In parts three and four, I would say that that the most exciting thing so far is the psychological game being played by Porfiry Petrovich. From the things he says, it’s obvious this guy knows his stuff. Since the book is being told form point of view of Raskolnikov we don’t know how much Porfiry knows or for that matter how much he doesn’t know. Also, I love how subtle he is and how he is always laughing. I know that’s just a technique he is using to get into Rodya’s mind but is still pretty funny, especially when it drives Rodya crazy.
Raskolnikov is supposed to be a smart guy, but in my opinion he needs to get more control over his feelings and emotions. He does a decent job when he is with his mother and sister, but he could not control himself when he is with Porfiry. It was he who went to Porfiry’s office and on top of that he knew that Porfiry was going to play head games. It was made clear that Porfiry suspected Raskolnikov of the murder (even though he never said it and denies it). Rodya said to himself that he was going to try to control himself. That’s why I was so disappointed with him when he lost control. It was exactly what Porfiry wanted. During his rage he said things that he should not have. What he has to get in his head is that Porfiry is playing a game against him and in a game you have to calculate your moves so that you come out as the victor. Raskolnikov knows if it had gone on longer he would have given himself away and only got out of that situation by luck, which incidentally is how he escaped after the murder.
Another part in the book that could be significant in the future is the relation between Raskolnikov and Sonya. It seems that he is falling in love with her. Given his history I think I know why he feels the way he does about her. It was mentioned that Raskolnikov was engaged Mrs. Zarnitsyn’s daughter. She was described as sickly, poor weak, and pathetic. Rodya said that he loved her because of that and if she was worse, he would have loved her more. Sonya is similarly described as poor, meek, and very thin. I think Rodya is attracted to those qualities.
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It was disappointing when Raskolnikov blew up in front of Porfiry too. Raskolnikov must have a lot of luck to have gotten as far as he did.
ReplyDeleteI found that the conversations between Rodya and Porfiry were what the book was leading up to. His big conversation with Porfiry could be considered the climax, or I may be thinking of another conversation late in the book. Anyway, I think his talks with Petrovik are some of the most interesting parts in the book.
As for the connection between the landlady's daughter and Sonya, I honestly never noticed a connection. But I suppose that it makes sense. Having a weak, poor and pathetic women to take care of gives him a purpose. Which is odd because he hates Luzhin because thats exactly how Luzhin feels about Rodya's sister.
Every great Crime story needs a great interrogation scene and it is here between Rodya and Porfiry. While I had trouble getting through this book I really liked how the tension built up during the back and forth questions and answers of Rodya and Porfiry. It made the book much more exciting.
ReplyDeleteYou are very correct in saying that Rodya losing control is exactly what Porfiry wanted. It was his own test, to see how far he could push Rodya until the breaking point and the results really helped him. But it made me wonder how far could he push Raskolnikov? I would have liked to see those two clash , one on one.
porfiry is really smart, and though he keeps a light mood around him, he is great at playing mind games. the exciting thing is that raskolnikov knows that porfiry will play mind games with him and tries not to fall for it. i also think that raskolnikov was lucky enough to escape the murder for the few days he did keeping his guilt in mind, but one can only hide somthing as big as a murder for so long.
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