Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
Encyclopedia
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is the fictional protagonist
of Crime and Punishment
by Feodor Dostoyevsky. The name Raskolnikov derives from the Russian raskolnik meaning "schismatic" (traditionally referring to a member of the Old Believer movement
). The name "Rodion" comes from Greek, which means a dweller of Rhodos island.
Raskolnikov is a young ex-student of law living in extreme poverty
in Saint Petersburg
. He lives in a tiny garret
which he rents, although due to a lack of funds has been avoiding payment for quite some time (he claims the room aggravates his depression
). He sleeps on a couch using old clothes as a pillow, and due to lack of money eats very rarely, although the landlady sometimes sends her servant into his room with food. He is frequently referred to as a former student because he doesn't have the money to finish his education. Emotionally, physically (due to lack of food) and financially stressed, his behaviour in public becomes progressively more erratic through the book as madness gradually consumes him. Raskolnikov fluctuates between extremes of altruism
and apathy
. He is described by the narrator as "extremely handsome" and many other characters in the work state that he is very intelligent.
, Alyona Ivanovna, with an axe he stole from a janitor's woodshed, with the intention of using her money for good causes, based on a theory he had developed of the "great man". Raskolnikov believed that people were divided into the "ordinary" and the "extraordinary": the ordinary are the common rabble, the extraordinary (notably Napoleon or Muhammad
) must not follow the moral
codes that apply to ordinary people since they are meant to be great men. An extraordinary man would not need to think twice about his actions. Raskolnikov had been contemplating this theory for months, only telling it to his (now deceased) fiancée. (Although earlier, he had written an article along those lines in a journal
on the condition that only his initials be used as attribution). Raskolnikov believes himself to be one of these extraordinary men and is thus "allowed" to commit murder
. However, his plan goes wrong; before he is able to make his escape from the pawnbroker
Alyona Ivanovna's flat, her meek-tempered half-sister (Lizaveta Ivanovna) arrives and stumbles across the body. Raskolnikov, in a panic, murders the pawnbroker's sister as well, a crime which, for some reason, does not weigh on him anywhere near as heavily as the initial murder. Although, the fact of the murders themselves does not particularly torment him. What torments him is the fact that he has "transgressed", and that he was not able to be the "great man" he had theorized about.
Raskolnikov finds a small purse on Alyona Ivanovna's body, which he hides under a rock outside without checking its contents. His grand failure is that he lacks the conviction he believed to accompany greatness and continues his decline into madness. After confessing to the destitute, pious prostitute
Sonia Semyonovna Marmeladova, she guides him towards admitting to the crime, and he confesses to Ilya Petrovich, a police lieutenant with an explosive temper (the book implies the policeman suspected him from the start). Raskolnikov is sentenced to exile
in Siberia
, accompanied by Sonia, where he begins his mental and spiritual rehabilitation.
, Peter Lorre (1935)
in the Hollywood version [Josef von Sternberg] and by John Simm
(2002), Crispin Glover
(2002) and Ilya Kremnov (2005). The character of Michel in Robert Bresson
's Pickpocket
(1959) is based on Raskolnikov. Paul Schrader
who wrote Taxi Driver
(1976) was in turn inspired by Bresson's Michel character to create Travis Bickle, Robert de Niro's antihero.
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866. It was later published in a single volume. This is the second of Dostoyevsky's full-length novels following his...
by Feodor Dostoyevsky. The name Raskolnikov derives from the Russian raskolnik meaning "schismatic" (traditionally referring to a member of the Old Believer movement
Old Believers
In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers separated after 1666 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66...
). The name "Rodion" comes from Greek, which means a dweller of Rhodos island.
Raskolnikov is a young ex-student of law living in extreme poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. He lives in a tiny garret
Garret
A garret is generally synonymous in modern usage with a habitable attic or small living space at the top of a house. It entered Middle English via Old French with a military connotation of a watchtower or something akin to a garrison, in other words a place for guards or soldiers to be quartered...
which he rents, although due to a lack of funds has been avoiding payment for quite some time (he claims the room aggravates his depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
). He sleeps on a couch using old clothes as a pillow, and due to lack of money eats very rarely, although the landlady sometimes sends her servant into his room with food. He is frequently referred to as a former student because he doesn't have the money to finish his education. Emotionally, physically (due to lack of food) and financially stressed, his behaviour in public becomes progressively more erratic through the book as madness gradually consumes him. Raskolnikov fluctuates between extremes of altruism
Altruism
Altruism is a concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures, and a core aspect of various religious traditions, though the concept of 'others' toward whom concern should be directed can vary among cultures and religions. Altruism is the opposite of...
and apathy
Apathy
Apathy is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation and passion. An apathetic individual has an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical or physical life.They may lack a sense of purpose or meaning in...
. He is described by the narrator as "extremely handsome" and many other characters in the work state that he is very intelligent.
Plot role
In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov murders a pawnbrokerPawnbroker
A pawnbroker is an individual or business that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral...
, Alyona Ivanovna, with an axe he stole from a janitor's woodshed, with the intention of using her money for good causes, based on a theory he had developed of the "great man". Raskolnikov believed that people were divided into the "ordinary" and the "extraordinary": the ordinary are the common rabble, the extraordinary (notably Napoleon or Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
) must not follow the moral
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
codes that apply to ordinary people since they are meant to be great men. An extraordinary man would not need to think twice about his actions. Raskolnikov had been contemplating this theory for months, only telling it to his (now deceased) fiancée. (Although earlier, he had written an article along those lines in a journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
on the condition that only his initials be used as attribution). Raskolnikov believes himself to be one of these extraordinary men and is thus "allowed" to commit murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
. However, his plan goes wrong; before he is able to make his escape from the pawnbroker
Pawnbroker
A pawnbroker is an individual or business that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral...
Alyona Ivanovna's flat, her meek-tempered half-sister (Lizaveta Ivanovna) arrives and stumbles across the body. Raskolnikov, in a panic, murders the pawnbroker's sister as well, a crime which, for some reason, does not weigh on him anywhere near as heavily as the initial murder. Although, the fact of the murders themselves does not particularly torment him. What torments him is the fact that he has "transgressed", and that he was not able to be the "great man" he had theorized about.
Raskolnikov finds a small purse on Alyona Ivanovna's body, which he hides under a rock outside without checking its contents. His grand failure is that he lacks the conviction he believed to accompany greatness and continues his decline into madness. After confessing to the destitute, pious prostitute
Hooker with a heart of gold
The hooker with a heart of gold is a stock character in which a "fallen woman", usually a prostitute, is a kindly and internally wholesome person.-Characteristics:...
Sonia Semyonovna Marmeladova, she guides him towards admitting to the crime, and he confesses to Ilya Petrovich, a police lieutenant with an explosive temper (the book implies the policeman suspected him from the start). Raskolnikov is sentenced to exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, accompanied by Sonia, where he begins his mental and spiritual rehabilitation.
In film
In film he was portrayed for the first time by Grigori Chmara (1923) in the silent adaptation by Robert WieneRobert Wiene
Robert Wiene was an important film director of the German silent cinema.Robert Wiene was born in Breslau, as the elder son of the successful theatre actor Carl Wiene. His younger brother Conrad also became an actor, but Robert Wiene at first studied law at the University of Berlin. In 1908 he also...
, Peter Lorre (1935)
in the Hollywood version [Josef von Sternberg] and by John Simm
John Simm
John Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television...
(2002), Crispin Glover
Crispin Glover
Crispin Hellion Glover is an American film actor, director and screenwriter, recording artist, publisher, and author. Glover is known for portraying eccentric people on screen such as George McFly in Back to the Future, Layne in River's Edge, unfriendly recluse Rubin Farr in Rubin and Ed, the...
(2002) and Ilya Kremnov (2005). The character of Michel in Robert Bresson
Robert Bresson
-Life and career:Bresson was born at Bromont-Lamothe, Puy-de-Dôme, the son of Marie-Élisabeth and Léon Bresson. Little is known of his early life and the year of his birth, 1901 or 1907, varies depending on the source. He was educated at Lycée Lakanal in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, close to Paris, and...
's Pickpocket
Pickpocket (film)
Pickpocket is a 1959 film by the French director Robert Bresson. It starred Martin LaSalle, who was a nonprofessional actor at the time, in the title role, with Marika Green as the ingénue...
(1959) is based on Raskolnikov. Paul Schrader
Paul Schrader
Paul Joseph Schrader is an American screenwriter, film director, and former film critic. Apart from his credentials as a director, Schrader is most notably known for his screenplays for Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Raging Bull....
who wrote Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver is a 1976 American drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. The film is set in New York City, soon after the Vietnam War. The film stars Robert De Niro and features Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel, and Cybill Shepherd. The film was nominated for four Academy...
(1976) was in turn inspired by Bresson's Michel character to create Travis Bickle, Robert de Niro's antihero.
See also
- DespairDespair (novel)Despair was written by Vladimir Nabokov and originally published as a serial in Sovremennye Zapiski during 1934. It was then published as a book in 1936 and later translated to English by the author in 1937. Most copies of the 1937 English translation of the book were destroyed by German bombs,...
- novel by Vladimir Nabokov