Marmeladov

Semyon Zakharovich Marmeladov is a dismissed government clerk with a ruined taste for drink and a soft, hurting heart. He talks too much when he is drunk, telling strangers the story of his fall with a strange mix of pride and shame. He knows exactly how low he has sunk, yet he keeps sinking. His coat is thin, his shoes are worn, and his words are full of self-accusation and sudden bursts of feeling.

What makes him moving is his love for his family—especially his daughter, Sonya—and his belief that suffering might still be met with mercy. He is not a villain; he is a weak man who sees his own weakness all too clearly. He begs forgiveness even as he breaks promises, and he asks for pity not only for himself but for all who stumble. Through Marmeladov, the book shows how poverty and addiction strip a person bare, leaving behind a voice that still longs to be seen as human.