The Margin

Person Alexander Grigorievitch Zametov A young clerk connected with the police office, noticed for his fashionable appearance and the rings on his fingers. Person Alyona Ivanovna An old pawnbroker to whom Raskolnikov brings a pledge in the opening chapter. Place Alyona Ivanovna's Flat The fourth-floor lodging where Alyona Ivanovna receives pledges and locks away small valuables. Person Amalia Fyodorovna Lippevechsel The landlady in whose divided flat the Marmeladovs rent their miserable space. Person Andrey Semyonovitch Lebeziatnikov A lodger connected with the Marmeladovs, mentioned in Marmeladov's tavern story as a man of modern ideas and household quarrels. Person Arkady Ivanovitch Svidrigaïlov The master of the household where Dounia served as governess, introduced through scandal in her mother's letter. Person Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikov Raskolnikov's sister, introduced through their mother's long letter. Place Bakaleyev's Lodgings The lodging Razumihin finds for Pulcheria Alexandrovna and Dounia when they arrive in Petersburg. Person Darya Frantsovna A woman named in Marmeladov's account of how Sonia was pushed toward the yellow ticket. Person Dmitri Prokofitch Razumihin An old university acquaintance whom Raskolnikov thinks of when he is desperate for work or help. Event Dounia and Pulcheria Arrive in Petersburg Pulcheria Alexandrovna and Dounia arrive in Petersburg full of hope, fear, and dependence on Raskolnikov's response. Event Dounia's Break with Luzhin At Bakaleyev's, Dounia forces Luzhin into the open over his letter, his insults, and his demand to separate her from Raskolnikov. Person Dr. Zossimov Razumihin's doctor friend, brought into Raskolnikov's sickroom when fever and delirium make ordinary explanations fail. Event Hiding the Stolen Pledges Raskolnikov hides the stolen pledges under a stone instead of using them, counting them, or even fully knowing what he has taken. Person Ilya Petrovitch The assistant superintendent at the police office, nicknamed the Explosive Lieutenant because his temper breaks out suddenly. Event Katerina Ivanovna in the Street After being driven out, Katerina Ivanovna takes the children into the street to perform, clinging to pride, rank, and fantasy while her body fails. Person Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladov Marmeladov's wife, an officer's daughter reduced to poverty, illness, and a room full of hungry children. Person Koch One of the men who comes to Alyona Ivanovna's door while Raskolnikov is trapped inside her flat after the murders. Event Koch and Pestryakov at the Door After the murders, Koch and the student Pestryakov arrive at Alyona Ivanovna's flat and find the door apparently locked. Person Lizaveta Ivanovna The younger half-sister of Alyona Ivanovna, known in the Hay Market as timid, useful, and much imposed upon. Event Luzhin's Accusation Against Sonia Luzhin accuses Sonia of stealing a hundred-rouble note during the chaos around Marmeladov's memorial dinner. Person Madame Resslich A Petersburg woman connected with Svidrigaïlov, first important through the ugly rumours Luzhin repeats about his past. Person Marfa Petrovna Svidrigaïlov The wife of Svidrigaïlov, introduced through Pulcheria Alexandrovna's letter about Dounia as governess. Object Marfa Petrovna's Legacy The three-thousand-rouble bequest Marfa Petrovna leaves to Dounia. Event Marmeladov's Death Marmeladov is run over by a carriage and carried back to his family's room to die. Event Marmeladov's Memorial Dinner Katerina Ivanovna spends scarce money on a memorial dinner for Marmeladov, hoping to preserve rank, ceremony, and public dignity. Place Marmeladov's Tavern The tavern near the Hay Market where Raskolnikov first hears Marmeladov tell the story of his ruined family. Event Marmeladov's Tavern Confession Marmeladov fastens onto Raskolnikov in a tavern and pours out the story of his household: Katerina Ivanovna, the hungry children, Sonia, and the yellow ticket. Person Mitka A painter connected with Nikolay Dementyev in the rooms below Alyona Ivanovna's flat. Person Nastasya The cook and servant in Raskolnikov's lodging house, one of the ordinary people who keep entering his sealed room with food, gossip, and practical attention. Person Nikodim Fomitch The district superintendent who appears during Raskolnikov's summons at the police office. Person Nikolay Dementyev A journeyman house-painter connected with the building where Alyona and Lizaveta are murdered. Event Nikolay's False Confession During Porfiry's pressure on Raskolnikov, the painter Nikolay bursts in and confesses to the murders. Event Overhearing Lizaveta at the Hay Market At the Hay Market, Raskolnikov overhears that Lizaveta will be away from Alyona Ivanovna at a specific hour. Concept Pawnbroking and Pledges The small-credit trade that brings desperate people to Alyona Ivanovna. Person Pestryakov The student who arrives at Alyona Ivanovna's locked door with Koch after the murders. Person Polenka Marmeladov Katerina Ivanovna's eldest little girl, one of the hungry children in the Marmeladov household. Event Porfiry Accuses Raskolnikov Porfiry visits Raskolnikov privately and says plainly that he believes him to be the murderer. Person Porfiry Petrovitch The examining magistrate connected with the pawnbroker case, first approached through Razumihin's circle. Person Praskovya Pavlovna Raskolnikov's landlady, usually felt through debt, avoidance, and household messages rather than direct intimacy. Person Pulcheria Alexandrovna Raskolnikov Raskolnikov's mother, whose letter brings family love, debt, hope, and pressure into his room. Event Pulcheria's Letter The long letter from Pulcheria Alexandrovna that brings Dounia's scandal, Luzhin's proposal, family money, and maternal hope into Raskolnikov's room. Person Pyotr Petrovitch Luzhin The suitor chosen for Dounia, first described in her mother's letter. Event Raskolnikov at the Police Office Raskolnikov is summoned to the police office over a debt, not the murders, but the ordinary summons becomes almost unbearable. Concept Raskolnikov's Article On Crime The article Porfiry says Raskolnikov published while still a student, concerning crime and the mental state of criminals. Event Raskolnikov's Confession to Sonia Raskolnikov tells Sonia that he killed Alyona and Lizaveta. Event Raskolnikov's Illness After the murders, Raskolnikov collapses into fever, delirium, and broken awareness while Nastasya, Razumihin, and Zossimov move around his room. Event Raskolnikov's Public Confession Raskolnikov goes first to the Hay Market, bows down, kisses the earth, and then makes his way to the police office. Event Raskolnikov's Renewal The epilogue leaves Raskolnikov not fully redeemed but newly opened. Place Raskolnikov's Room The cramped room where Raskolnikov lives behind on rent, so small and oppressive that it seems to press his thoughts inward. Event Raskolnikov's Trial The legal reckoning after Raskolnikov's confession, summarized in the epilogue through evidence, testimony, motives, and sentence. Place Razumihin's Room The room Raskolnikov thinks of as a possible refuge when he wants work or help from Razumihin. Person Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov A former student living in extreme poverty in St. Petersburg. Person Semyon Zakharovitch Marmeladov A drunken former official who fastens on Raskolnikov in a tavern and pours out the story of his ruined household. Place Siberia The remote region of punishment where Raskolnikov serves his sentence in the epilogue. Person Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladov Marmeladov's daughter, known first through his tavern confession. Object Sonia's Cross The cross Sonia offers Raskolnikov after his confession. Place Sonia's Lodging The room Sonia rents from the Kapernaumov family on the canal bank. Object Sonia's New Testament The Gospel book associated with Sonia and the Lazarus reading, returning in the epilogue as a physical sign of the faith she has carried beside Raskolnikov. Place St. Petersburg The city around Raskolnikov is not a grand capital but a hot, stifling maze of rented rooms, taverns, police offices, markets, and bridges. Event Svidrigaïlov Traps Dounia Svidrigaïlov lures Dounia to his rooms with knowledge of Raskolnikov's crime, locks the door, and tries to force a moral bargain. Event Svidrigaïlov's First Visit Svidrigaïlov appears unexpectedly in Raskolnikov's room, making a figure from Dounia's letter suddenly physical. Object Svidrigaïlov's Letter to Dounia The private letter in which Svidrigaïlov hints that he knows Raskolnikov's secret and presses Dounia toward a meeting. Place Svidrigaïlov's Lodging The city rooms Svidrigaïlov uses while moving between Sonia, Dounia, Resslich, taverns, and hotels. Event Svidrigaïlov's Suicide After arranging money, wandering through rain, and passing through feverish dreams, Svidrigaïlov shoots himself at dawn. Object The Axe The weapon Raskolnikov imagines and prepares for before the murder, including the loop sewn inside his coat to carry it unseen. Concept The Extraordinary Man Theory The idea that some people stand outside ordinary moral law and may step over blood if their purpose is large enough. Place The Hay Market A crowded district near Raskolnikov's lodging, full of cheap trade, taverns, and chance encounters. Event The Horse-Beating Dream Raskolnikov dreams himself back into childhood, watching a mare beaten to death while a crowd laughs and urges the violence on. Family The Kapernaumov Family The tailor's family from whom Sonia rents her room. Family The Marmeladov Family The ruined household Marmeladov describes to Raskolnikov: Katerina Ivanovna, Sonia, and the hungry children living in dependence on chance money and public shame. Place The Marmeladovs' Lodging The rented room where Katerina Ivanovna, the children, and Marmeladov live under Amalia Lippevechsel's authority. Event The Murders of Alyona and Lizaveta Raskolnikov carries out his plan against Alyona Ivanovna, then kills Lizaveta when she enters unexpectedly. Organization The Police Office The district office where ordinary summonses, debts, complaints, and criminal news meet. Concept The Progressive Commune The cluster of fashionable progressive ideas Lebeziatnikov talks about: communes, free marriage, social utility, and new arrangements meant to replace old morality. Concept The Raising of Lazarus The Gospel passage Sonia reads aloud to Raskolnikov in her room. Object The Stolen Pledges The valuables Raskolnikov takes from Alyona Ivanovna's flat after the murders. Event The Students' Debate on Murder Raskolnikov remembers overhearing a student and an officer argue that killing Alyona Ivanovna could be justified if her money were used for good. Concept The Temporary Insanity Explanation The legal and medical explanation that Raskolnikov's crime came from temporary abnormality rather than ordinary greed. Place The Voznesensky Yard The yard where Raskolnikov hides the stolen pledges under a stone after failing to use or even examine them. Object The Wooden Pledge The false pledge Raskolnikov prepares as a decoy for Alyona Ivanovna. Place The X. Prospect Tavern The tavern where Raskolnikov meets Svidrigaïlov in the late movement of the book. Concept The Yellow Ticket The police registration that marks Sonia as a prostitute and forces her outside respectable household life. Event The Zametov Restaurant Scene Raskolnikov meets Zametov after his illness and plays a reckless game around the murders, money, and suspicion.