The image of Rodion Raskolnikov in FM Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. The composition of Raskolnikov in the novel Crime and Punishment (Image and Characteristics) Several conclusions from the novel "Crime and Punishment"


Before talking about a character, his characteristics and image, it is necessary to understand in which work he appears, and who, in fact, became the author of this work.

Raskolnikov is the protagonist of one of the best novels of the Russian classic Fyodor Dostoevsky - Crime and Punishment, which also influenced world literature. Crime and Punishment was released in 1866.

The novel was immediately noticed in the Russian Empire - it caused a wave of outraged, as well as admiring reviews. Dostoevsky's work was almost immediately recognized abroad, as a result of which, the novel was translated into many languages, including English, French and German.

The novel was filmed more than once, and the ideas that Dostoevsky laid down were later used by many world classics.

The image of Raskolnikov

Dostoevsky does not hesitate to describe the key character of his novel, Rodion Raskolnikov, and describes him right from the first chapter. The author shows the main character as a young man who is far from being in the best physical condition - his appearance can be called painful.

For many years Rodion is isolated from the rest of the world, he is gloomy and constantly flies in his own thoughts. Previously, Raskolnikov was a student at a prestigious university, where he studied for a fairly respectable position - a lawyer. But the guy abandons his studies, after which he is expelled from the educational institution.

Raskolnikov is not too picky and lives in a very meager small room, where there is absolutely not a single object that would create comfort in his home. However, the reason for this was also his poverty, which is also hinted at by his long-worn clothes. Rodion has long run out of funds to pay for his apartment and study. However, with all this, Raskolnikov was good-looking - quite tall and in good physical shape, had dark hair and a pleasant face.

Characteristics of Raskolnikov: his ideas, crime and punishment

The hero was very humiliated by the fact that his financial condition left much to be desired. The hero himself, being in a depressed state, plans to commit a crime - to kill the old woman and thereby check whether he can start a new life and benefit society. The hero has the idea that some people are really great, have the right to commit murder, because they are the engine of progress. He considers himself just such a person and he is greatly oppressed by the fact that a great man now lives in poverty.

Raskolnikov considered himself a person “having the right”, but all the other people around were just meat or a means of achieving goals. Murder, he believes, will allow him to reveal himself, test his theory and show whether he is capable of more - to completely change his life. Raskolnikov is even more annoyed by the fact that he is far from being a stupid person, but, on the contrary, is smart enough and has a number of important abilities that every successful entrepreneur possesses. And it is precisely his extremely poor condition and position in society that do not provide an opportunity to realize these abilities.

However, in reality, everything turns out completely differently. In addition to the fact that Raskolnikov kills a greedy old woman, a completely innocent woman dies at his hands. Because of his mistake, the main character cannot accomplish his plans - he does not use the loot and completely withdraws into himself. He is very scared and disgusted by what he has done. At the same time, it is not the murder itself that scares him, but only that his idea has not been confirmed. He himself says that he did not kill the old woman - he killed himself.

After Raskolnikov killed a man, he felt that he no longer deserved to communicate with people. Completely locked in himself, Raskolnikov is on the verge of insanity and does not at all accept the help of his family and friends. The hero's friend is trying to somehow cheer up the young man, but he does not make contact. Raskolnikov believes that he does not deserve the love of people and understands why they are caring for him. The perpetrator longs for no one to love him, and he would not feel any feelings in return either.

After the crime, Raskolnikov seriously changes, if he avoids relationships with loved ones, then he already goes into relationships with strangers without any doubts, and also helps them. For example, she helps the Marmeladov family. At this time, the investigation into the murder committed by Raskolnikov continues. The clever investigator Petrovich continues to search for the killer, and Raskolnikov extremely hopes that he will not fall under suspicion. In addition, the hero tries not only not to catch the eye of the investigator, but also in every possible way confuses the investigation with his actions.

Raskolnikov changes after he met a young girl Sonya Marmeladova, who, like the main character, was at that moment in extremely poor condition. To help the family, Sonya works as a prostitute and has a yellow ticket - a document that allows the girl to officially earn her living. Sonia is only eighteen years old, she believes in goodness and in God. Her family does not even have enough money for food, she gives all the money she earns to food, leaving herself almost a penny. Raskolnikov does not really like the fact that she sacrifices everything - her fate and her body, in order to help others. At first, Sonya's personality causes indignation in Raskolnikov, but very soon the young hero falls in love with a girl. Raskolnikov tells her that he committed the murder. Sonya asks him to repent of his crime - both before God and before the law. However, Raskolnikov does not share her beliefs too much, but, nevertheless, love for the girl makes Raskolnikov repent before God about what he had done, after which he comes to the police and confesses.

Further hard labor, where he finds God. A new life began for him, in which he began to see not only bad, but also good. It was his love for Sonya that made him think that all his idea about different types of people, one of which is "entitled to", and the rest are just consumables, does not make sense at all. Raskolnikov's theory was completely inhuman, because no one and under no motives can dispose of a person's life. Such actions violate all the laws of morality and Christianity.

In the end, Raskolnikov's theory fails, because the hero himself begins to understand that it is devoid of any meaning. If earlier Raskolnikov believed that a person is a trembling creature, then after realizing he realizes that every person deserves the right to life and the right to choose his own destiny. In the end, Raskolnikov realizes that good is the basis of life and doing good to people is much more pleasant than living only in his own interests, spitting on the fate of the people around him.

conclusions

Raskolnikov became a hostage to his position in society. Being a smart enough, capable and educated person, he did not have the opportunities and means to live normally. Strongly upset by his position, Raskolnikov sees no other way how to earn his living at the expense of other people, whom he considers only "meat", material that can be used to achieve his goals. The only thing that makes Raskolnikov again believe in goodness and forget about his crazy ideas is nothing more than love for a girl. It was Sonya Marmeladova who showed the hero that doing good is much better than hurting. Under her influence, Raskolnikov begins to believe in God and repents of his sins. In addition, the hero surrenders to the police on his own and starts a new life.

Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov leaves the university, he does not want to become a family teacher, conversations with his only friend Razumikhin weigh on him, he is imprisoned in his room with a low ceiling. Going out into the street, he tries to avoid meeting the housewife, he tries to go down the stairs unnoticed. The company of other people annoys him. Walking the streets, he tries not to see people coming across to him.

Raskolnikov is ill with cruel misanthropy. Raskolnikov's desire to communicate normally with people is completely overshadowed by this misanthropy. This person, who is so disliked by reality, runs away from it and plunges into fantasies. He is overwhelmed by misanthropy in his heart. Compared to the reality of the present, his illusory reality is more convincing, and it is she who controls his actions. After all, it was not that he burned with a meaningful desire to commit murder, no, at first this murder appeared to him in his fantasies. And this fantasy filled his imagination so much that he could no longer stop himself.

When Raskolnikov in the novel "Crime and Punishment" on the eve of the crime goes "on trial" to the old woman-pawnbroker, he, looking around the room, thinks: "And then, therefore, the sun will shine in the same way!" In fact, at this time he still has doubts about whether he will commit murder, but he speaks of it as if he had already committed it. When he actually commits murder, he is in a sleepwalking state and, in essence, does not remember himself. When he brings up the ax, his actions are ruled by fantasy. We can say that his reality is his fantasies. After the murder, fear takes possession of him, but he feels that this murder was not committed by him, but by someone else.

Murder is the main event of the novel around which the plot is built. But for Raskolnikov himself, it is not decisive, because he himself is in a solid shell of his fantasies, which do not give him the opportunity to realize that he has lost the ability to communicate with the outside world. The realization that he committed murder with his own hands does not become the source of his suffering and torment. Having gone to Siberian exile, at first he thinks of the "murderer" as a completely outsider and does not feel remorse. His feelings - remorse, joy, sadness - have no relation to reality, they are autonomous - and this is precisely the main problem of the hero.

Both Golyadkin from "The Double" and Ordynov from "Mistress" are also loners, who are captive to their fantasies, but, unlike them, Raskolnikov in the novel "Crime and Punishment" has an idea of ​​"justice" - even if it is the justice of his fantasies. He believes that humanity is an overwhelming minority that is allowed everything, and the majority is material for the minority, and therefore a person belonging to a “minority” has the right to violate the norms of the “majority”, and this is “fair”. On this point, Raskolnikov, to a certain extent, agrees with Stavrogin, who preaches Russian messianism and the idea of ​​a God-man.

In real life, we often encounter this type of loner, whose perception and character are different from others, who is not capable of empathy and perceives life in dark colors. As a defense against feelings of disharmony, such a person tries to eliminate his suffering at the expense of some "correct" theory, which supposedly defends some kind of "justice." In psychiatry, this phenomenon is well known: a person is firmly attached to some idea and uses it for his own defense and justification.

Raskolnikov is very eloquent in the monologue substantiation of his "justice". Asserting the right of the strong to protest against the established order, he even more asserts the properties of his nature, suffering from misanthropic irritation and sorrowful discord with the world. Paradoxically, Raskolnikov's idea of ​​justice, which further enhances his loneliness, attracts him to contacts with other people. He is forced to constantly present evidence of the truth of his "justice". His ideas, which serve as a shield for self-defense, support him, but at the same time they are also a weapon for offensive and aggression directed against others.

What prevents people from killing? Commandment "Thou shalt not kill." Therefore, you should trample it. You shouldn't give a damn about her. If you do this, you will be a hero, you will prove your "justice". So I, maybe, will be able to prove my strength. Raskolnikov explains to Sonya his motives in this way: I wanted to prove my heroism and therefore I killed.

And before this novel, Dostoevsky had repeatedly brought singles onto the stage. These characters wanted to find a friend and be saved, destroying the wall of their loneliness, but the matter began and ended in suffering in the "underground", from which they could not get out. And if Golyadkin managed to get out of him, he immediately ended up in a psychiatric hospital. As for Raskolnikov in the novel "Crime and Punishment", he, waving the ax of his "justice", pounces on completely strangers with him. Incapable of empathy, this lonely man makes contact with the world as a criminal through gruesome murder.

"Crime and Punishment" is Dostoevsky's first truly "criminal" work.

An ordinary person who has managed to overcome his internal problems is unlikely to want to re-examine the complex of aggressiveness that Raskolnikov uses for self-defense. The "justice" that the suffering young man speaks of is very often an expression of utter selfishness. And an adult is unlikely to want to look at it again.

But Dostoevsky does not turn his gaze from the tragedy - that terrible and convulsive self-defense that Raskolnikov chose. He explores not only his psychology and inner world, not only the disagreement with the world that torments him, which leads to murder. Dostoevsky also describes in detail the bodily reflexes of Raskolnikov, his physiology. It can be said that the picturesqueness of the description of a young man stricken with a crisis, which has not been seen until now, is achieved precisely through the depiction of his bodily behavior.

"In early July, in an extremely hot time ..." - this is how the novel begins - with a description of a sultry summer evening. The uncertain gait of Raskolnikov, who does not want to return to his closet, his disgust at the stench surrounding him, his strange joy that he experiences from the prophetic words he overheard on the evening St. Petersburg streets, the weight of the ax that outweighs his will ... All these sensations are spelled out with detail and reliability.

The bitter horror of Raskolnikov, who committed the murder, is conveyed to the reader. Having become a murderer, Raskolnikov does not lose his ideas about "justice", but he also cannot get rid of fear. Disobedient hands, chills, from which "teeth almost jumped out", trembling in the knees, constrained breathing, heat throughout the body, tension and cold to pain ... Dostoevsky mercilessly presents the reader with the bodily and physiological details of his hero's behavior.

The power of the impact on the reader of "Crime and Punishment" lies in the consistent description of the smallest changes occurring in the mood, perception, nervous and bodily state of this young man, living in the world of his fantasies.

From the very beginning of his creative activity, Dostoevsky described the life of loners who do not know how to build relationships with others. These are Golyadkin and Ordynov, these are the main characters, on whose behalf the narration of "White Nights" and "Notes from the Underground" is conducted. All of them are incapable of normal and balanced communication and are restless people. Because of this, no one takes them for their own, and they while away their days alone. Describing their loneliness and suffering, Dostoevsky called them "stillborn."

According to Dostoevsky, such “stillborn” are deprived of inner harmony, they are “wounded,” and irritation, discontent and pain constantly ooze from this wound. And although this type passionately dreams of getting rid of disharmony, finding a sense of fusion and peace in relations with other people and with nature, and reviving a sense of belonging, he lacks concern for others and spiritual gentleness. Society weighs on them, they feel themselves in a trap from which they want to escape. Such is this morbid type. His soul is split: he wants sympathy and belonging, but he himself rebelles against them.

Raskolnikov belongs to the same “bifurcated” type of extreme loner. His closet under the very roof of the house is the most suitable place not to see anyone. Yet his fantasies about "justice" do not completely poison him. In his soul there is a dream to escape from his terrible confinement. On the street, he tries to rescue a girl from the clutches of a libertine. He, having met on the stairs in the house of Marmeladov, Sonya's half-sister, Polechka, asks her to pray for herself. When Marmeladov, drunk in the smoke, falls under the carriage, Raskolnikov immediately comes to his aid, recognizing his acquaintance in Marmeladov. That is, in Raskolnikov there is still a deeply hidden sympathy and desire for life. He wants to lend a helping hand, he wants such a hand extended to him. When Porfiry asks him if he believes in a “new Jerusalem”, where all people will be like brothers, Raskolnikov answers in the affirmative without the slightest hesitation. This is the manifestation of his deeply hidden dream of mutual sympathy and help. Just like the hero of Notes from the Underground, he splits in two: he does not want to be like everyone else, but he also wants to feel the warmth of human hands.

Raskolnikov's friend, Razumikhin, sees well his duality. Razumikhin characterizes Raskolnikov as follows: he is a naturally good person, but he also has a coldness that does not allow him to take care of others. "Precisely in him, two opposite characters alternate."

Dostoevsky himself does not discuss with us the question of how correct Raskolnikov's ideas regarding "justice" are. Of course, Dostoevsky knows everything about the "philosophy of the stillborn," and Porfiry ridicules the philosopher Raskolnikov. It was important for Dostoevsky to describe how his hero, this lonely dreamer, is reborn for sympathy, how he frees himself from the captivity of fantasies and returns to life.

In order to show how Raskolnikov is restoring ties with the world, the author brings the prostitute Sonya, a man full of human feelings, onto the stage. It is difficult for other characters (and Raskolnikov's mother too) to say what state he is in now, but Sonya clearly sees his torment arising from his discord with nature and people. Sonya is an uneducated person, and she has no thoughts to debunk Raskolnikov's theories of justice. But she takes pity on him and takes his suffering to heart. When Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment decides whether to confess to him, she tacitly compels him to do so. When he goes into exile in Siberia, she meekly follows him. There is no cure for the ailment that Raskolnikov suffers from, all that remains is to be there and wait - Sonya and Dostoevsky know about this.

And in the epilogue of the novel, we see how Raskolnikov gets rid of his hard-heartedness. For the reader, this epilogue may come as a surprise. Dostoevsky wanted to say that in Raskolnikov - this young man who was in captivity of his thought constructs - human feelings have finally awakened. And now he was reborn for a living life, where there is a place to rejoice and grieve with other people.

Rodion Raskolnikov was very handsome: a tall and slender brunette with beautiful dark eyes. But all his beauty was spoiled by clothes, completely worn out, reminiscent of rags. The hat was especially terrible: faded, all stained.

Raskolnikov is smart, but his state of mind, caused by his extremely poor situation, seems to be insane. Unable to continue his studies, he leaves the university. He stops giving lessons that brought little money. Rodion sees no reason to earn a penny - he wants to immediately become successful and wealthy. Reflecting on the difference between people, Raskolnikov concludes that the main, "gray" mass must live according to the laws, and the chosen, ingenious, people have the right to break the law, even kill another, in order to achieve their lofty goals. Arrogant and proud, he claims to be one of the elect.

For about a month he has been planning the murder and robbery of the old money-giver he is dealing with and whom he considers worthless and disgusting. Thus, he decides to immediately improve his financial situation. Until the last moment, Raskolnikov does not believe that he will really do this, but goes and kills the old woman and her sister, Lizaveta, who returned home at the wrong time.

After committing a crime, Rodion's condition becomes even worse. He spends several days in bed delirious. A friend's concern only annoys him. Communication with a mother and sister who came from their hometown is burdensome. Raskolnikov is suspicious, defiant and proud. But he is sensitive to someone else's misfortune, gives the last, not thinking about himself; kind to people who sacrificed themselves for the good of others, but he is disgusted with the idea that his sister wants to get married, thereby solving his money issue.

Despising the whole of society, Rodion despises himself, since realizes that he did not cope with his plans. He did not leave any actual evidence, but he cannot hide the inner state of the killer. Rodion opens up to Sonya Marmeladova, but does not repent. Finding no other way out, Raskolnikov decides to surrender. In court, such qualities as courage, courage, kindness and concern become known. He once rescued two children in a fire, looked after and helped a seriously ill friend and his family.

He spends his first year of hard labor in his usual sullen frame of mind. Over time, Sonina's devotion and unobtrusiveness help him get out of the oppressed state. He wants to live, he believes in the future.

Although Raskolnikov is a murderer, he evokes a feeling of pity more than condemnation. He is forced to live in a rented wretched room, for which he owes the mistress; Rodion often eats nothing at all, pawns things that are dear to his heart, receiving in return the minimum money at high interest rates. He is obsessed with his obsession with his own right to kill. Constant encounters of human suffering and hopelessness exacerbate his condition. Raskolnikov himself does not admit his sympathy for everyone offended by fate. He makes a huge mistake, but the biggest punishment for him is his own realization of this mistake.

Composition 2

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is one of the most famous Russian writers. His works are famous for characters with a complex inner world who are going through difficult life situations. The most striking example is Rodion Raskolnikov. We all heard about his act, after which his whole life changed, throughout the entire novel we observe the struggle between kindness and malice in him. The novel makes one think about the value of human life and helps to understand whether good and evil can be combined in one person.

Fyodor Mikhailovich filled his novel with a large number of interesting characters, among which we can find similar ones. My favorite is Rodion Raskolnikov. At the beginning of the novel, we meet the main character, he is a former student of poor background. Outwardly, he was remarkably handsome, with beautiful dark eyes, dark Russian, above average height, thin and slender. Rodion looked like an intelligent and well-read man, although he was of poor origin. But in his life came a "black streak", he had problems with money, falling into poverty, he stopped communicating with friends and closed in on himself.

Everything financial situation Fyodor Mikhailovich described with the help of the room where he lived, the author calls it a closet. The hero's dwelling is so poor and small in size that it resembles a wardrobe or a coffin. Although it seems to us at first glance that the main character is alone and has no one, we later learn about his family. Raskolnikov's mother Pulcheria Alexandrovna always considered him an intelligent and talented person, despite all his mistakes. His sister had the same opinion as his mother. The Raskolnikov family paid for Rodion's education from the last money, despite their difficult life situation. After meeting his family, I personally immediately drew a portrait of a worthy person in my head, but is that so? Throughout the novel, we notice in him such character traits as arrogance, pride, lack of communication, gloom and arrogance. Although he has so many bad qualities, there are things in him for which we can respect him, for example, that he was never afraid to have his own opinion and always expressed it. Therefore, after studying all the personality traits of the protagonist, we cannot make a final conclusion about him, whether he is a good person or evil?

Actions speak more about the person, so we will consider all the actions of Rodion Raskolnikov. The plot of the novel takes place on the murder of an old woman-pawnbroker. There is nothing to justify such an act. A person capable of murder is low and cynical, and the reason why Raskolnikov did this is terrible. Taking a person's life to test the validity of his theory tells us that he did not value life as it should. But did Raskolnikov do only bad things? Let's remember the Marmeladov family. After the death of the head of the family, Raskolnikov donated his last savings to them. This act does not allow us to make an unambiguous decision about it. Rodion does good and bad things, so you can't choose just one opinion.

Thus, Rodion Raskolnikov is an excellent example of the fact that a person is able to combine these two extremes in himself. Nobody is ideal, but nevertheless, we should first of all value the life and health of a person, because this is the most precious thing that we have.

Image and characteristics

The novel Crime and Punishment was written in the middle of the nineteenth century by the great writer F.M.Dostoevsky. It is a very psychological and at the same time philosophical work. Dostoevsky describes the psychological state of a person (almost a mental illness) that leads him to a crime and then the subsequent moral torment. Dostoevsky conducted psychoanalysis long before K. Jung and S. Freud.

He described how much the external environment and the attitude of people can put a person (personality) on the brink, how this person tries to break out of this "vicious" circle, fights, but in the end the "demon" wins. Dostoevsky described something like this in his novel about revolutionaries, Demons.

Raskolnikov's thoughts: he will rise above those around him, the mass, only he has the right (to murder). Here Dostoevsky, of course, starts from Nietzsche's theory of the "superman". He describes Raskolnikov as a person who is trying to become a superman through crimes, violating the moral and legal norms of the society in which he lives.

Raskolnikov goes to murder precisely in order to step over all norms and check whether he is capable, "a cowardly creature?" or capable. Raskolnikov is very poor, he lives in a tiny closet that resembles a coffin. This summer is very stuffy and hot, from time to time he gets a fever. It is the surrounding conditions and poverty that push him to crime.

He seeks not to change the world, but his own existence and to challenge life. The youthful romance has completely disappeared from him, poverty, hunger have left no trace of her.

Dostoevsky portrays the image of Raskolnikov not just a villainous murderer, but a doubting, suffering person seeking justice. In addition to the old woman, he accidentally killed her pupil. He is tormented by a feeling of guilt. On this basis, he falls ill, when he wakes up, he will be surprised to find that his affairs are beginning to improve. Mother and sister arrived, as money issues are beginning to be settled. He never used the money of the murdered old woman.

The pangs of conscience make him confess to the murder and be punished. But, it brought him relief. In addition, he found his love for Sonya Marmeladova.

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The image of Raskolnikov in the novel Crime and Punishment

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

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

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

Hero Facts

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 consider some milestones in the biography of the protagonist in more detail:

  1. Rodion Romanovich is described as a poor young man (the hero's age is 23), 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 begging 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, walks in shabby and old clothes, and is forced to live in a pitiful little room, like a closet for mops. The plight of Rodion Romanovich does not allow the hero to continue his studies, pay for the apartment and repay debts.
  4. Despite poverty, Raskolnikov does not accept help from the hands of his best friend, Dmitry Razumikhin, or his mother. The hero regards this as his own weakness, considering accepting help as 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 is the owner of a good education. Marmeladov emphasizes that Rodion is educated, knows German, as he reads "German sheets of the article."

Reading is awesome! 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 blond hair, the same dark eyes and pale skin color. Rodion gives the impression of a sickly person. Raskolnikov walks in old clothes that look so shabby that she was a woman once going to help the young man with alms.

The character and inner world of Raskolnikov

The main character of the work of Fyodor Mikhailovich is distinguished by gloom, isolation and thoughtfulness. Rodion avoids society, he is uncommunicative and shows adherence to Nietzschean philosophy and nihilism. Raskolnikov's gloom contributes to the hero's propensity for self-isolation: what he has in common with people irritates him. The melancholy of the protagonist is combined with irascibility, which sometimes transforms into coldness. Fyodor Dostoevsky describes Raskolnikov as young men with contrasting features: sometimes the coldness of the protagonist reaches inhumanity and even insensitivity. The reader notices that two opposite personalities are fighting in Rodion, who alternately dominate the character of the hero.

Raskolnikov is emotionally restrained, rarely expresses feelings and emotions. The young man avoids society, motivating his own taciturnity with employment. However, the hero's employment 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 pride. These traits are combined with manifestations of pride and vanity. Poverty did not defeat the protagonist, leaving his arrogance and domineering traits alive. Raskolnikov seems to value and exalt himself for no reason.

Education leads to arrogance and self-confidence, as well as seriousness. Meanwhile, Raskolnikov also has positive features that Sonechka Marmeladova saw in the hero. This is generosity and kindness, nobility. The mother of the protagonist 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: Rodion repeatedly helps Sonya with money, and once even gave the last money to a poor widow - for her husband's funeral.

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

Ideological struggle of Raskolnikov

In the context of the characterization of Rodion Raskolnikov, mention should be made of the ideas for which the hero, according to 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 on the face - the influence of the ideas of German philosophy of the late 19th century and Friedrich Nietzsche, in particular. The essence of socio-philosophical ideas is as follows: the hero classified all people into two groups - ordinary people ("trembling creature"), and outstanding personalities, "having the right."

Raskolnikov refers himself, of course, to the "eligible". Connoisseurs of Nietzsche's doctrine of the superman will easily notice that this group of people corresponds to the image of the superman: a rope stretched over an abyss, lightning striking from a thundercloud. Nietzsche thinks of man as a bridge between the animal and the superman.

"Eligible" superhumans are not bound by generally accepted rules. Therefore, having gained an inner confidence in permissiveness, Raskolnikov kills the unfortunate old woman, the hostess 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 the essence of what is always moving away, the ideal is something unattainable. Raskolnikov did not take into account that he was going to destroy the embodied universal evil (according to the hero), hidden in the image of an old woman-usurer, greed and social injustice. But the death of the old woman also led to the death of Lizaveta - an unfortunate old woman who did not cause inconvenience and tried to survive - like the main character himself.

Raskolnikov stole the money, but it turned out to be useless: it was disgusting and disgusting for Rodion to use what was confiscated from Lizaveta. The hero was overtaken by the most terrible punishment, from whose eyes one cannot hide - this is conscience.

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

The now popular writer J.K. 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 for the hero into a crime of moral brink, 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 confesses what he had done.

Raskolnikov reconsiders his own personality, reinterprets himself. The offense contributed to the fact that the hero looked 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 in on himself.

But the fateful event transforms the behavior of the hero - in relation to himself and those around him. Raskolnikov is trying to improve communication with people. The deed awakens feelings in the hero that had been sleeping 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. Rodion helps the widow of the official Marmeladov, saves the girl from violence.

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

Unwillingness to be caught and spend time in prison makes Rodion hide and cheat. The investigation is being conducted by a clever and wise investigator Porfiry Petrovich, while Raskolnikov is spending all his efforts to confuse the investigative work. The need to lie, to pretend, devastates the young man.

The role of Sonechka Marmeladova in the fate of Raskolnikov

By the time of his acquaintance with Sonya, Raskolnikov's condition caused extreme fears. On the one hand, the young man was burdened by his conscience and a vague sense 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 is in Christianity and the return to God.

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

Sonya was 18 years old when the girl met Raskolnikov. Rodion felt a spiritual kinship with Marmeladova, because she, too, was in distress. Poverty, the need to take care of the family, pushed the girl to sell her own body. Prostitution didn’t break Sonya’s spirit and didn’t make the girl less clean in moral terms - this is a paradox. Sonya, despite the hardships of life, managed to keep the light in her soul, which she shared with Raskolnikov. The heroes find the salvation they needed 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 undergoes humiliation, insults, a target for expressing anger from others. The principle of talion is alien to Sonya: rather, a girl lives in accordance with the “golden rule of morality”. The writer, creator of the Crime and Punishment universe, calls the heroine "unrequited." The girl is not characteristic of vindictiveness: the owner of a kind heart and a compassionate soul, Sonya lives by conscience, without losing faith in a bright future and God.

The relationship between Sonya and Raskolnikov is developing gradually. At first, Rodion dislikes 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 affects Rodion. The feelings of the protagonist for Marmeladova cannot be called love, but Raskolnikov understands that he has no one closer to Sonya. He stopped communicating with the Raskolnikov family, and also with a friend. Only a person who himself has gone through similar sufferings and schism is capable of understanding suffering and a split in the soul.

Raskolnikov is struggling with himself. But in this battle there are no winners - only the losers. As a result, exhausted and devastated, Rodion comes to Sonya and reveals the girl's soul and moral wound. 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, attempts to overcome a spiritual split 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 the realization of the path of salvation. Repentance helps you start a new life.

Several conclusions from the novel "Crime and Punishment"

The characterization of the main character of the work - Rodion Romanovich - is placed by the author in the center, in the frame of the novel. This is where the writer's reasoning about the essence of crime and punishment begins.


Kara, punishment does not come at the time of arrest or trial. The offender feels the consequences of the deed, guilt, pressure of conscience immediately after committing the offense. Doubt, isolation, social vacuum, loss of contact with family, torturer-conscience - this is punishment more terrible than hard labor and exile. One cannot hide from conscience, one cannot hide.

The "Crime and Punishment" contains a lesson, what 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 how dangerous philosophy, nihilism, and deviation from the faith threaten.

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment is considered a very complex, psychologically profound work. And the image of the protagonist “helps” him to be such - no less complex, contradictory, multifaceted.

Rodion Raskolnikov is a poor student who came to St. Petersburg to study law at the university. But he dropped out of school, having no financial means. He was so poorly dressed "that another, even a familiar person, would be ashamed to go out into the street in such rags during the day." The room in which Raskolnikov lived was, as the author says, "a closet ... and looked more like a wardrobe than an apartment."

All this was a prerequisite for the current mood of Rodion Raskolnikov. Before us appears a young man "in an irritable and tense state," sullen, pensive. He does not want to communicate with anyone, even with his only friend Razumikhin. “He was crushed by poverty,” the author concludes. Everything around him is unpleasant, disgusting, unbearably disgusting. Even the help of people close to him (mother and friend) seems humiliating to him. Raskolnikov admits to himself that he could get out of the plight: his mother would pay for his studies, and he would earn money for clothes, food and an apartment with lessons. But he no longer wants it. A theory ripened in his head. And here the author cites the lines in which Raskolnikov "... remarkably good-looking, with beautiful dark eyes, dark Russian, above average growth, thin and slender." This contradictory character of the hero emphasizes the complexity of Raskolnikov's character and the explanation of his actions.

Raskolnikov divided all people into "ordinary" and "extraordinary". Some "have the right", while others are "trembling creatures." He ranked himself among the "Napoleons" and decided to check whether he could "resolve the blood according to his conscience." At the same time, the author shows us the mercy of Rodion, when he gives his last money for the funeral of Marmeladov, tries to protect his sister Dunya.

The murder of the old woman-pawnbroker entailed another murder of the completely innocent Lizaveta, the old woman's sister. Raskolnikov was sure that he would make many people happy by taking the life of one. But his theory failed. Immediately after the commission of the crime, Raskolnikov was overcome by fear. He even went into a two-day fever. Raskolnikov was seriously mistaken in his calculations, he could not even use the stolen things, and he did not even imagine. And most importantly, Rodion could not stand the torment of his conscience. He was angry with himself that he could not cross the threshold, which gives "right". He is exposed in a crime quickly enough, and he does not oppose it, on the contrary, he is even glad that everything is over. Now hard labor awaits him.

Rodion went a very long way to repentance. Sonia Marmeladova helped him in this. Already being in hard labor, Raskolnikov understands that there is another life - life through love, a bright feeling, not burdened with anger and despondency. It is here that Rodion receives complete healing of his soul. One chapter is devoted to crime, and five to punishment. The healing of the main character in the epilogue of the novel sounds like a happy ending: "... he was resurrected, and he knew it, he felt it with his whole being renewed."

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