Part 4: chapter 4-6 and part 5 chapter 1 - 2

Wendell Pfeffer

1/2/14

            Luzhin finally demonstrates his true character to not only Raskolnikov, but to everyone including Dunia. Luzhin thought that he was in command due to the extraordinary amounts of money he possesses but that doesn’t seem to be the case. After it became evident how bad of a man he truly was Dunia flat out canceled the marriage and rejected him. Luzhin was left particularly astonished because he never would have thought that she would leave him. I personally am glad that this happened because I wouldn’t want such a good looking and nice girl like Dunia to marry some rich arrogant business owner. In addition she shares no similarities to Luzhin the only thing she was attracted to was her money. The reason he acted out was because he thought he wasn’t getting the attention he thought he deserved. He never loved Dunia he just wanted a girl that was poor so that the girl will remain forever in debt to him and he thought Dunia was perfect. Now that he lost her he is left to ponder, blame Raskolnikov for what has happened and regret why he ever acted out in such a bizarre manner. Aside from that everything seems to be looking good because Dunia didn’t even need Luzhins money in the first place because she was going to be given a thousand rubles if I’m correct from someone’s inheritance. However, things don’t seem to be looking so great for Raskolnikov. His mind is restless now that he knows people are suspicious of him, he fears for his freedom. When Dunia discusses plans for the future he leaves and tells them he is never coming back and when he leaves Razumkhin chases after him and he tells him the truth that he was the one who did it. I don’t know why he would tell Razumkhin that I would have invented some bullshit excuse to why I was leaving, it just increases his risk and instead of leaving he goes and sees Sonia whom I just learned is a friend of Lizaveta. He visited her because he wanted a companion when he left and there’s no better companion then a woman beside you. But I still think it was a bad idea on his part to visit her because like I said earlier with Razumkhin it just creates more suspicion. Also I don’t see why Raskolnikov says he is going to leave when he goes and visits Sonia and then goes to the police station to see Porfiry, if I were in his situation I would have disappeared a long time ago. When he goes and visits Porfiry I was amazed how he didn’t confess he committed the murder. Porfiry was tormenting his mind with nonsense and never seemed to get to the point. He was playing with Raskolnikovs mind, but it was still not good enough for him to confess his crime. The part that astounded me in this chapter was when another man named Nikolay admitted to committing the murder when it was Raskolnikov who did it. This part makes no sense to me because why would he admit to killing Lizaveta and the pawnbroker? Does this also mean that Raskolnikov is off the hook, is he even going to get punished physically or is the punishment side of the book his mental anguish?

Part 5: Chapter 1 - 4

It became evident at the beginning of this section the true nature of Luzhin. I originally thought that Raskolnikov was just being paranoid in thinking that he just wanted to marry his sister for social standing, not out of true love. When the engagement is broken off, Luzhin immediately ages about all of the money he lost on the wedding and fixtures for their new house and life together. This shows that he did not truly care about Dunya, as Raskolnikov suspected. The entire affair of the funeral I thought to be very strange. It did not appear to have the atmosphere that one would expect at a funeral, one of sadness and grief. Instead, this funeral seemed to be focused around class distinction. Raskolnikov paid for most of the funeral, but it was Katerina who spent the entire time insulting the people who attending Marmeldadov’s memorial for their lowly social standing when compared to her. Furthermore, the incident with the money regarding Luzhin and Sonya confused me. Not only did this part seem completely irrelevant to the plot of the story as a whole, but I did not truthfully understand what was going on. From what I gathered from my analysis, Luzhin slipped a bill into Sonya’s pocket while she wasn’t looking to make her and Raskolnikov look like stupid thieves. This obviously is not true and then Lebezyatnikov clears the whole matter confirming that Luzhin was lying about the entire affair. This seemed to be the end of Luzhin’s admiration by the community as everyone has just seen him not only lie and try to humiliate two others, but embarrass himself in futile attempts to clear his name. This portion of my reading ended in rather a surprising note, Raskolnikov’s confession of the crime to an understanding Sonya. This incident seemed to be evidence of Raskolnikov’s mental health reaching a more stable point as discussed in my last few blog entries. He seems to trust Sonya enough to admit to something that he has been zealously trying to conceal, showing that he truly cares about her. His reasoning for the crime, never really explained in the early “crime” of the book, is said to be that he wished to prove that he was able to go against all moral codes that bind society like Napoleon. Sonya seems to believe that the entire affair is relating to Raskolnikov’s meek faith and connection to God. I end this reading anticipating that Raskolnikov will turn himself in as Sonya suggested, a very surprising plot twist. 

Connection to Notes from the Underground

After starting Notes From the Underground, I immediately saw similarities between  Raskolnikov and the speaker in NFTU. When the narrator says that he is ill think back to the mental state of Raskolnikov and how it is hard to really understand some of his actions. Both illnesses are obviously mental and knowing that NFTU was the basis for a lot of Dostoevsky’s ideas in his later works can’t help me from attaching those ideas onto Raskolnikov. The speaker in NFTU is intelligent or described as conscious, and I don’t think Dostoevsky would create Raskolnikov as a man of acute consciousness. Like the narrator, Raskolnikov thoroughly contemplates his thoughts and it is hard for him to have consistent  characteristics. When the narrator from NFTU describes his corner and it being disheveled I couldn't help but think of the way Raskolnikov, because I picture him up in his little room just thinking and driving himself mad. 

I am almost certain that Raskolnikov has the disease of consciousness. The line from NFTU, “The more conscious I was goodness and all that was “sublime and beautiful”, the more deeply I sank into my mire and the more ready I was to sink altogether” I feel like is a perfect portrayal or Raskolnikov. I think this feeling to do “such ugly things” festered in Raskolnikov witch ultimately lead to him becoming a murderer. Maybe whats making Raskolnikov so sick is that he actually does not feel bad for what he’s done, and that is the true guilt he is feeling. The NFTU speaker says he felt “despicable enjoyment” returning to his corner knowing that he has “committed a loathsome act again”. He would inwardly be “tearing and consuming himself until that bitterness turned into a sort of shameful accursed sweetness”. That is some deep, dark, and twisted stuff and makes me think that Dostoevsky has killed someone or done something of that sort. Aside from that those lines could not more perfectly describe Raskolnikov. Basically being torn and tormented internally because you don’t feel the guilt you should. It kind of reminds me when Raskolnikov at times seems proud at himself for getting away with the murder. It also makes me question what makes Raskolnikov or the narrator feel enjoyment for things that “should” cause them guilt. I hope all these connections are true because I feel like I am reading Crime and Punishment completely with new understanding of Raskolnikov’s complex character.  

Part 4 chapters 1-3

         Every time Raskolnikov says something out of the ordinary, Razumikhin always analyzes it or has to "think for a moment." After the first incident with Porfiry, in part 3, I thought  Razumikhin had started to put two and two together. In chapter 2 of part four, Raskolnikov tells Razumikhin that he truly believes he is crazy and that certain events have happened because it was his imagination. When Razumikhin told Raskolnikov about his encounter with Porfiry, he claimed that he did not agree with their accusations about Raskolnikov. It seemed as if Razumikhin was in denial about Raskolnikov. So far, Razumikhin can be described Raskolnikov's true friend. No matter what Raskolnikov does or says, Razumikhin somehow manages to forgive him and still care for him. When Raskolnikov asks him to take care of his family and watch for Svidrigailov, Razumikhin does is quick to offer his services. Even though Razumikhin's beliefs are different that those of Raskolnikov's, he does not judge Raskolnikov and does not try to anger him too much. I can tell that Razumikhin really does care for Raskolnikov and would be hurt if anything happened to him. At the end of their dinner with Dunya, Raskolnikov's mother, and Luzhin, Raskolnikov randomly decides to leave and tell them it might possibly be the last time they see him. At this, Razumikhin and Raskolnikov's family are in shock. It really was at random. To me it did not make any sense why he would just randomly decide to leave until Razumikhin left to catch up with Raskolnikov. At the end of chapter 3, Raskolnikov and Razumikhin exchange glances and at that moment, Razumikhin realized Raskolnikov was in fact the murderer. Even after this knowledge, Razumikhin does what Raskolnikov asks him to do and covers for Raskolnikov. 
     In these last three chapters, I realized how strange Luzhin truly is. Now I agree with Raskolnikov and Razumikhin. On his way to the dinner, Luzhin wondered if he should just turn around and not continue with the dinner but decides to stay. I found that really strange. Luzhin also makes himself seem under control and well behaved, but when something does not go his way, he cracks. When he realizes that Razumikhin was the one who picked up Dunya and her mother, he is not pleased. When it mentioned that Luzhin had a punishment planned for Dunya and her mother, it made me question what sort of man he is. He claims he is respectful and trustworthy but he his under certain "instructions" and then insults everyone at the dinner. This is not how I first pictured him. When the book first introduced him, I thought he was behaving a certain way because he was arrogant and that it was not really out of the ordinary but as he continued to be a problem with the characters, it was obvious something was bound to happen. 

Reaction Part 4 Ch 1-3

   In Part 4, more people begin to catch onto Raskolnikov and suspect him as the murder of Alyona. What caught my attention the most from the start of Part 4 was Razumikhin and his attitude towards Raskolnikov and his situation. Razumikhin is present during the conversation between Raskolnikov and Porfiry, yet he doesn't seem to catch onto the fact that Raskolnikov is being blamed as the murderer. Porfiry plays games with Raskolnikov to try to get information out of him or get him to crack and admit his crime but Razumhikhin doesn't seem to catch on to the fact that Raskolnikov could actually be the murderer that everyone is searching for. I believe that Razumhikhin is a smart man, but I think that he doesn't want to believe that his best friend could even be considered as the man who murdered this old lady. Razumhikhin seems very confused as the two argue over tea and sounds very naive when he points out that Raskolnikov is looking pale and ill; he just doesn't seem to catch onto the situation.
     I always thought that Razumhikhin would be the first to know that Raskolnikov was the murderer, but after reading these first two chapters of Part 4 I think he may be in denial about what his friend did. Razumikhin reminds me of Hassan in this situation. He is always seeing the good in Raskolnikov, just like Hassan always saw the good in Amir even when something terrible had occurred. Razumikhin wants to help out Raskolnikov, so he continues to look out for Raskolnikovs family and accompanies Raskolnikov to visit Porfiry again. Razumikhin keeps on thinking its ridiculous that they suspect Raskolnikov as a suspect, even when he can see how nervous Raskolnikov is. Eventually, Raskolnikov begins to make it clearer that he truly is to blame for the death of the old lady. He tells his friend and his family that he wants to leave and spend some time alone, most importantly he mentioned that he does not want to be followed. At this moment, it is clear to Razumikhin that Raskolnikov truly is the murderer. I really thought Razumikhin would be the first to know since it is his best friend, so this did surprise me. I do not think that Razumikhin would tell Raskolnikovs secret, but I am still curious to see how Razumikhin will react.

Chapter 4: parts 1 - 3

 Wendell Pfeffer

Reaction: Crime and Punishment Chapter 4 part I, II and III

            The book Crime and Punishment is getting better and better. I do see the connection between Crime and Punishment and Notes from Underground clearly. But it still astounds me why a monotonous boring short story would ever inspire him to create such a fantastic, entertaining and suspenseful novel. Right off the bat though as I began to read Notes from Underground I knew that his explanation on consciousness relates directly back to Raskolnikov because he is a man of little consciousness.  What I mean from that is Raskolnikov is a type of man that decides to take vengeance if he thinks it is for the good of society. The incident that I am bringing into this is when he murdered the pawnbroker woman. He thought it was okay to kill her because she wasn’t helping out society. Raskolnikov thought that she was actually in turn hurting it and thus needed to be killed. Now that he has done the job and killed her he keeps obsessing over every single little detail of what happened during the murder, which has brought him to suffer from his remorse and fear of getting caught.

            Aside from the correlation between the two novels these last three chapters have been quite exciting. There still seems to be a great deal of debate between Luzhins and Dunyas marriage. Not only does Raskolnikov think that they aren’t a good match, but Svidrigailov thinks the same as well. Svidrigailov does not want the marriage to happen and wants Dunya to marry him instead. He came to Raskolnikov for help. I think he is absolutely insane because what kind of man asks to marry someone else right when his wife dies. This makes me think that he killed his previous wife and he doesn’t even have that much money, which makes Luzhin a better husband than him. I also don’t even like Luzhin, he thinks he owns Dunya and her family. I’m glad that he revealed his true colors at the meeting because not only did it save Dunya from a terrible marriage, but it actually showed her and her family how much of a bad person he is. Raskolnikov though is in big trouble and if it weren’t him from acting so blatanly suspicious in front of everyone especially infront of Porfiry when they had their conversation he probably would have gotten away with the murder. Razumkhin now knows he committed the murder but what will he do. Will he obstruct justice to save his friend or will he tell Porfiry so that he can make a quick arrest. He has to think quickly because Raskolnikov will soon be gone.  

Part 4: Chapters 1 - 6

The complexity of this book seems to increase with each page that I turn. New characters and new stories are introduced, some of which seem to shed light on Raskolnikov’s situation and others not. When Svidrgailov comes to Raskolnikov asking for his help in his quest to marry Dunya, he tells him all about his ghostly encounter with his dead wife. I thought this part was incredibly ironic in that Raskolnikov questioned his insanity. This part was almost humorous in that Raskolnikov of all people is questioning anybody’s sanity. I did, however, indicate to me that he has not lost all grip on society. He is still capable of recognizing when another person is saying something that just does not make sense, a clear sign that he has not entirely gone off the deep end. Raskolnikov proved further control of his life in his thoughts about his guilt for the murder. He is told that some of his friends suspect him for the murder, and of course denies it. But he also does something interesting, he wonders what they will think when they discover that he is guilty. Here, I thought that Raskolnikov demonstrated sanity in that he cares about what other people think and that he knows that he will eventually be caught for his crime which is why he tries to leave his family, assumably so they do not involve themselves in his affairs. The whole encounter with Sonya proved very strange to me. It was at this point that I began to think Raskolnikov will end in jail very shortly. He seems like he is making a last stitch effort to live his life in his request that him and Sonya, “kindred souls” run away together. I thought for sure that, during Raskolnikov’s discussion with Potrivich, it would be his last conversation as a freeman as the police sergeant seemed to know that it was Raskolnikov who committed the crime. The conversation consisted of innuendo upon innuendo in which Raskolnikov is subtly accused of the crime until Nikolai bursts in admitting to the crime. I was and remain still very confused as to why he did this. Why would he admit to a crime that he didn’t commit? Could he know the real truth as to who did the murder or is he just as insane as Raskolnikov? I do not, however, believe this is the end of Raskolnikov’s journey as Potrivich did not appear entirely convinced of his innocence.