather, the girl lives guided by the “golden rule of morality.” The writer, creator of the Crime and Punishment universe, calls the heroine “unresponsive.” The girl is not characterized by vindictiveness: the owner of a kind heart and compassionate soul, Sonya lives according to her conscience, without losing faith in a bright future and God.

The relationship between Sonya and Raskolnikov develops gradually. At first, Rodion feels hostility towards the girl, because he believes that she is showing pity - an unworthy, humiliating feeling for the hero. Over time, Sonya's love and deep religiosity influences Rodion. The main character’s feelings for Marmeladova cannot be called love, but Raskolnikov understands that he has no one closer to Sonya. He stopped communicating with Raskolnikov’s family, and also with his friend. Only a person who has himself gone through similar suffering and schism can understand the suffering and split of the soul.

Raskolnikov struggles with himself. But in this battle there are no winners - only losers. As a result, exhausted and devastated, Rodion comes to Sonya and reveals his soul and moral wound to the girl. Sonya hopes that Raskolnikov will find the courage to confess to the crime. Only a sincere, sincere confession will save the hero from spiritual death.

Following Sonya's instructions, Raskolnikov confesses, after which he goes into exile to serve hard labor. Marmeladova leaves with her lover. Sonya and Rodion are different, but the presence of a spiritual abyss and attempts to overcome the spiritual schism make the heroes related. Rodion does not accept God, does not believe in a higher essence. Sonya is convinced that mercy, patience and forgiveness will save a lost soul. Gradually, through the efforts of Sonya, Rodion comes to understand the path of salvation. Repentance helps to start a new life.

Several conclusions from the novel “Crime and Punishment”

The characteristics of the main character of the work - Rodion Romanovich - are placed by the author in the center, in the skeleton of the novel. This is where the writer's arguments about the essence of crime and punishment begin.

Punishment, punishment does not come at the time of arrest or trial. The criminal feels the consequences of his crime, guilt, and the pressure of conscience immediately after committing the crime. Doubts, isolation, social vacuum, loss of contact with family, tormenting conscience - this is a punishment worse than hard labor and exile. You cannot hide from your conscience, you cannot hide.

“Crime and Punishment” contains a lesson, something that Fyodor Dostoevsky is trying to teach a person, a reader. The example of Raskolnikov, a fictional character, warns a real person against committing such a crime. The author demonstrates to the reader the dangers of dangerous philosophy, nihilism, and apostasy from faith.

The main character of the novel, Rodion Raskolnikov, is a student. He is poor, far from any ideas tormenting the youth of that time. He has a sister who works as a governess for a wealthy family. The mother, being a widow, receives a pension and does not work. The family sends all funds to Raskolnikov. But they are still not enough. Raskolnikov worked part-time as a repeater. However, classes with students did not bring either satisfaction or decent pay.

The image of Raskolnikov is the spiritual and compositional center of the novel.

Character of Raskolnikov

Raskolnikov is a closed person, prone to hypochondria. The main character turned his isolation into a character trait that he seemed to be proud of. However, this is not quite true. He would be happy to communicate with people more, but poverty oppresses him and forces him to move further and further away from friends and family.

At the beginning of the novel F.M. Dostoevsky introduces Raskolnikov to the reader as follows: “By the way, he was remarkably good-looking, with beautiful dark eyes, dark brown hair, above average height, thin and slender.” At the same time, the writer emphasizes that Rodion was extremely poor.

Raskolnikov has no friends except Razumikhin, who has a hard time enduring Rodion’s bad character. Dostoevsky writes about his character: “Raskolnikov was not used to the crowd and, as already said, ran away from any society, especially recently.”

Razumikhin characterizes Raskolnikov’s character in a contradictory way. He says that, on the one hand, Raskolnikov is a taciturn and sometimes cruel person, on the other, he is a kind and generous young man. A feature of Raskolnikov’s character is that he not only expresses his opinion, but also defends it.

F.M. Dostoevsky portrays to us a man mired in poverty: “He was so poorly dressed that another, even an ordinary person, would be ashamed to go out into the street in such rags during the day.” Rodion Raskolnikov lives in a room that looks like a coffin: “It was a tiny cell, about six steps long, which had the most pitiful appearance with its yellow, dusty wallpaper that was falling off the wall everywhere, and so low that a slightly tall person felt embarrassed. She was terrified, and it seemed like you were about to hit your head on the ceiling."

Such a life is one of the incentives for harboring thoughts of murder. It is against the backdrop and under the influence of abject poverty that Raskolnikov is isolated from everyone. The world around him and people cease to be a true reality for him. However, the “ugly dream” he has been nurturing for a month disgusts him. He does not believe that he can commit murder, and despises himself for being abstract and incapable of practical action. He goes to the old pawnbroker for a test - to inspect the place and try it on.

Thoughts of the upcoming murder torment Raskolnikov's soul. She, like a bird in a cage, wants to break free and run away from black thoughts and hatred.

External action only reveals his internal struggle. He must go through a painful split, feel all the pros and cons in order to understand himself and the moral law, inextricably linked with human essence. From the first pages of the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky sympathizes with his character.

In the dream-memory of a horse being whipped in the eyes, the truth of his personality is revealed, the truth of the earthly moral law, which he still intends to transgress, turning away from this truth.

The image of Rodion Raskolnikov is the image of a superstitious man prone to exaggeration and paranoia.

In the novel "Crime and Punishment" F.M. Dostoevsky writes the following: “Traces of superstition remained in him long after, almost indelibly. And in this whole matter, he was always inclined to see some kind of strangeness, mystery, as if the presence of some special influences and coincidences.”

The image of Raskolnikov is not devoid of kindness and nobility. F.M. Dostoevsky especially emphasizes them when Rodion gives money to the Marmeladov family and saves a drunken girl on the boulevard from persecution. In addition, the writer tries to justify his hero by emphasizing that one of the reasons why he kills the old pawnbroker is the desire to help his mother and sister, who decides to marry Luzhin in order to financially help her brother.

Critics about the image of Raskolnikov

According to the Russian writer and critic Sergei Askoldov, the image and name of Raskolnikov acquires a symbolic meaning: schism means bifurcation, understood in a broad sense. Here is Raskolnikov’s ethical duality (murder - love for one’s neighbors, crime - pangs of conscience, theory - life), and the duality of direct experience and introspection - reflection.

DI. Pisarev analyzes the socio-psychological reasons that pushed Rodion Raskolnikov to commit a crime and explains it by the inhumanity and unnaturalness of the existing system.

In the article by critic N.N. Strakhov, “Our Fine Literature,” the idea that F.M. Dostoevsky brought out a new image of a “nihilist” in the person of Rodion Raskolnikov, depicting “...nihilism not as a pitiful and wild phenomenon, but in a tragic form, as a distortion of the soul, accompanied by cruel suffering.” Strakhov saw in the image of Raskolnikov a feature of the “true Russian man” - a kind of religiosity with which he indulges in his idea, the desire to reach “to the end, to the edge of the road on which his lost mind led him.”

Despite all the tragedy of the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky ends Crime and Punishment with Raskolnikov's optimistic dreams of happiness. The writer gives his hero a second chance to start over, but with the burden of past mistakes. F. M. Dostoevsky emphasizes that Raskolnikov has become a wiser person.

Dostoevsky's novel is an amazing work of Russian literature. It has been debated throughout the centuries. No one can pass by the text without leaving a piece of their soul in it.

The image and characterization of Raskolnikov in the novel “Crime and Punishment” are the main parts of the content that give an understanding of the entire plot of the book and the state of an entire era of Russian history.

Hero's appearance

To understand the character and get to the essence of the character, they start with appearance. Rodion Raskolnikov - a combination of the beauty of his face and figure with the poverty of his clothes. Little is said about appearance in the novel, but it is not difficult to imagine the young man:

• piercing dark eyes;
• “...the whole face is beautiful...”;
• wonderful “...good,...attractive...”;
• Dark hair;
• Slightly above average in height;
• Thin and slender figure;
• The young man's facial features are thin and expressive;

The contrast between appearance and clothing is amazing. Things are strikingly baggy, dirty and poor. An ordinary passerby would consider his clothes to be rags and would be embarrassed to go out into the street in them, but Rodion is calm and confident. How Rodion is dressed:

• “...a wide, strong summer coat made of some thick paper material...”;
• “...very wide, a real bag...” (about the coat);
• “... delivery boy, better dressed...”

Clothing becomes the reason for unsociability; you just want to move away from the young man, step aside.

Positive character traits

A poor student lawyer, 23 years old, is a bourgeois by social status, but his character does not have the typical signs of this class. The impoverished townsfolk lost touch with their situation. Mother and sister are closer in education to the highest circles of society than Rodion.

• Intelligence and education. Rodion learns easily. He does not make friends because he is able to comprehend all sciences on his own, he does not need help and support.
• A good son and brother. Rodion loves his mother and sister more than himself. He promises to never stop loving them, but he does not have the means to support them.
• Possession of literary talent. Raskolnikov writes articles. He is not interested in their fate, like many talented people. The main thing is to create. His work is published in the newspaper, and he doesn’t even know about it.
• Courage. The entire plot of the novel speaks about this quality: a coward would not be able to decide to test the theory, that is, to commit murder. Rodion always has his own opinion and is not afraid to prove and justify it.

Negative tendencies

The first impression of the young man is gloomy and gloomy. The author immediately puts him within the framework of a psychological portrait - a melancholic person. The young man is absorbed in internal thoughts, he is quick-tempered. Every external manifestation of attention bothers him and causes negativity. Raskolnikov has a number of traits that cannot be classified as positive:

• Excessive unfounded pride. Rodion is arrogant and proud. When did such qualities appear in him? Unclear. Why did he decide that he could treat others like that? The reader looks for answers in the text. The feeling interferes with Raskolnikov’s good heart, arouses in him anger, cruelty and a thirst for crime.
• Vanity. The young man does not hide the unpleasant feeling. He looks at others as if he constantly sees weaknesses in them. Sometimes a young man behaves with others like an “arrogant youngster,” a boy.

The most terrible quality of a young man is the desire to get rich at the expense of another. If the crime had remained unsolved, everything that the hero had planned would have been achieved, he would have become a wealthy man. His wealth is the tears of people like him. Prosperity could change a kind person, making him even more cynical Svidrigailov. One can, of course, challenge this opinion, but the fates of other characters in the novel show what money does to a person.

Rodion Raskolnikov is one of the central characters in Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. The character of Raskolnikov is taken from life. In the second half of the nineteenth century there was a robbery of a rich house. During this robbery, the criminal killed two maids with an ax. It was this robber who became the prototype of Rodion Raskolnikov.

Raskolnikov in the work “Crime and Punishment” is a controversial character. While reading the book, the reader will ask an important question: How could a person from a decent family commit a crime?

The answer is not as simple as it seems. Rodion was an adherent of the theory of Napoleon III. The theory was that there are ordinary people and those who make history. There are no laws written for those who make history. They solemnly move towards their goal.

Rodion wanted to check what kind of person he was. “An ordinary trembling creature” or a person with the right. Rodion thought that he was a man who was making history.

By killing the old woman, Rodion tries to prove to himself not only that he is an unusual person, but also that, by committing murder, he is ridding the world of a tyrant who profits from the misfortune of others.

After the murder, Rodion feels remorse. Rodion thinks about whether he can continue to live with the stigma of a murderer. He realizes that he is not like his heroes, who sleep peacefully while sending thousands of innocent people to their deaths. He's only killed two women, but he's already looking for redemption.

Losing himself in his thoughts, Rodion begins to move away from people. He needs to find someone who can understand him. This person is Sonya Marmeladova.

Rodion's misconceptions are well revealed when the reader sees another character in front of him - Svidrigailov. His ideas are very similar to those of Rodion. Svidrigailov believes that you can do evil if the goal is good. What distinguishes him from Rodion is that Svidrigailov committed crimes more than once. He was a murderer and a swindler.

Unlike Svidrigailov, Rodion understands that all his theories and truths are lies. Sonechka Marmeladova helps him in repentance. Rodion understands that there is no greater truth than faith in God. He goes to execution, having fallen in love with Sonya.

Thus, Raskolnikov is a man who foolishly believed in the theory of the separation of people. This is a man who has a conscience, who questions his dogmas when true love appears in his life.

Option 2

In the novel “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, the central character is Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov.

Rodion grew up in a loving but poor family. He is 23 years old, a law student, but he had to give up his studies because the young man lives on the brink of poverty.

The young man is scantily dressed, but handsome: he has a slender figure, tall stature, dark eyes and light brown hair.

At the beginning of the novel, the author describes Raskolnikov as a kind, sympathetic, intelligent, but proud person. He is no stranger to compassion for others. Due to the difficult financial situation, which left much to be desired, Rodion is withdrawn and gloomy. He finds it humiliating to accept help from his friend or elderly mother.

Despair and helplessness lead to the destruction of Raskolnikov's moral principles. He develops his own theory concerning modern society: he divides people into “trembling creatures” and “those with the right.” The former, in his opinion, are useless and “secondary,” while the latter are allowed everything, even ignoring moral principles in order to achieve a “higher goal.” Of course, Rodion considers himself to be in the second category.

Raskolnikov comes up with a way to test the boundaries of what is permitted and makes a deal with his conscience - he decides to kill. For a long time, the young man is tormented by doubts, he experiences a strong internal struggle and even thinks of abandoning the terrible undertaking, but poverty, entailing oppressive despair, drives him to madness from hopelessness. He crosses the line of morality and humanity by killing an old pawnbroker and stealing her money. Rodion takes the life of not only the elderly Alena Ivanovna, but also her pregnant sister Lizaveta.

Raskolnikov was never able to use the stolen money, although he really needed it. After committing a crime, he experiences a breakdown in his personality: he is tormented by painful remorse, and incessant nightmares force him to relive what happened again and again.

After the murder, Rodion becomes even more unsociable, he is sick of himself. Loneliness brings him to the brink of madness. He is afraid of exposure and tries to find out whether he is suspected of committing a crime. The young man trusts his secret to Sonya Marmeladova, a girl living on a “yellow ticket”. She convinces Raskolnikov to confess everything, because, in her opinion, only in this way can the path to correction and healing of the soul begin.

Rodion surrenders to the police. He repents of his actions. Now his theory seems senseless, cruel and immoral to the young man, and Raskolnikov renounces it. He is sent to hard labor, where Rodion takes the path of spiritual rebirth and atonement.

Essay Image and characteristics of Rodion Raskolnikov

Raskolnikov is a handsome young man with aristocratic features. He rented a tiny closet in the attic of a five-story building.

Raskolnikov was mired in poverty, the misery of his situation, eternal debts, led the young man to the idea of ​​crime. He wants to help his family financially, but cannot find a way. The idea of ​​instant enrichment is born and strengthened in Raskolnikov, he creates a theory in which murder will be justified. The student thinks that if he kills the old pawnbroker, he will benefit society. Possessing a calculating, inquisitive mind and a cold heart, Raskolnikov is trying to prove to himself that he is a brave and decisive person, and not a “trembling creature.”

Rodion has been nurturing the idea of ​​murder for a whole month, thinking through every step, paying attention to the smallest details of the crime. Sometimes true reason awakens in him, and he renounces his theory, realizing the illegality of his actions. And yet, the desire to feel like the arbiter of destinies prevails over reason, and Raskolnikov commits a crime.

There is also a cowardly element in him, having created his own theory, he goes to kill not some strong and rich man, but a helpless old woman, whom perhaps no one will remember. Still, he is consumed by the thought that he must be held accountable for what he has done. Putting doubts aside, thinking only about easy and quick money, the young man goes to the old woman.

When committing a murder, he is attacked by fear and panic. Raskolnikov acts without taking precautions, which leads to a second murder.

Raskolnikov did not repent of the murder; he admitted his crime only in that he could not stand it and turned himself in. Only his feelings for Sonya began to break his soul, which means that Rodion is not yet a completely finished person, and has the right to spiritual and moral resurrection. Raskolnikov’s love for Sonechka touched some new strings in the young man’s soul. He felt Sonya as one with himself, and from that moment the rebirth of man began, Raskolnikov realized all the cruelty and senselessness of his crazy theory.

Option 4

In the 60s of the 19th century, reforms made huge changes in the country. A sharp social stratification began. This was especially noticeable in large cities. Some became rich, rapidly rising, while others found themselves in dire straits. The time of permissiveness and monetary relations has begun. For Dostoevsky, it was necessary to understand what result moral nihilism could lead a person to. It was to this topic that the writer devoted his work “Crime and Punishment.”

The protagonist theory had personal and social motives for committing murder. Raskolnikov was a proud, ambitious person, and at the same time he was sensitive to the suffering of others. The poor student began to look for a way that would help him get rid of this poverty. However, he wants to find a way out of this situation not only in his own favor, but also to help other people. Why did such a wild theory suddenly appear in the thoughts of a well-mannered and intelligent student? Is it because of the poverty in which he can no longer live? No. Raskolnikov, committing a criminal act, goes against the law, gaining freedom for himself. It is not without reason that the image of Napoleon appears in the novel. After all, he was indifferent to the fate of individuals, but his path helped an educated person find a way out of the current situation. Raskolnikov, unlike the emperor, wants to make not only himself happy, but also other people. He thinks that having committed a crime, he will atone for this sin with many good deeds, because the life of a simple pawnbroker is not worth a penny compared to many happy lives.

However, cold calculation and a noble soul cannot be combined at once in Rodion. His kindness and compassion for the grief of others conflict with pride and vanity, which leads our hero to such moral experiences that prevent him from turning into Napoleon. After Raskolnikov killed the old woman, he is gnawing at the feeling that he has moved away from his family. For their sake, the young man committed this crime and now they have become strangers. And the young man, instead of being proud of what he has done, finds himself completely alone. He seems to be full of dreams of repeating the fate of Napoleon, and at the same time doubts his choice. He cannot make a certain choice.

It was this doubt and indecision that brought him to the police station. Dostoevsky clearly showed here that the character’s punishment consists of his moral suffering and being alone. Only the attention and care of Sonechka Marmeladova helped bring him back to life. While he suffers, he also torments the girl. However, after some time, Raskolnikov will understand that only love will help atone for all his mental torment. Ultimately, the young man is drawn to the eternal power of good through biblical teachings.

Sample 5

Roman F.M. Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" caused many controversial opinions in society because of the main character.

Rodion Raskolnikov is the central character of the novel. He is very handsome, dark brown hair, deep dark eyes, tall and slender. At the same time, he is smart, educated, proud. Loves independence. But his surroundings made him very withdrawn and irritable.

A young student who dreamed of becoming a great lawyer was a beggar. Due to lack of money, he is forced to quit his studies and live in a small room with minimal furnishings. His clothes are pretty worn, but he can’t afford new ones. At first glance, it is noticeable that he is constantly thoughtful and withdrawn. His mood is always bad. Raskolnikov stopped communicating with people. He was humiliated by help from strangers.

The main character divides all people into two groups and cannot understand which one he himself belongs to: “Am I a trembling creature or do I have the right?” These thoughts haunt him. To test his concept, Raskolnikov decides to kill his grandmother, a pawnbroker. Rodion thinks that by taking away the valuables, he will make not only himself, but all of humanity happy.

The reality turned out to be completely different. Together with his grandmother, Raskolnikov had to kill her sister Lizoveta, who had never offended anyone in her life. He was never able to use the loot, having hidden it. He is scared and ill. The conscience of the main character haunts him and leads to madness. His friends try to help him, but it turns out to be unsuccessful.

By the end of the novel, Raskolnikov has no strength left at all. He understands that he can’t fix anything and he won’t be able to live with such a burden. Rodion confesses and is sentenced to 8 years of hard labor. But he accepts the sentence with enthusiasm and is proud to serve his sentence. After all, a completely different life awaits him in freedom, with new and pure thoughts, as well as with Sonya Marmeladova, who was able to believe that human qualities remained in Raskolnikov.

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, in the image of Rodion Raskolnikov, wanted to show that every person is capable of repenting of their actions and becoming a full-fledged member of society.

Essay 6

In the image of this hero of a psychological novel, the author raised problems of morality and gave his analysis of the idea of ​​a superman, popular in his time, from a Christian point of view.

Rodion Raskolnikov is a typical poor student, immersed in the then fashionable philosophical and political ideas of a radical nature. He only takes care of food and the necessities of life out of necessity. In his person, the writer, who was himself at one time sentenced to death, replaced by hard labor and conscription as a soldier, for participating in the activities of a secret society, showed a reliable image of a fighter for the reorganization of the world.

Like many Narodnaya Volya members and other political radicals, Raskolnikov is to some extent a pure and ideological person. He kills the old pawnbroker to check whether he can change the world, whether he is one of those capable of ruling and transforming, or whether he is simply a representative of the controlled masses. It is significant that, despite his extreme poverty, Raskolnikov, having embezzled a large sum of money after committing a murder, not only does not spend it, but, in general, seems to forget about its existence. He remains immersed in his ideas and thoughts. For him, as for representatives of the radical youth of that time, only this has value.

However, unlike another novel, “Demons,” in this work the author set as his main goal not to show the terrible face of a populist, ready to step over blood and morality, such as Nechaev. In the image of Raskolnikov, the writer, who himself went through a passion for radical ideas, sought to show a way out for many young people. To do this, Dostoevsky describes in detail the collapse of Raskolnikov’s views, who failed to become a superman.

It is not known for certain whether the writer himself killed anyone, but, in any case, the image of Raskolnikov contains a lot of what the author of the novel himself experienced.

Dostoevsky reliably depicted the moment of repentance, to which his hero then comes, calling on readers to feel what Raskolnikov experienced and, rejecting fashionable ideas of reorganizing society, to follow Christ.

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