Dostoevsky's first great, big novel follows the fortunes of Raskolnikov, a poor college student in St. Petersburg who, in an explosion of rage and resentment, kills an old woman pawnbroker to whom he has had to sell many of his belongings to make ends meet. Much of the novel is devoted to his rationalizations and self-justifications -- his attempts to evade the dictates of conscience -- and his sparring with a police official who is on to him, as well as the near silent pity and understanding of the prostitute Sonia who sees through his mental games as he stumbles his way to his ultimate destiny. | ||
Plot & Themes Time/era of story - 1600-1899 Internal struggle/realization? Yes Struggle over Crime & Police story Yes Story of Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 20's-30's Profession/status: How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 4 () Asia/Pacific Yes Asian country: - Russia City? Yes City: - dirty, grimy (like New York) Writing Style Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |