
Crime and Punishment
'Crime and Punishment' Summary
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, a former law student, lives in extreme poverty in a tiny, rented room in Saint Petersburg. Isolated and antisocial, he has abandoned all attempts to support himself, and is brooding obsessively on a scheme he has devised to murder and rob an elderly pawn-broker. On the pretext of pawning a watch, he visits her apartment, but remains unable to commit himself. Later in a tavern he makes the acquaintance of Semyon Zakharovich Marmeladov, a drunkard who recently squandered his family's little wealth. Marmeladov tells him about his teenage daughter, Sonya, who has become a prostitute in order to support the family. The next day Raskolnikov receives a letter from his mother in which she describes the problems of his sister Dunya, who has been working as a governess, with her ill-intentioned employer, Svidrigailov. To escape her vulnerable position, and with hopes of helping her brother, Dunya has chosen to marry a wealthy suitor, Luzhin, whom they are coming to meet in Petersburg. Details in the letter suggest that Luzhin is a conceited opportunist who is seeking to take advantage of Dunya's situation. Raskolnikov is enraged at his sister's sacrifice, feeling it is the same as what Sonya felt compelled to do. Painfully aware of his own poverty and impotence, his thoughts return to his idea. A further series of internal and external events seem to conspire to compel him toward the resolution to enact it.
In a state of extreme nervous tension, Raskolnikov steals an axe and makes his way once more to the old woman's apartment. He gains access by pretending he has something to pawn, and then attacks her with the axe, killing her. He also kills her half-sister, Lizaveta, who happens to stumble upon the scene of the crime. Shaken by his actions, he steals only a handful of items and a small purse, leaving much of the pawn-broker's wealth untouched. Due to sheer good fortune, he manages to escape the building and return to his room undetected.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
RussianPublished In
1867Genre/Category
Tags/Keywords
Authors

Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Russia
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, sometimes transliterated as Dostoyevsky, was a Russian novelist, philosopher, short story writer, essayist, and journalist. Dostoevsky's literary works explore human ps...
Books by Fyodor DostoyevskyDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books

Golden Web by E. Phillips Oppenheim
In the heart of South Africa's gold country, a wealthy mine owner named Stirling Deane finds himself entangled in a web of deception and danger. When...

Späte Rache by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
In diesem Roman von Arthur Conan Doyle treffen wir zum ersten Mal auf den genialen Detektiv Sherlock Holmes und seinen treuen Freund Dr. Watson. Die G...

Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes
"The story is about a Jack the Ripper-type murderer known only as "The Avenger" in London, who has been killing young blonde women. Meanwhile, a myste...

House by the Lock by Alice Muriel Williamson
The discovery of a body in a creek near the imposing 'House by the Lock' sets Noel Stanton on a quest to unravel a perplexing mystery. He suspects Car...

Letter, A Play in Three Acts by W. Somerset Maugham
Set in colonial Malaya, "The Letter" follows Leslie Crosbie, the wife of a plantation manager. Accused of shooting a man who she claims attempted to a...

Belinda by Maria Edgeworth
When Belinda was published in 1801, it became both controversial and popular. Controversial because of the inter-racial marriage presented in the nove...

O Primo Bazilio by José Maria de Eça de Queirós
Em uma Lisboa do século XIX, onde aparências e segredos moldam vidas, José Maria de Eça de Queirós nos presenteia com "O Primo Basílio". Neste clássic...

The Fortunes of Nigel by Sir Walter Scott
During the turbulent moment in English history involving King James 1 and 6, Nigel Olifaunt, a Scottish lord, seeks to protect his family home and hol...

Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne by Ann Radcliffe
Set in the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands, "Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne" delves into a tale of love, betrayal, and the relentless pursuit...

The Man Who Knew Too Much by Gilbert K. Chesterton
Robbery, murder and treason. Strange happenings in quiet English villages. A book critic who happens to find a corpse with its head crushed, an Irish...
Reviews for Crime and Punishment
No reviews posted or approved, yet...