I have currently finished reading parts three and four of this book, which is making its way up on my favorite list of books. I am very much captivated by its content and its suspense. I am very fond of the character called Rasklinkov. I am just waiting and expecting Rasklinkov to be captured or haunted by a ghost. I have decided to do my second journal a little different from my first. As I read parts three and four, I took down notes of statements or situations that I felt needed to be addressed. It appears to be consecutive because I took notes as I read along.
Pages 233-234
Rasklinkov shows his intelligence:
In these pages, Pulcheria Alexandrovna and Dunya are located in Rasklinkov’s place and actually show him the letter that Luzhin had sent to them in the morning. The reason that they did so was because one aspect of the letter requires that Rasklinkov does not show up to a dinner get together of Pulcheria, Dunya and Luzhin to further discuss the marriage preparations. After reading the letter twice, Rasklinkov states “Yes, precisely legal, business like…..Not so very illiterate, and not too literary either-a business style.” After reading the document, Rasklinkov was able to pick out problems with the letter. Luzhin actually tried to flaunt his intelligence on his visit to Petersburg when Rasklinkov was still felling ill. We find out that Rasklinkov might be the murderer but he is not going crazy and that he still possesses hit intelligence. I assume that he must have been a top student while he was still enrolled in the university studying law. I wonder how successful Rasklinkov would have been if he had only remained in the university.
Pages 259-260
Some people have the right to kill:
In these pages, Rasklinkov is having an intelligent conversation with Razumkin and Porfiry Petrovich about murder and an article that Rasklinkov had written for a newspaper titled “Weekly Disclosure.” Rasklinkov states that some people have the right to kill another person if that person is going to interfere with a discovery and he gave an example of Isaac Newton. I agree with this statement for several reasons. In today’s world, we depend on previous discoveries to help us discover cures for diseases, find better way of doing chores as well as explore the outer space. All of these advancements have been made due to contributions of geniuses such as Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei. If these great people had a person who was holding them back from discovering new ideas and concepts, then I believe they do have the right to kill that person for the greater benefit of humankind. A loss of a single life is a small sacrifice for a better life for future generations. I am sure that Rasklinkov is going to justify the murder using this ideology. Rasklinkov is a brilliant person and I am sure the one roadblock he was facing from going back to the University and pursue his education was lack of money and the murder was a small price that needed to be paid in order for Rasklinkov to become more educated and help create works that benefit future generations.
Pages 276-278
The Dream:
On these pages, Rasklinkov has a strange dream of a murder. This murder occurs in a somewhat similar place to the pawnbroker’s house, where Rasklinkov actually committed the real murder. The method of killing in both situations is also similar. This dream made me question several aspects of this part of the book. Is it a possibility that Rasklinkov is being haunted by his dirty deed or is he just seeing a ghost? Rasklinkov wakes up from his nightmare and sees a man standing in front of him and this man introduced himself as Arkady Voinovich Svidrigailov. Who is this person and what is the connection between him and the dream that Rasklinkov just experienced? If I was in Rasklinkov place, I would be very terrified of the whole situation. If I just had a dream of a murder and I wake up to a mysterious man standing on my front doors, I would probably faint. However, Rasklinkov responded wit bravery and authority, as he demanded to know who the person was. At this point I question, is Rasklinkov going to have any more dreams of murder? If so, how is he going to respond to them?
Pages 281-289
Arkady’s offer:
Following the ending of part three, we get vivid and detailed information of who Arkady Voinovich Svidrigailov truly is. He is the husband of Marfa Petrona, at whose house Dunya was accused of disgracing her family name. Arkady came to Petersburg after the death of his wife with an offer to Dunya but since he could not speak to her in person, he decided to see Rasklinkov first. Arkady offers Dunya 10,000 rubles if she decides to dismiss the marriage. He also tells Rasklinkov of 3,000 rubles that were left to Dunya in Marfa Petrona’s will. Arkady keeps asking Rasklinkov to help him see Dunya. I understand why Rasklinkov does not want Arkady to actually see Dunya after the shame she had faced in his house. At this point, several aspects of the books have gone wrong. Rasklinkov is a murder, Luzhin is marrying Dunya for the wrong reasons and finally Rasklinkov is about to go mad. Thus, I consider this Arkady as the Christ like figure because he has a generous offer that will actually help Dunya and her family for a long time. I hope Rasklinkov actually helps Arkady so that he can also benefit from the rubles that Dunya will be receiving if the deal is met.
Pages 301-306
Marriage is CANCELLED:
In these pages, we enter a scene of a dinner including Rasklinkov, Razumkin, Dunya, Pulcheria and Luzhin. Though in his letter Luzhin had asked that Rasklinkov not be present, Rasklinkov decided that he actually wants to go. We encounter an equal amount of hatred between Rasklinkov and Luzhin. Rasklinkov confronts Luzhin about the letter that he had sent to Dunya and Pulcheria telling them of an event that took place the night before. Luzhin in turn confronts Rasklinkov of the welcome that he was given when he visited Rasklinkov during the time of his illness. After exchange of words, Rasklinkov tells Dunya that she was left 3,000 rubles by Marfa Petrona. Dunya calls off the marriage and Luzhin was told to exit the restaurant by both Rasklinkov and Razumkin. I am very pleased with this scene and I was actually happy to see that Razumkin now has a chance with Dunya, but then I was let down when on page 314, Dostoevsky states “In short from that evening on Razumkin became their son and brother.” I like romance and I was hoping for Luzhin to move out of the picture, and he did but then the book took an unexpected twist when Rasklinkov walks out on everybody. I am still left with one question though: when Luzhin walked out, he spoke “in short, many troubles lay ahead of him(Rasklinkov).” This is a quote that I predict is going to come back to haunt me later on in the book and what is the significance of it?
Pages 324-328
Story of Lazarus:
In these pages, we encounter a scene of Rasklinkov and Sonya. After leaving the dinner with Razumkin, Pulcheria and Dunya, Rasklinkov ended up knocking on Sonya’s door. After entering, he becomes gloomy and asks Sonya series of questions regarding the funeral for her father and the situation of the kids. One strange question came from Rasklinkov regarding a bible. He asks Sonya to read the story of Lazarus. We face a biblical allusion and it is a strange one. The story of Lazarus is of a man who was awakened from death by Jesus Christ. I really did not understand as to why this part of the bible was so significant. What I did understand was that Rasklinkov might actually be going mad. It is very obvious that Rasklinkov has a crush on Sonya and by his presence and his strange requests, he is scaring the poor girl. I really hated Rasklinkov in this part of the book because I felt bad for Sonya. She just lost a father in a terrible accident and a funeral is in preparation and she is now being tormented by Rasklinkov. I do not appreciate the fact that he is adding to the problems that Sonya faces. I just hope that Rasklinkov leaves Sonya alone because she is an innocent and poor girl who in my opinion deserves a man similar to Razumkin rather than Rasklinkov.
Pages 332-350
Porfiry Petrovich asks questions:
In these pages, Porfiry Petrovich has an encounter with Rasklinkov. He had previously asked Rasklinkov to come to his office for a discussion. While in Porfiry Petrovich’s office, Rasklinkov begins to worry that Porfiry knows the truth about the murders. Porfiry Petrovich tells Rasklinkov military stories, previous cases as well as rumors around town intended to pressure Rasklinkov into confessing the murder. These methods of interrogation does not work but it does manage to irritate Rasklinkov to a point where he is yelling, “I will not allow it” and banging Porfiry Petrovich’s desk with his fist. Porfiry succeeds in calming Rasklinkov down to a point where he tells him he has a surprise waiting in a back room. Before revealing what the surprise was on page 347, Porfiry Petrovich asks Rasklinkov “And what, sir, were you pleased to be doing in the murdered woman’s apartment…?” This was the point at which I was expecting the surprise in the closet was an eyewitness to the murder. Unfortunately, Porfiry Petrovich still does not open the back door as a group of people interrupts him along with a man named Nikolai who confesses to the murder of the woman. You would think that I was relieved that Rasklinkov is free once again but I actually questioned if Rasklinkov actually committed the murder. Is it a possibility that Rasklinkov is just imagining the murder and that he actually did not kill anyone at all? I hope this is the case because he is too brilliant to throw in jail to rot for a murder he was forced to commit.
This book is filled with twists and turns and I am actually looking forward to more puzzles and questions. I just hope it has a good ending, considering that the next time I will write a journal is after I finished reading it.
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