Who Rodion Raskolnikov is
Rodion Raskolnikov lives in a tiny rented attic room in St. Petersburg, avoiding his landlady because he owes rent. Clever, proud and half starved, he has left university because he cannot afford the fees. Yet his bitterness exists alongside pity, as his impulsive generosity toward Marmeladov's family shows.
What Rodion Raskolnikov wants
Raskolnikov wants more than money, although poverty presses on him and on the people he loves. His article on crime argues that certain extraordinary people may break ordinary rules when their ideas demand it. His plan against the pawnbroker Alyona Ivanovna becomes a test of whether he belongs to that exceptional few.
Rodion Raskolnikov and the others in the story
His friend Razumikhin brings food, finds a doctor and offers practical care that Raskolnikov struggles to accept. His sister Dunya's proposed marriage angers him because he believes she is sacrificing herself partly for his sake. Sonya Marmeladova offers another kind of strength, meeting hardship with faith rather than his proud reasoning.
A best-known line
“I did not bow down to you, I bowed down to all the suffering of humanity.”
Questions
Who is Rodion Raskolnikov?
He is the novel's central character, a poor former student whose theory about exceptional people leads him toward violence.
What does Raskolnikov want to prove?
He wants to prove that he is strong enough to act beyond the rules that bind ordinary people.
Is Raskolnikov entirely cruel?
No, he shows compassion as well as cruelty. He helps Marmeladov's family, even while bitterness and pride pull him away from others.