# Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikova — Crime and Punishment character guide

> Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikova in Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Dounia, Avdotya Romanovna

**First appearance:** 0001-crime-and-punishment

## Snapshot

Raskolnikov's proud, clear-eyed sister, who has already survived humiliation at the Svidrigailov estate and now weighs a loveless marriage to save her family.

## Who they are

Dounia arrives in Petersburg prepared to marry the pompous Luzhin not for love but for her brother's future, a sacrifice she makes with open eyes and clenched teeth. She is no passive martyr: she reads people quickly, resents being managed, and when Svidrigailov resurfaces with his unsettling attentions, she refuses to be anyone's prey. Her fierce loyalty to Raskolnikov and her refusal to be bought give the novel its sharpest portrait of dignity under pressure.

## Relationships

### [Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters/rodion_romanovich_raskolnikov)

_family_

Dunya is Raskolnikov's devoted and strong-willed sister, whose love for him is profound but strained by his actions and her own sacrificial intentions.

### [Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters/arkady_ivanovich_svidrigailov)

_psychological_

Svidrigailov is Dunya's obsessed former employer and pursuer, using manipulation and threats in a twisted attempt to possess her.

### [Dmitri Prokofych Razumikhin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters/dmitri_prokofych_razumikhin)

_romantic_

Dunya and Razumikhin develop a deep, mutual love and respect, with Razumikhin's steadfast loyalty winning her affection after she rejects Luzhin.

### [Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters/rodion_romanovich_raskolnikov)

_family_

Dunya is Raskolnikov's devoted and strong-willed sister, whose love for him is profound but strained by his actions and her own sacrificial intentions.

### [Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters/rodion_romanovich_raskolnikov)

_family_

Dunya is Raskolnikov's devoted and strong-willed sister, whose love for him is profound but strained by his actions and her own sacrificial intentions.

### [Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters/arkady_ivanovich_svidrigailov)

_psychological_

Svidrigailov is Dunya's obsessed former employer and pursuer, using manipulation and threats in a twisted attempt to possess her.

### [Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters/arkady_ivanovich_svidrigailov)

_psychological_

Svidrigailov is Dunya's obsessed former employer and pursuer, using manipulation and threats in a twisted attempt to possess her.

### [Dmitri Prokofych Razumikhin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters/dmitri_prokofych_razumikhin)

_romantic_

Dunya and Razumikhin develop a deep, mutual love and respect, with Razumikhin's steadfast loyalty winning her affection after she rejects Luzhin.

### [Dmitri Prokofych Razumikhin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters/dmitri_prokofych_razumikhin)

_romantic_

Dunya and Razumikhin develop a deep, mutual love and respect, with Razumikhin's steadfast loyalty winning her affection after she rejects Luzhin.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters/avdotya_romanovna_raskolnikova
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters