Well I guess I should have known that Marmeladov would be back, and this time he served a purpose. Unlike our first encounter where he played the role of a loud and regretful drunk, this time he barely said any words at all. However, despite his quietness due to his death, he seemed to have a profound impact on our buddy Raskolnikov. This is because only just before the accident, on page 164, Raskolnikov had made up his mind that he was going to the police station and that "it would all soon be over" because he was going to confess. By page 176 however Raskolnikov's whole outlook on things had changed. As Dostoevsky writes, Raskolnikov was overcome by a sensation. "This sensation might be compared to that of a man condemned to death who has suddenly been pardoned." That is to say, Raskolnikov was happy and guilt free for the moment when just moments earlier he had felt so guilty that he had decided it was time to turn himself in. This defies that old saying of "One good deed doesn't make up for a lifetime of evil" because Raskolnikov has suddenly let himself off the hook because he did one nice thing by helping Marmeladov and his wife Katerina Ivanovna. This puzzles me somewhat because for a man who at times is utterly brilliant, his reasoning in other situations is just garbage as it was in this case.
Just as before, Dostoevsky has inserted some various bits of wisdom throughout the book. One of the ones I liked Ebenezer mentioned regarding who commits crime, but I also liked Raskolnikov's line on page 178 regarding strength. "Strength, strength is what one wants, you can get nothing without it, and strength must be won by strength..." This bit of wisdom applies to much in life. One example is a guy trying to summon the courage or strength to walk up to a pretty girl he sees and ask her out on a date. At first glance he may not have the strength. In fact in his mind he most likely begins to talk himself out of it believing she is out of his league. But soon most guys will find strength in their past accomplishments to justify their worthiness of asking this girl out and soon enough he'll make a pass. Whether or not he'll be successful is another story, but it demonstrates how true this line is. In Raskolnikov's case, at first he didn't even believe he could carry out the murder of the pawnbroker. He soon however, found the strength within himself to carry it out by eliminating the emotional side to his decision making. You didn't see him in the book saying he felt sorry for her but it was a necessary evil, instead the only variables that played a role in his decision to kill her were whether or not he could get away with it. By using his ability to quiet his emotional take on the issue, Raskolnikov was able to gain the strength to actually carry out the murder itself.
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As you know Margulies, Raskolnikov needed strength to accomplish his task. However, I get the feeling that he did not posses the will to do so. In my opinion, he murdered the pawnbrokers using force and reasoning; and that was why his planning was far from flawless (due to intangible factors). The French poet, Victor Hugo famously said that: “People do not lack strength, they lack will.” So even though he was able to calculate his murders, Raskolnikov was not willing to deal with the consequences and the overall aftermath. Rising supermodels can be used as a good example. Many have the strength to become beautiful and pretty, but are they all willing to expose themselves to the media and paparazzi?
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