Crime and Punishment

“I wanted to become a Napoleon, that is why I killed her…”

Part 1

Rodion Raskolnikov, a destitute former student in St. Petersburg, plans to murder Alyona Ivanovna, a cruel pawnbroker. After meticulous preparation, he kills her with an axe but is forced to also kill her half-sister Lizaveta, who unexpectedly returns. He steals a few items but leaves most valuables behind, fleeing in a state of panic.

Part 2

Raskolnikov falls into a feverish delirium, barely concealing his guilt. He hides the stolen goods under a rock and is tormented by paranoia. Meanwhile, his sister Dunya is being pressured into a marriage with the wealthy but manipulative Luzhin. Raskolnikov receives a summons from the police but learns they only want to question him about unpaid debts.

Part 3

Raskolnikov meets the cunning investigator Porfiry Petrovich, who subtly probes his psychology. Dunya and their mother Pulcheria arrive in St. Petersburg. Raskolnikov defends Sonya Marmeladova, a young prostitute, from Luzhin’s accusations, deepening his connection with her. Porfiry’s psychological games intensify Raskolnikov’s unease.

Part 4

Svidrigailov, Dunya’s former employer with dark intentions, arrives in the city. Raskolnikov confesses the murder to Sonya, who urges him to publicly repent. Luzhin attempts to frame Sonya for theft to discredit Raskolnikov but fails. Svidrigailov reveals he knows Raskolnikov’s secret and stalks Dunya.

Part 5

Katerina Ivanovna, Sonya’s consumptive stepmother, spirals into madness after her husband’s death and dies in the streets. Svidrigailov, after a haunting encounter with Dunya, commits suicide. Raskolnikov, emotionally shattered, visits Sonya again, and she gives him a cross, urging him to confess.

Part 6 and Epilogue

Raskolnikov confesses to Porfiry but isn’t immediately arrested. After wandering the city in anguish, he publicly kneels in repentance at a square. He is sentenced to eight years in Siberia, where Sonya follows him. Initially aloof, Raskolnikov eventually embraces love and faith, beginning his moral redemption.

Key ideas

• The psychological torment of guilt and the possibility of redemption
• The conflict between nihilistic rationalism and moral conscience
• The suffering of the impoverished in 19th-century Russia
• The transformative power of love and sacrifice
• The dangers of utopian ideologies divorced from human nature

Notable Adaptations