Crime and Punishment Summary

Plot overview

Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1866 novel, follows Rodion Raskolnikov, a destitute former student in St. Petersburg who murders a pawnbroker he has convinced himself is a parasite on society. The killing takes less than fifty pages. The remaining five hundred belong entirely to what happens inside Raskolnikov's mind afterward: the fever, the guilt that will not stay buried, the encounters with police inspector Porfiry who may or may not already know everything.

Dostoevsky was interested not in whether Raskolnikov would be caught but in whether a human being can truly commit a crime against conscience and walk away intact. The novel's answer unfolds in nightmarish psychological detail, intercut with the lives of the wretched people around Raskolnikov: Sonya, forced into prostitution to feed her family; the alcoholic Marmeladov; his stepdaughter Dunya. St. Petersburg itself feels diseased: the summer heat, the narrow alleys, the crowded tenements, a city pressing on its inhabitants until they crack.

Published in a Russia preoccupied with radical ideas about the rights of extraordinary individuals, the novel was immediately recognized as a profound interrogation of those ideas. It remains one of the most tense and psychologically penetrating novels ever written.

Chapter summaries

1. Chapter 1: The Pawnbroker VisitRaskolnikov wanders feverishly through hot Petersburg, pawns a watch to Alyona Ivanovna, scopes her flat and flees, ending in a tavern to steady himself.
2. Chapter 2: Marmeladov's Confession and HomeRaskolnikov meets the drunken titular counsellor Marmeladov in a tavern; Marmeladov tells his family's humiliations and leads Raskolnikov to his desperate, crowded room.
3. Chapter 3: waking, letter, decisionRaskolnikov wakes ill and brooding, receives a long letter from his mother announcing Dounia’s return and marriage plans, and storms out into the street.
4. Chapter 4: Anguish, Encounter, DecisionRaskolnikov reads his mother's letter, rages against Dounia's proposed marriage, experiences a violent inner debate, and then intervenes with a drunken girl in the boulevard.
5. Chapter 5: Dream, Resolve, Chance MeetingRaskolnikov wanders in a feverish state, dreams of a brutal scene with a starving child and a dead mare, then unexpectedly learns Lizaveta will be away — leaving the pawnbroker alone.
6. Chapter 6: Preparations and CoincidenceRaskolnikov overhears a tavern argument about killing the pawnbroker, falls into a feverish sleep, then readies a concealed axe and burglar-padding before ringing the old woman's doorbell.
7. Chapter 7: Murder at the Pawnbroker'sRaskolnikov breaks into Alyona Ivanovna’s flat and kills her and, unexpectedly, her sister Lizaveta before fleeing in shock.
8. Chapter 1: Awakening and SummonsRaskolnikov wakes feverish, discovers traces of blood, hides stolen goods, receives a police summons and is taken to the station, where fainting and interrogation follow.
9. Chapter 2: hiding the tracesRaskolnikov furtively buries the stolen items, visits Razumikhin, wanders the city in agitation, and collapses into feverish delirium.
10. Chapter 3: waking, visitors, and recoveryRaskolnikov wakes from fever, Razumikhin and others visit, he receives money and new clothes, and briefly plots to escape before falling asleep again.
11. Chapter 4: Zossimov and the Painter CaseIn Raskolnikov’s sickroom Zossimov and Razumikhin discuss the recent double murder and the suspicious painter Nikolay tied to the ear-rings found by Dushkin.
12. Chapter 5: An Intrusive VisitorLuzhin, the pompous suitor, visits Raskolnikov's room; a tense confrontation exposes social ideas and provokes Raskolnikov's fury.
13. Chapter 6: A Walk That Circles BackRaskolnikov leaves home in a feverish calm, wanders the city, confronts people about the murder, and ends up at the pawnbrokers' flat now being cleared.
14. Chapter 7: Marmeladov's Death and AftermathRaskolnikov rescues the mortally injured Marmeladov, who dies at home surrounded by his family; Raskolnikov is moved and reconnects with others.
15. Chapter 1: Family reunion and turmoilRaskolnikov, exhausted and agitated, meets his mother and sister; he rejects Luzhin and Razumikhin vows to watch over him and fetch the doctor.
16. Chapter 2: Razumikhin Visits RaskolnikovRazumikhin wrestles with shame over his drunken behavior, visits Raskolnikov’s lodgings, meets his mother and sister and reads Luzhin’s insulting letter.
17. Chapter 3: Family reunion and tensionRaskolnikov's mother and sister arrive; a strained domestic reunion exposes his odd behavior, arguments about Dounia's marriage, and the Luzhin letter.
18. Chapter 4: Sonia's First VisitSonia Marmeladov timidly visits Raskolnikov's room to report on her father's funeral arrangements and is quietly observed by an unknown gentleman.
19. Chapter 5: Meeting with PorfiryRaskolnikov and Razumikhin visit Porfiry; a tense, teasing interrogation about pledges, Raskolnikov's article, and the murder unsettles Raskolnikov.
20. Chapter 6: Confrontation and TormentRazumikhin defends Raskolnikov against police suspicion; Raskolnikov returns home in a panic, is accused in the street, suffers feverish reveries and awakens to Svidrigailov's arrival.
21. Chapter 1: Svidrigaïlov's VisitSvidrigaïlov unexpectedly visits Raskolnikov, discusses ghosts, Marfa Petrovna, and offers money to break up Luzhin's match with Avdotya.
22. Chapter 2: Visit and ConfrontationRaskolnikov reveals Svidrigaïlov’s visit and legacy; tensions erupt between Luzhin, Dounia, Pulcheria and Raskolnikov, ending in Luzhin’s angry exit.
23. Chapter 3: After Luzhin's RejectionLuzhin's plan to marry Dounia collapses, Svidrigaïlov's strange offer alarms the family, Razumikhin proposes a joint future, and Raskolnikov abruptly leaves, insisting they give him up.
24. Chapter 4: Visit to SoniaRaskolnikov visits Sonia at her shabby lodging, confronts her suffering and faith, confesses his break with family, and hints he knows Lizaveta's killer while Svidrigailov eavesdrops.
25. Chapter 5: Porfiry's Visit and InterrogationRaskolnikov meets Porfiry Petrovitch for questioning; a tense, psychological cat-and-mouse exchange ends with an unexpected interruption.
26. Chapter 6: Confession and False LeadA sudden confession by a prisoner and the appearance of a remorseful witness shift suspicion and leave Raskolnikov both terrified and relieved.
27. Chapter 1: Luzhin's Visit and MotivesPyotr Petrovitch Luzhin frets over his broken engagement, visits Sonia to offer secret charity, and argues with Lebeziatnikov about reformist ideas.
28. Chapter 2: The Funeral DinnerKaterina Ivanovna stages a memorial dinner for Marmeladov that descends into humiliation, quarrels and a final interruption by Luzhin.
29. Chapter 3: The Accusation at the LodgingAt Katerina Ivanovna’s lodgings Luzhin publicly accuses Sonia of theft; Lebeziatnikov defends her and Raskolnikov exposes Luzhin’s motive.
30. Chapter 4: Confession to SoniaRaskolnikov, overwhelmed, tells Sonia he killed Lizaveta and explains his motives, provoking horror, pity and her vow to follow him.
31. Chapter 5: Katerina's Public CollapseKaterina Ivanovna descends into public madness and dies after a chaotic street episode; Sonia, Raskolnikov and others witness and react.
32. Chapter 1: Raskolnikov's RestlessnessRaskolnikov drifts through anxiety and encounters Svidrigaïlov, Sonia's requiem, Razumihin's confrontation, and an unexpected visit from Porfiry.
33. Chapter 2: Porfiry’s Conversation and PropositionPorfiry visits Raskolnikov, alternates between teasing and serious accusation, ultimately urging him to confess while insisting he means well.
34. Chapter 3: Meeting with SvidrigaïlovRaskolnikov impulsively seeks out Svidrigaïlov, confronts him about Dounia, and listens to the stranger's unsettling conversation in a tavern room.
35. Chapter 4: Svidrigaïlov's ConfessionsSvidrigaïlov tells Raskolnikov a frank, drunken account of his past marriages, sexual conquests, and recent betrothal, unsettling Rodion.
36. Chapter 5: Confrontation at Svidrigaïlov'sRaskolnikov and Svidrigaïlov trade threats; Dounia confronts Svidrigaïlov, is threatened, brandishes a revolver, and flees after a tense encounter.
37. Chapter 6: Svidrigaïlov's Night OutSvidrigaïlov wanders through drunken gaiety, makes secretive gifts, endures feverish dreams, rescues a child, and finally shoots himself by the Neva.
38. Chapter 7: Confession and DepartureRaskolnikov visits his mother and sister, admits inner turmoil, declares he will give himself up, and leaves for an unknown fate.
39. Chapter 8: Confession and ArrestRaskolnikov visits Sonia, performs a public act of penance, and finally confesses the murders at the police office.
40. Epilogue I: Siberia and AftermathRaskolnikov serves an eight-year sentence in Siberia while his family copes with illness, death, marriage and Sonia’s faithful correspondence.
41. EPILOGUE II: Illness, isolation, and renewalRaskolnikov endures prison illness and isolation, reflects on guilt and life, then experiences a sudden emotional renewal through Sonia's love.

Characters

• Rodion Romanovich RaskolnikovProtagonist
• Dmitri Prokofych RazumikhinMajor character
• Avdotya Romanovna RaskolnikovaMajor character
• Sofya Semyonovna MarmeladovaMajor character
• Pulcheria Alexandrovna RaskolnikovaMajor character
• Nastasya PetrovnaMinor character
• Pyotr Petrovich LuzhinAntagonist
• Katerina Ivanovna MarmeladovaMajor character
• Porfiry PetrovichMajor character
• Lizaveta IvanovnaMinor character
• Semyon Zakharovich MarmeladovMinor character
• Arkady Ivanovich SvidrigailovMajor character

All 25 characters ›