So far, I had read through parts I and II. There were several things that I wanted to touch up on. I wanted to try and analyze why Raskolnikov actually committed the murder, symbolism of certain objects and the characterization of Razuminkhin.
So for the first few pages of the book, it is clear that Raskolikov is going to commit a crime. You don’t know exactly what it is or who its going to be done to at first. This sole piece of information made it almost impossible for me to keep reading. I felt like the book just kept dragging on and on. It wasn’t until part II where it is discovered that Raskolnikov wants to murder Alyona Ivanovna. Apparently he feels she is a horrible woman and so do several other people. After hearing some people exert similar feelings about Alyona, Raskolnikov begins to think of killing her. This kind of reminds me of the movie Inception. The concept of a tiny simple idea being planted into someone’s mind that in turn, will keep growing and growing. The simple idea of killing Alyona was most probably a tiny idea in Raskolnikov’s head that he probably had no intent on actually doing. However as the tiny idea started to grow, it became more and more real. There is tons of symbolism in the few parts that I read. I feel that the choice of weapon was intriguing as it was not a gun, knife, or any other kind of weapon that is usually used in homicides. Raskolnikov chose an axe. When I first think of death by axe, the words gruesome and slaughter pop into my mind. I think the axe amplifies the imagery of the death of Alyona and her sister. The items that he took from Alyona’s house are most probably symbolism for his guilt as he had no idea what to do with them. He was paranoid to throw them into the river and just intended up burying them, which can also be looked at as him repressing his guilt. One last thing that I think is really important to the story is the reoccurring instance of dreaming. I’m not exactly sure what his dreams mean, but I do know that they must mean something important later on, as Raskolnikov repeatedly faints or naps and has bizarre dreams.
I think that Raskolnikovs friend Razuminkhin is really interesting. He seems like a genuinely nice person. He offers to take Raskolnikov to a party and is just more outgoing than Raskolnikov. This contrasts with Raskolnikov because he is kind of opposite. He is an introvert and doesn’t socialize as much I guess. He enjoys walking around alone than accompany his friend to a party. In fact, perhaps Razuminkhin is Rasklonikov’s foil in a way, as since they are so different from each other, it makes them both stand out.
One last note that I want to leave off on, before I begin to read the book again is that I feel Raskolnikov made a sort of exchange. With murdering Alyona and her sister and satisfying his (in psychological terms) “id”, he is slowly but surely losing his sanity as punishment.
Crime and Punishment #2
The book has gotten very interesting. The most irritating thing, I must say, is the long and extremely Russian names. I almost don’t want to write journals because typing the characters names take so long. Its interesting how the story is unfolding though. Raskolnikov’s sanity is slipping and its become apparent to everyone. The police officials obviously suspect Raskolnikov and certain characters are acquiring special relationships that are too apparent to be left un-discussed.
Raskolnikov keeps having faint spells. At the mere mention of the crime, Raskolnikov becomes uneasy. This is a sign that Raskolnikov is becoming more and more ill, whether psychologically or physically or both. Another note that Raskolnikov is losing his sanity is that he has sudden bursts of laughter. He also seems as though he is sort of bi-polar. He acts casual at points and then becomes uptight and queasy the next. He killed Alyona because he felt she was a horrible woman and that he could put an end to her. However instead of relieving him and others of her tyrannical idiosyncrasies, he has just made an even bigger problem for himself.
Porfiry clearly suspects Raskolnikov as the murderer. I actually thought it was really clever that he had asked Raskolnikov if he had seen the painters. I suppose detectives have to think like a cheat to catch a cheat. The second scene where Raskolnikov and Porphyry meet was intense. The police official clearly was making strides that were subtly attacking Raskolnikov. When he finally blew up I could almost feel like he was so close to confessing the murder. If it wasn’t for Nikolai who admitted to committing the crime, I feel like Raskolnikov would have. That’s also another point that I wanted to bring up. Why did Nikolai admit to doing a crime that he did not commit? What were his motives and what would he gain from doing it?
The characters in the story clearly have special relationships that might be important later on. Obviously Razuminkhin is Raskolnikov’s foil. But there are also other relationships that are forming. Razuminkhin clearly has a thing for Dunya. I’m not exactly sure if she reciprocates the same feelings. Her relationship with Luzhin was kind of sad I felt. It was sad that Dunya accepted his proposal to be able to support her family despite the fact that Luzhin is a complete pompous. He completely failed the test that Dunya set up when they all met up that evening. Rather than not getting mad that Dunya defied his wishes, he blew up and insulted everyone there. Before leaving, he makes it apparent that he does not like Raskolnikov. I don’t know if that piece of information is important or not but I think that he might be plotting something later on. He might even be the one to bring Raskolnikov to his demise. One last interesting relationship that has sparked is Raskolnikov and Sonya. I think its beautiful that Raskolnikov finds interest in Sonya, in a weird and twisted way. Because Sonya is a prostitute, he feel that she also shares the pain of murdering someone as she murders herself by prostituting. Its not that they are both murderers that I find them great for each other, but it’s the fact that neither of them have anyone to relate to at that point in their lives. My mouth dropped when Raskolnikov asked Sonya to go with him. I cant wait to read parts V and VI.
Crime and Punishment #3
WOW! The ending of the book was so good. I can understand why people hated the book but I actually appreciated the ending. I mean, after hundreds of pages of reading just for Raskolnikov to confess, I can see why everyone that I had asked said the book was a punishment to read. However the thing is, I thought that it was beautiful in a way. A man who thought of himself as superior to society and the tragic story of his downfall. The ending had several different things that went on and I wanted to touch up on them. Along with Raskolnikov plight, Katerina had her own mini-story going on and so did Svidrigailov. Also, I wanted to talk about the epilogue of the novel as well.
The thing I thought was interesting about Katerina was that even though she had lost her husband, her health and her sanity, she still continued to say that she was of nobility. The way the book described her, I almost felt a sense of pity. How could you not feel bad for a woman who gets evicted from her house and forces her kids to dance in the streets for money? Its just not ethical. But it does show how some people actually have to do things like that to make ends meet. I do like the way that she refused to have a priest come to see her. I admire that she said god is going to love her no matter what. I can relate to her with that as I feel exactly the same way.
Svidrigailov was one of my favorite people in the book. I liked him because he was sneaky. When he offered Raskolnikov money to pay for the funeral, I thought it was really nice at first. It took me a while to realize that he was only being nice to get closer to Dunya. His scene with Dunya in the room was crazy! I was so scared for the both of them! I was scared when he threatened to rape Dunya. I was even more scared when Dunya pulled out the gun! I think that may have been the coolest part on the book for me hands down. My feelings on his death are hard to put into words. It was beautiful but it was sad at the same time. He told everyone he was going away to America when he really was going to commit suicide. It was beautifully tragic.
Raskolnikov ending was tragic as well. I know its not a good thing but I do feel superior to some people just as Raskolnikov did and I understand how hard it is to get off your high horse. Sonya and his relationship was very intricate in the way that it was described. I think it was beautiful how she told him that he had to confess and even if he is sent away, she would still be there for him. As it so often occurs in literature, the holy trinity was present again in the book. It took Raskolnikov three times to actually confess. He couldn’t do it in public. The second time, he walked out of the police station. It wasn’t until the third time that he finally made the confession. The epilogue was interesting to read too. It described his actually punishment. However I feel like the guilt that hung over him after the murder was a punishment in itself. It wasn’t about physically being punished but more that he was punished psychologically as well.
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