Which Dostoevsky novel features Rodion Raskolnikov as its protagonist?

Rodion Raskolnikov is the protagonist of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment.

Published in 1866, Crime and Punishment follows Raskolnikov, a poor former student living in Saint Petersburg. He develops a theory that extraordinary individuals may be entitled to transgress ordinary moral laws, then commits a murder to test that idea. The novel traces the psychological consequences of the crime and the gradual movement toward confession and moral recovery.

Raskolnikov’s name is related to the Russian word raskol, meaning schism or split, which reflects the character’s divided thinking. His intellectual argument conflicts with his conscience, compassion, and need for human connection. Sonia Marmeladova, Porfiry Petrovich, and Raskolnikov’s sister Avdotya are among the figures who shape his path.

The novel is often described as both a psychological crime story and a philosophical examination of guilt. Its title joins the legal consequence of punishment with the inner suffering that begins before any formal sentence is imposed.