Exploring the Character of Raskolnikov: Crime and Punishment Protagonist

Fyodor Dostoevsky is known for provoking work on literature that questions the duality of human beings and helps us to understand the deep psychological aspect of the mind. Dosteovsky’s one of the popular works is “Crime and Punishment,” which loosely goes with the life of the writer and explores the psychological meltdown one witnesses in a situation of crisis.

In this blog, we will explore the psychological impact of the character Raskolnikov, who is the main protagonist of the novel. Here, we will understand the character shades of the protagonist and, through that, understand what the story conveys and holds a mirror to the depth of human character.

A Short Guide to the Novel

“Crime and Punishment” is a novel that revolves around the protagonist, Rodion Raskolnikov, a former student who is dealing with poverty and then murders in a scenario. Then it follows the journey of the character where he felt guilt, a moment of alienation from society, and finally redemption, which completes the character arch and thus tells a story more about the inner turmoil a person goes through when they go against their morals.

A person can use the Kindle scribe templates to get the best character arch from the story and also to prepare a list where one can explore similar philosophical dilemmas a person explores in the process.

Raskolnikov’s Conflict Between Morality and Ego

The protagonist is proud of his education and develops a high sense of intellect, which later boosts his ego. While committing the crime, this sense of ego and the ability to transcend beyond moral boundaries has pushed him to rationalize the heinous act.

However, the inherent sense of right and wrong slowly starts to surface, and that creates a constant inner conflict that somehow paralyzes Raskolnikov psychologically and shows the inner thought process which majority of us feel when we are involved in some ethically wrong act.

A Downhill Into Guilt and Paranoia

After the murder, their conscience of Raskolnikov starts to emerge, and thus, that leads to the overwhelming guilt he starts to face. It totally hijacks their rational and superior intellect, which has helped him to commit the crime.

Raskolnikov starts to crumble under the impression of discovery, and that leads to paranoia where he second-guesses everything, and caught in disbelief, and losses the sense of self. The psychological breakdown made him question his motivations, thus putting his belief system under scrutiny.

Now, to read such novels, one can allocate a monthly budget to purchase these books and complete one or twice each month.

How Sonya Helped in Raskolnikov’s Redemption

Sonya is one such character whom Raskolnikov met in the Marmeladov household and learned how she was forced into prostitution for money. As their relationship starts to deepen, the character Sonya becomes the spiritual guide of the protagonist, who helps.

Raskolnikov to get back his faith. It allows our protagonist to face the truth and confront the guilt. Thus, in the process, the whole character arch of the protagonist starts to complete as he finally achieves eventual redemption.

“Crime and Punishment” is a masterpiece of Doestovesky and shows the inherent nature of human and how gullible we are no matter the superficial layering we go through in society.