Crime and Punishment, written by Fyodor Dostoevsky, begins with Rodion (Rodya) Romanovich Raskolnikov, the protagonist, leaving his boardinghouse and entering the streets of St. Petersburg. Rodya is a former student who is poor and dressed in rags. Ironically, he is also very attractive and intelligent. These differing physical and emotional characteristics help to represent the contrasting ideas that Rodya constantly faces. Upon first entering the streets, Rodya begins to think about committing a crime, although he does not yet state what this crime will be. Apparently he has been contemplating this crime for at least the past month. Rodya walks to the home of Alyona Ivanovna, a miserable old woman who is a pawnbroker. He pawns a watch which he receives little money for. Rodya leaves Alyona’s in utter disgust and begins to reminisce about the crime, foreshadowing that his future crime ties back to her. After leaving Alyona’s, Rodya goes to a tavern where he meets the drunk Marmeladov. Rodya escorts Marmeladov home after leaving the tavern and leaves Marmeladov’s wife, Katerina Ivanovna, the spare change in his pocket. This leads the reader to question that perhaps there is some kindness in Rodya’s heart. His action contradicts his violent nature. After leaving Marmeladov’s, Rodya returns home for the evening. Many of the characters thus far have demonstrated a great amount of pride, even though they all come from humiliating situations. Rodya is mentally unstable, Mearmeladov is an irresponsible alcoholic, and Katerina Ivanovna is ill and married her husband out of desperateness, yet they all display much dignity.
Rodya’s maid, Nastasya, wakes him up the next morning. She brings him a letter from his mother, Pulcheria Alexandrovna, in which she explains the suffering Rodya’s sister, Dounia, has undergone from her previous job as a governess. After being publicly humiliated, Pytor Petrovich Luzhin offers Dounia his hand in marriage. Pytor Petrovich wants to...