Julie's Entries on Crime and Punishment

Entry 1

So at this point I finished part one of Crime and Punishment. When I first stated reading it was difficult to get into. The writing isn’t necessarily the same kind of English that I’m (and we all are) used to speaking and reading. It’s fairly obvious that was translated from a different language. But after the first section of part one, I stated to get into the story and the writing ceased to be a distraction.
I found that the story was really confusing at first. It’s as though you just jump right into the story. You meet Raskolnikov (although you don’t find out his name until page 7), and you immediately know what he’s thinking. I wondered what he meant when he referred to that all the time. It was as though he has multiple personalities. He has a thought, then, as if he was someone else entirely, he has a question or comment to counter the original thought. His mind is just everywhere.
What confuses me the most is that fact that it seems to me like the climax of the book has already happened. Wouldn’t the women’s murder be considered the climax? I really can’t wait to see what happens next. Does Rodya get caught? Does he go crazy with guilt and kill himself? I suppose I will just have to wait.

Entry 2
After finishing part 3 I was really confused, mostly because of who was at the door of Raskolnikov’s room. Why would Svidrigailov be at Raskolnikov’s door? Unless I’m mistaken, he is the guy that Rodya’s sister worked for. It was in that letter his mom sent him. Really, what business does he have there?
In parts 2 and 3, a whole lot of stuff happened. I found the craziest thing to be when Rodya thought he heard the police chief’s assistant beating up his landlady. The way it was described it really made it seem as though it was all real. When Natasya came in and said he was crazy, was really spooky. Rodya’s illness seems to happen right after he kills that women, which is probably no coincidence. Razumakhin takes care of him and moves close by. Apparently he used to be friend of his. He obviously cares a lot about Rodya. So much other stuff happened it would be easy to fill up 3 pages with response to it, but I will spare everyone the agony of reading it all. As of now, I just cannot wait to see how Dostoevsky will continue the book even though I feel like I have read an entire book already.

Entry 3
After finishing the Epilogue, I just wanted more to read. I mean I had been reading the book for 2 weeks, it’s sad to think that the story is over. I actually saw the book going in a different way. Where Dostoyevsky decided to end the book with Rodya in jail void of all feelings, I felt he was either going to kill Petrovsky in the heat of the moment, or kill himself. I suppose I was wrong.
I actually found it interesting that Dostoyevsky broke the 4th wall and addressed the reader. He hadn’t done that before part five (I think) and he ended the book talking with the reader. He refers to the story as “our.” I just found it to be a break from his normal writing technique. I also have to say that I found myself using the notes in the back more often than I thought I would. When Svidrigailov would speak French, I would flip to the back to see what it meant.
Overall, I found it to be an amazing read. The writing took some time to get used to, but once I got into it, I barley noticed any difference from other books I have read. The storyline was intense and one of the best I have read. I think its safe to say that I have another book to add to my favorites list.