Crime and Punishment Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov Quotes

This is the first time we hear about Raskolnikov's bad idea. Even though most people already know the book is about a murder before they read it, it's still creepy and mysterious.

Uh-oh. He really sounds like a criminal here. Depending on the crime, rehearsing can get you into almost as much trouble as actually committing it.

Raskolnikov (and the readers) have only heard about Svidrigaïlov by this time. Raskolnikov calling the sketchy man in the park "Svidrigaïlov" foreshadows his presence in St. Petersburg and prepares us for his nastiness.

This is a more complicated-sounding version of what Raskolnikov hears the student say in the quote above from 1.6.14. This is when he's trying to explain his article on the matter to Porfiry. Knowing that he wrote an essay about this business helps us understand just how obsessed he really is with the idea.

This is just after the murder, when Raskolnikov is obsessing over possible evidence of his crime. The phrasing "coming upon me" suggests two interpretations of the passage: 1) that the beginning phase of Raskolnikov's punishment is being meted out by a force of justice, perhaps God and 2) that Raskolnikov is personifying punishment as a force of justice in and of itself.

Here, Raskolnikov is referring to Dounia, but he underestimates her. Although Dounia does think Luzhin can help Raskolnikov, once she knows what Luzhin's true intentions are, she calls it off. Raskolnikov's love for her certainly makes this easier.

The kiss was from Polenka, Sonia's sister. This is not a Svidrigaïlov moment, mind you. Raskolnikov expresses deep concern for Polenka many times. The passage also comments on the big impression Sonia makes on him the first time he sees her.

Wow. Isn't that a contrast to the rest of the novel? This is what we all want. In some ways, love between Raskolnikov and Sonia seems impossible, even though their attraction is undeniable. This ending makes love seem possible for almost anybody.

This is in response to Sonia's insistence that "God" won't let Polenka become a prostitute. Believing or not believing in God are versions of individual reality. Raskolnikov sometimes believes in God and sometimes doesn't.

This shows layers of suffering. The suffering Raskolnikov is experiencing as a result of the bad idea that won't leave him alone is so great that he doesn't feel the suffering he's experiencing as a result of his poverty.

We say elsewhere that Raskolnikov isn't very romantic to Sonia. That's not entirely true. He throws himself at her feet an awful lot, though he usually follows it with this kind of comment. More importantly, this passage shows that Raskolnikov sees Sonia as a symbol of everybody's suffering.

Here, Raskolnikov is questioning the high premium everybody places on suffering as he debates whether or not to turn himself in and submit to prison. Also notice that he thinks he'll get at least 20 years in prison, but he only gets eight.

Right away, the novel digs into one of our deepest fears: the landlady, or landlord as the case may be. Since it's only been a few years since the serfs were emancipated, and since the serfs were "owned" by people who also owned land, landperson phobia was probably extremely acute in Russia.

Of course, Raskolnikov is referring to his murderous idea. Part of what his mixed-up brain wants to do is overstep his fears of the landlady, to reach a place where he is in power, either literally or by becoming fearless.

This is the first thing Raskolnikov sees when he enters Sonia's home. Notice how both the chair and the candlestick are rather beaten up? Dostoevsky really wants to emphasize Sonia's poor living conditions.

This is part of the reason we question Raskolnikov's "religious conversion" at the end of the novel. He claims he was already religious. He also tells Porfiry he believes in the story of Lazarus "literally." Even though he doesn't think God can or will solve any problems for him, there is much proof that he has many religious experiments way before the ending.