Reading Notes--Adam Kissel

Using Norton Critical Edition, Coulson translation, ed. George Gibian

Back to Part One | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Epilogue

Ch. 1: HOME, DAYS 3-4. Raskolnikov is awake through the night to the fourth day (high latitude, so there's almost no night).
       Raskolnikov checks around him for blood, neglecting pockets. Hides what he stole. In delirium. Everything, including his powers of memory and reflection, seems to be deserting him: "Can this really be the beginning of my punishment?" (76). Is he losing his understanding and memory? He resolves to destroy the evidence, but languishes.

KNOCK. It's his housekeeper, Nastasya, and the porter, with a police summons. He thinks: do they have him already? Should he go? He's "tormented with indecision" (79).

POLICE OFFICE. He proceeds, and resolves to "tell the whole story" (80). He's preoccupied with himself. Turns out he was summoned because of his debts. Has a prideful confrontation with the lieutenant, who then confronts a woman [TRANSFER]; she tells a story about her drunken visitors. The lieutenant is against men-of-words. Raskolnikov seeks personal attention from Nikodim Fomich, the chief of police.
       Raskolnikov's story: he had promised to marry his landlady's daughter; reneged; used up credit he got from her; she died of typhus. [TRANSFER: DAUGHTER--> SONYA-->DUNYA-->GIRL-->HORSE] Landlady had taken down an official IOU. Raskolnikov feels he's dumped his heart out in telling this story--but then feels he has lost the personal emotional connection to other people, having a real feeling of estrangement (87).
       Raskolnikov again resolves to confess to the chief--he'll try doing it without thinking--but then he doesn't, because he overhears the chief discussing his very case, the possible culprits, the circumstances and the timing. This is too much for Raskolnikov; faints --The officers begin to get suspicious. He soon awakens and leaves for home.

Ch. 2: HOME, DAY 4. Raskolnikov collects the loot and goes OUTSIDE. Considers throwing it in the canal, or the Neva River, or burying it and marking the spot (so as to come back for it); then, seeing an empty courtyard, to dump it there; then, sees the stone, where he hides the loot. Again, feels free.

92 - But yet unresolved are the whole matter of ruined lives: DAUGHTER--> SONYA-->DUNYA-->GIRL-->HORSE-->MURDERED WOMEN; the matter of his personal compassion for these; his aching moral conscience; lingering debt; general distraction. He wanders to the HOME OF RAZUMIKHIN (on the fifth floor, whereas all other buildings took him no higher than the third or fourth floor). Considers that there's no difference between choice and fate. He tries to leave; stays. Razumikhin tells him there's a bookseller offering cash for translations; Razumikhin will share the work and the pay. Raskolnikov takes half the job and an advance, but then returns it.

OUTSIDE. Stops at his usual spot by the Neva, marveling at the view. Wanders for the rest of the day; finally gets HOME and back to sleep. Delirious, hears imaginary noises; very ill and fainting.

Ch.3: HOME, ILL. He finally awakens after three days [DAY 7]. Mother had sent him 35 rubles; he won't sign for it, but then he does. Razumikhin and Nastasya stay to feed him. Razumikhin tells how he searched high and low to find Raskolnikov and to find out what's going on. Raskolnikov also had given away clues in his fitful sleep. Raskolnikov is still delirious, but improving.

Ch. 4: HOME. Zosimov, a doctor, age 27, appears; he knows his business, asks questions. Razumikhin tells Zosimov that he and Zametov (the chief clerk) are trying to free the painter held in the murder case, since he's held on what appears to be false testimony as well as circumstantial evidence and perhaps also a forced confession. The painter's story nevertheless reveals more evidence about Raskolnikov's crime. Razumikhin shows that the painter is innocent simply as a matter of psychology.

Ch. 5: HOME. A new stranger appears: Luzhin, the spiffed-up bridegroom to Dunya. Luzhin is unafraid of the new. He has been preparing for the arrival of the coming wife and mother-in-law; he appreciates the city; he enjoys hard questions and disagreements. [[editor's note, p. 126: "Luzhin is paraphrasing and oversimplifying the theories which the progressive radical N. G. Chernyshevsky expressed [ca. 1863]. Chernyshevsky rejected traditional and religious ideas and stressed the influence of environment on man, human rationality and perfectability [sic], and the advisability of seeking one's own advantage. Much of Crime and Punishment is meant to be a rebuttal of Chernyshevsky's ideas.]]
       Razumikhin says: idealistic youth is impractical (125).
       Luzhin says: to the contrary, the new progressive economy is rational and advanced! Self-love comes first, contrary to Scripture. He's an economic individualist (cf. Smith?). Idealistic youth may be mistaken, but the new economists are right! (cf. Luzhin's scheming, later)
       Razumikhin: this theory of yours is already old. You're just trying to make a good impression.
       --They return to discussing the murder: police are interviewing the old woman's clients [Raskolnikov therefore must decide whether to go in for interrogation, or wait for them to come to him]
       Luzhin speaks about crime in general: why are humans becoming more depraved? (Zosimov says: it's the economic changes!) Raskolnikov and Razumikhin say: this fits with Luzhin's own theory--selfishness breeds criminality, because of lack of people's respect for one another. [CF. THEME: COMPASSSION OF RASKOLNIKOV] Raskolnikov directly confronts Luzhin, who leaves in a huff.

Ch. 6: HOME. Raskolnikov dresses and goes OUT. Still hot. He wanders; banishes thought; gets by habit to Haymarket; gives money to a street-singer [such kind will come again later]; accosts people in the street with odd conversation and questions [still showing his fellow-feeling after all, despite himself]

The social district. More interactions. "To live!" (135)--better than death, no matter what.

Another street. Tavern. The Crystal Palace. Reads news in newspaper. Meets Zametov again; ambiguously hints at reasons why Zametov should be suspicious. How would Raskolnikov avoid suspicion if he were a swindler?--he'd be very conspicuous about it! Raskolnikov plays up the ironic distance between what he knows and what Zametov can only suspect based on their discussion about what criminals in general do or should do--and Raskolnikov gives away even more clues (e.g. about the stone) (140-41). Raskolnikov wavers about telling the truth; does; and undoes.
       Leaving, Raskolnikov meets Razumikhin: they quarrel over Razumikhin's kindness, but Razumikhin invites him anyway to a housewarming party; but Raskolnikov declines.

The Bridge. Dizzy. A woman commits suicide into the canal, but is saved by a policeman and the crowd's attention. She had drunk herself to ruin. Raskolnikov's reaction: not compassion this time, but detachment and repulsion.

More walking. Raskolnikov is still wavering about his confession. Returns to the crime scene building, then the scene itself, where workmen are redecorating (yellow made into white); gives more hints. But porter says, with selfish detachment: "We don't want to get mixed up in anything" (149): with police such as these in St. Petersburg, it just gets you in trouble.

Back outside, there's some commotion with a carriage.

Ch. 7: AT THE CARRIAGE. There's a man crushed under the horses, drunk. It's Marmeladov!

Here's a quick chart of the major events through Book II, with horizontal connections:

MARMELADOV'S ROOM. There's a crowd, which disperses; an odd conflict with the landlady; the priest comes; the crowd returns; Sonya appears [playing a living role in the confession, in part]; Fomich is there; notes that Raskolnikov is "soaked with blood," and Raskolnikov agrees: "I am all over" (159) [with ref. to the murder] His wife briefly takes up the new-economics theme: "Our loss will be less!" now that he's dead (158)--a sinful sentiment, says the priest.

Downstairs. Polenka (another daughter) will pray for Raskolnikov for helping. Raskolnikov is living! She unconditionally shows affection for him (cf. 164).

BRIDGE, SAME SPOT. Raskolnikov wants to live freely again. Recent experiences have transformed him: he has hope to live.

RAZUMIKHIN'S HOME. Raskolnikov says, "nobody knows what he may do" (162). Zametov and Zosimov have been discussing Raskolnikov's case, suspecting him.

RASKOLNIKOV'S HOME. Mother and sister are there [a mirror of the scene at Marmeladov's room.] [Odd that nobody else is commenting about the blood all over Raskolnikov.]