Raskolnikov is the protagonist of Crime and Punishment. He is an alienated, intelligent young man whose personality jumps aggressively between two very different alternatives. Sometimes, Raskolnikov is kind, attentive, and profound. Other times, he becomes irritable, anxious, and completely different to his former self. The tension between these split personalities fuels Raskolnikov’s anxieties and actions. As the two sides of Raskolnikov’s personality battle, his body and mind break down.

The cold, calculating version of Raskolnikov writes an essay about his theory of crime, claiming that extraordinary individuals should be able to break free from the confines of morality. To prove himself as one of them—in his mind he holds up Napoleon as the exemplar of the great man whose ambition and need to change the world permits the killing of millions—he murders two women: a pawnbroker and her sister. However, the caring, warmer side of Raskolnikov donates everything he has to a grieving family. Far from demonstrating his own extraordinariness and his own worthiness, Raskolnikov only proves how alienated he has become from society, his family, and human connection. Raskolnikov only begins to atone when he publicly debases himself in acknowledgment of his sins, recognizes his love for Sonia, confesses to his crimes, and comes to terms with his own ordinariness.