This second part of the book has intrigued me far more than the first part of the book. Looking back on what I have read, it appears that the first part was primarily focused on the plotting of the crime and eventually the crime itself, and the second part will be focused on the punishment. I am surprised, however, that the punishment has not been literal. I expected Raskolnikov to be arrested when he visited the police station, but the only punishment that he seems to have experienced thus far is his own emotional anguish. I suppose this type of punishment can be far worse than any physical punishment, but still it seems that Raskolnikov is getting off fairly easy for murder. I expected for Raskolnikov to feel proud and competent after carrying through with the murder that he had been planning for so long, but he seems only to feel guilty, as evidence of him burying the stolen goods, and delirious from his ongoing hallucinations. I am beginning to predict that Raskolnikov will be the person who tells the truth of the crime. It is obvious thus far that he is incredibly guilt ridden to the point of getting sick, and he seems absolutely desperate to rid his conscious of the crime that he knows that he committed. Overall, this second part of the novel has shown a different, less-confident side of Raskolnikov that I believe will lead to his ultimate capture for the brutal murder he committed.
Like Davis, what surprised me the most out of the second part of the book, is that Raskolnikov's punishment was mental, not physical. It caught me off guard that he was not arrested for the murder. When he received a summon from the police I had thought it would be that he was caught at the crime and be taken away to jail. I also noticed that the first part was just background information leading up the murder and the second part seems to be primarily his thoughts of the crime and how he reacts to it. His paranoia about being caught increases in the first couple of chapters which to me, seemed as foreshadowing to him being caught.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Davis on the fact that Raskolnikovs personality changes drastically from the first part of the book to the second. The first couple of chapters we learned that Raskolnikov was a young and good looking man, but also very full of himself and constantly confident of himself. In this second part, Raskolnikov seems overcome by his insanity and almost helpless because he can not even risk telling anyone the truth because he will have to face serious consequences, so everyone just thinks that he is sick. I also agree with Davis when he says that the emotional punishment Raskolnikov undergoes is far worse than any punishment the government could have imposed on him. Because of that reason, I think Raskolnikov will soon realize that he has to confess to his murder and take responsibility for his actions.
ReplyDelete