Crime and Punishment Summary: Plot, Characters and Ending
Crime and Punishment follows Rodion Raskolnikov, a poor former student in St. Petersburg who murders an old pawnbroker, convinced that extraordinary people have the right to break moral rules. Instead he is consumed by guilt and paranoia, until the love of Sonya, a young woman who has sacrificed everything for her family, leads him to confess.
Much of the tension comes from his long psychological duel with the investigator Porfiry Petrovich.
| Character | Who they are |
|---|---|
| Rodion Raskolnikov | Impoverished former student |
| Sonya Marmeladova | Gentle young woman supporting her family |
| Marmeladov | Her father, a drunken former clerk |
| Razumikhin | Raskolnikov's loyal friend |
| Dunya | Raskolnikov's sister |
| Pulcheria Alexandrovna | His mother |
| Porfiry Petrovich | Clever investigator |
| Svidrigailov | Dunya's former employer |
| Luzhin | Dunya's arrogant fiancé |
| Alyona Ivanovna | The pawnbroker |
Why does Raskolnikov kill the pawnbroker?
Raskolnikov has dropped out of university and lives in a tiny room, half starving. He has written an article arguing that great men, like Napoleon, may cross moral lines for higher purposes. He meets Marmeladov in a tavern and hears how his daughter Sonya has been forced into a degrading life to feed the family. Raskolnikov learns his sister Dunya is to marry the self-important Luzhin to help him.
He kills the old pawnbroker Alyona with an axe. Her gentle sister Lizaveta walks in unexpectedly, and he kills her too. He escapes with a few trinkets, which he hides under a stone.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens afterward?
Raskolnikov falls into a fever. He faints at the police station and acts so strangely that people begin to suspect him. Marmeladov is run over by a carriage, and Raskolnikov gives the family all his money. He meets Sonya and is drawn to her goodness. His mother and Dunya arrive in the city, and Dunya breaks off with Luzhin.
↑ Back to the topHow does Porfiry pursue him?
The investigator Porfiry Petrovich has read Raskolnikov's article and plays a long game of conversation and hints, sure of his guilt but without proof. A painter confesses falsely, which buys time. Porfiry finally tells Raskolnikov he knows and urges him to confess for his own sake.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens with Sonya and Svidrigailov?
Raskolnikov confesses to Sonya, who is horrified but begs him to give himself up and promises to follow him. Svidrigailov, a sinister man who once pursued Dunya, overhears and tries to use the secret to force himself on her. She resists and shoots at him, and he lets her go. That night Svidrigailov, in despair, ends his own life.
↑ Back to the topHow does Crime and Punishment end?
Raskolnikov goes to the police station and confesses. Thanks to his illness and the good he has done, he is sentenced to eight years of hard labor in Siberia. Dunya marries Razumikhin. Sonya follows Raskolnikov and visits him faithfully. At first he is cold and proud, but after a long illness he realizes he loves her. In the epilogue a new life begins for him, slowly, through love.
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This summary reveals the whole plot, including the ending.