After having read a third of Crime & Punishment, I must say I am very disappointed (and honestly, bored). What I have heard is an amazing book from so many people has really become a disappointment for me, therefore makes it that much more difficult to read and comprehend. The only reason I will continue reading is because I have heard such great things about this novel, and I hope that eventually I can agree. I would like to begin by saying this, “what the heck is wrong with Raskolnikov?” He is an incredibly difficult character to figure out and I have spent the better part of the first third of this book attempting to do so with no luck. From the beginning of the book, I could tell he was a dark, yet intelligent man whom as it turns out, is certainly up to no good. From the early scene where he contemplates killing the pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanova to whom he sells a watch for much less that what it’s worth, I can tell he is somewhat psychotic. The scene inside the bar, where Raskolnikov goes to calm his nerves is a very interesting scene. I was, surprisingly, very interested in Marmeladov’s story, as well as the events following it. While I did not completely understand Marmeladov’s reasons for leaving his home and drinking all his money away, I did somewhat pity him. I felt even more for him after he returned home and his wife promptly harasses him in front of all the other tenants.
One of the most interesting things I have found so far, is how Raskolnikov reacts to the letter he receives from his mother, especially after hearing how Marmeladov’s daughter, Sonya has been prostituting herself to help support her family. In the letter, Raskolnikov’s mother explains how his younger sister, Dunya will be marrying a very rich man who wants to become Dunya’s “savior” because she is very poor. I love Raskolnikov’s reaction here, as he shows immediate distaste for the man his younger sister has agreed to marry because he does not want her to sacrifice her freedom of life in order to help him get a better career. The emotion he displays here is very critical to his character development, and I believe more of this compassion will develop throughout the course of the novel. I do hope this book gets better as I read more, and I hope someone could possibly help explain Raskolnikov’s character to me.
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Josh- I don't know who you've been talking to. Everyone (even those in our class proclaiming they enjoyed the book) has previously stated that this book is a tad boring, and just not their cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteI was also bored, and disappointed. If you found yourself disappointed so early in the book- wait until you get to the end.
Raskolnikov is a difficult character. He keeps to himself, and his emotions differ through each page. One moment, he's feeling unreasonably paranoid, and the next, he's in a lighter (yet, still dark) mood.
As for Raskolnikov's compassion...Well, I'll let you read about that when you find out what he does. Lets' just say, all compassion flies out the door.
Josh
ReplyDeleteDon’t worry bro, you will get through the book and I am sure you will love it. I think I can answer your question. I think Rasklinkov is different. He is very much different from you, me and every other person walking this planet. Yes, he is intelligent and yet gloomy which makes him interesting. This by itself sets him apart from every other character. There is nothing wrong with Rasklinkov except he is different.
I am glad to see another human being who feels the same way as I do about the scene in the tavern and also the encounter of Marmeladov and his wife katerina. It is sad to see a character in the book having a life of drunkenness and then going home to get a lecture from his wife. The disappointing thing is, people have read this book and yet, there are those who still continue to drink and follow the wrong path and end up just like Marmeladov. I just hope people who resemble Marmeladov change their ways of living because in the end they will just be putting themselves and their families at risk.
I see you liked the fact that Rasklinkov hates Luzhin. I actually wrote a great deal abut this scene and how it fascinated me. As you know I have a younger sister and I wrote that I would act in a similar way to Rasklinkov when a man who is interested in her approaches me. I am glad that this scene occurred for several reasons as you will later on discover and yes, this book does get better and hold on because you will run across scenes that you do not even suspect.
-Bin
Josh, I agree with you on the point that Raskolkinov is rather difficult to comprehend. He was hard to comprehend at the very beginning, being an introvert and all, but even far more diffciult after he committed the crime.We can see how different he has become and how crazy he really was. However one thing that I can successfully comprehend from his character is how unbelievably intelligent he is. This I took note of especially in the scene when he goes to meet Porfiry Petrovich with Raskolkinov. In this particualr scene he is explaining his article to porfiry and how there are ordinary people and extarordinary people. Right away I immdeiately guessed he catergorized himself under the extraordinary people.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, I also do agree with your point about the letter that he recieved from his mother- very long might I add. First off, I myslef could not imagine how I would have reacted to all those huge events per say, over a letter- and really just one after the other. I really though could not understad his strong dislike for Pyotr Petrovich- He didn't even know him for God's sake!However as i kept on reading further more, i realized that he was right in not wanting him as Dunya's husband- especially since he belived she was doing it as a sacrifice for him and the family. I would also hate to have someone suffer like that at my expense- never!
All I can say to you Josh is to not give up on the novel. I understand your frustration about what's going on in the story. Believe me, sometimes I find myself lost in the different scenes of the novel. The thing to remember about Raskolnikov is that although he seems to present a very dark presence, he's very poor and doing his best to find money, even if that means he has to sell some of his possessions. I'm amazed to hear that you understood Marmeladov's story. I was able to comprehend it, but unable to see what the purpose of his story was. The last point I want to make is about his mother's lette. Yes, Raskolnikov shows complete distaste for Mr. Luzhin. In addition, you could say that he shows a great concern and care for his sister's well being. It seems as though there's another side to him. I'm sure that the character that Raskolnikov is will be much clearer as the story progresses.
ReplyDeleteJosh, I'm with you. I was really bored too. I had heard varied opinions on the book from different people. I had heard, like you, that the book was really good. I cannot agree with the people who said this. The only reason I continued reading was because I knew I had to for this project.
ReplyDeleteWhat I disagree with you about is when it comes to Marmeladov. I was not interested in him even a tiny bit. I thought it was useless information that I really didn't have to hear about. I thought it was a complete waste of paper. The only good part was getting to hear about Sonya and the fact that Raskolnikov ended up falling in love with her.
I also felt the book was boring in the beginning. However, once the murder had taken place, the pace seemed to quicken and became more intereseting overall. The sheer fact that Raskolnikov was continuing to loose his mind kept me reading the book. Mentality of serious criminals have always interested me. I dont know why, but I guess that is the reason why I like watching CSI and shows like that. Getting into the mind of a killer who is insane is a unique experience because it is so different from the world most of us live in.
ReplyDeleteAs for Marmeladov, I felt pity for him at first since he seemed very lonely and depressed. But after he explained his story, it wasn't so much pit anymore, but disgust. He didn't even try to quit his drinking habit when his own daughter was forced to become a prostitute. In my opinion, he is pathetic, not pitiful.