Crime and Punishment Part 2, Chapters 5-7

Part 2, Chapters 5-7

Zossimov is dressed handsomely and has an air of self-importance that is far too prominent for anyone to ignore. He eyes Raskolnikov carefully and advises Razumikhin on how best to care for him. Raskolnikov remains like an invalid during the interaction, conscious and aware but barely responsive. Zossimov and Razumikhin engage themselves in a conversation about a party that Razumikhin is hosting later that evening, the head clerk from the police station would also be present. They then begin to discuss the murder of the pawnbroker, for Razumikhin has been looking into the case, and his cousin, Porfiry Petrovich who is a lawyer, is also involved in the case. At the mention of the case, Nastasya turns to Raskolnikov and informs him that Lizaveta had also been murdered, she reminds him that he had known her and interacted with her.

Razumikhin details how the police now suspect a painter, Nikolai, for the murder of the pawnbroker and her stepsister for he had been working in the same building on the day of the murder and had later pawned a set of earrings that were known to be in the custody of the pawnbroker before her death. Nikolai, had pawned the earrings to another local pawnbroker with the claim that he had found them in the street. Later that pawnbroker had spoken to Nikolai about the murders of the sister and had again asked him of the source of the earrings. Nikolai had then fled, but he was later captured when he attempted to hang himself with a noose.

The police had taken him in custody, and to them, Nikolai had revealed that he had discovered the earrings in the apartment that he had been painting. He had been playfully fighting his friend, and they had exited the apartment shortly, and when he had returned alone to the room, he had discovered the earrings in a box behind the door. At the mention of where the earrings had been discovered, Raskolnikov loudly exclaims how they could've been behind the door. Razumikhin and Zossimov excuse the outburst and believe that Raskolnikov is merely having a waking dream. Razumikhin believes that Nikolai is not the murderer, but that the murderer had hidden in the apartment shortly, and then escaped unnoticed. Their conversation is interrupted by the entry of a stranger.

The stranger has a haughty attitude as he evaluates the threadbare apartment, the poverty-riddled occupants, and addresses Zossimov, the only man with the appearance of some wealth. He enquires the whereabouts of Raskolnikov and introduces himself as Peter Petrovich. Raskolnikov begins to feel anger rise within, but he continues to barely respond. The man is shocked that Raskolnikov doesn't recognize his name, and explains that he had expected Raskolnikov to have received word from his mother by now. Razumikhin is much more friendly to the man, as he goes about explaining his business with Raskolnikov, who suddenly stands bolt upright and begins to carefully examine the man. His clothes had the air of being freshly made, and even his accessories like the cap and the gloves were being handled too carefully.

Raskolnikov returns to his seat, and Peter Petrovich becomes engaged in an intellectual discussion about the progressive cause with both Zossimov and Razumikhin. Razumikhin severely disagrees with Peter concerning the movement and its present condition and nearly insults the man. Peter decides to leave, given Raskolnikov's weak condition, but he overhears Zossimov and Razumikhin talking about the murder of the old woman, and again engages them with his understanding of the increasing crime in society. Razumikhin explains that the murderer must have been a novice, for he had failed to even rob the old woman, and the only reason he had escaped punishment was because of chance. Raskolnikov then has a breakdown and insults Peter by claiming that he only wished to marry his sister for she had been raised in poverty. Peter is very taken aback by the accusation and blames Raskolnikov's mother for misrepresenting his words, at which Raskolnikov threatens to hurt him. The man leaves insulted, and as Razumikhin begins to berate Raskolnikov for his behavior, Raskolnikov yells for all of them to leave him alone.

As Zossimov and Razumikhin are leaving, they postulate that Raskolnikov's ill health may be due to the news of his sister's engagement and marriage. Zossimov also observes how Raskolnikov seemed to grow animated only at the mention of the investigation into the murders.

As soon as they all leave, Raskolnikov latches the door behind their retreating backs and begins to dress in the new clothes that Razumikhin had brought him. He sneaks out of the apartment building in a dreamy state and heads into the street, he engages strangers in odd conversations and finds his way to a restaurant. He notices Zamyotov in the establishment but ignores him and sits down at another table. He has tea and the newspapers of the past few days brought to him and sits there inspecting them. Soon, as he had suspected, Zamyotov makes his way to him. Raskolnikov then has a very strange conversation with the man, they discuss the recently occurred crimes, and Raskolnikov laughs maniacally and mockingly at odd junctures in the conversation. He even questions Zamyotov about what he thought of Raskolnikov as being the murderer of the women, the man is very taken aback but mistakes Raskolnikov's odd behavior as a feature of his delirium.

Raskolnikov begins to leave but encounters Razumikhin at the door, they have an argument in which Razumikhin berates him for leaving the apartment in such a condition. Raskolnikov yells at Razumikhin and asks to be left alone, he calls Razumikhin annoying and idiotic and makes to leave. Razumikhin doesn't seem to take offense at his friend's words and instead insists that he visit his home where he is having a housewarming party. Raskolnikov leaves him, and goes to the bridge where he witnesses a woman attempting to commit suicide. He watches her rescue without compassion and continues walking. He finds his way to the building of the old pawnbroker and climbs to the fourth floor where workmen are busy readying the apartment for a new tenant. He sits in the apartment, rings the doorbell many times, and questions the workmen as to why they had cleaned the blood. He then asks them to accompany him to the police station, he goes to the porters and even asks them if they had been to the police and whether they should like to travel there with him. The porters chase him away with the assumption that he is merely a troublemaker looking for attention. Raskolnikov heads into the street and begins to travel towards the police station, but soon encounters a crowd gathered around a man injured by a horse carriage.

The injured man is Marmeladov, and when Raskolnikov arrives the coachman is talking to the police. The coachman had been going at a sedate pace and had hailed Marmeladov thrice as he had crossed the road, but the drunk man had not been paying attention. Raskolnikov is immediately transformed when he sees that it is his friend who has been so injured, he takes charge and requests the policemen to carry the injured man to his own home, for it was much closer than the hospital. He flashes them his money and keeps repeating that he will pay for the care of his friend.

Katerina Ivanovna is pacing in her apartment when a whole crowd of people rush in carrying the injured and dying man. Raskolnikov explains to her what had occurred, and calls for a doctor, while Katerina sends her eldest daughter to fetch Sonya. Marmeladov soon gains consciousness, and as Katerina attempts to comfort her dying husband, she wails for her loss and berates the crowd for standing around to watch the drama of a poor man dying. Marmeladov asks for a priest, but one of the policemen had already sent for one. The doctor arrives and informs Raskolnikov that Marmeladov would die any minute. The priest soon comes in as well and conducts the confession of the man, while Katerina and her children kneel and pray with Marmeladov. Soon Sonya arrives dressed in the clothes of a prostitute and pauses in the doorway as the priest continues to administer to her father. Katerina is racked by her tubercular cough and seems to perceive that her husband is attempting to apologize, she dismisses his apology. He then seems to catch the eye of his daughter standing in the doorway, and draws from an impossible reserve of strength to lift himself despite his crushed chest, he calls to his daughter. She runs to him and embraces him, there he dies in her arms.

Raskolnikov comforts the crying Katerina, gives her all of his remaining money for the funeral, and promises to return the following day. As he rushes away, he notices the superintendent, Nikodim Fomich, in the doorway, the man recognizes Raskolnikov. Raskolnikov leaves hurriedly after asking the officer to be gentle with the wife of the victim. As he descends the stairs, he is hastily followed by Polenka, the eldest stepdaughter of the late Marmeladov. She had been sent by Sonya, and Katerina, to enquire about his name and address. He then makes his way to Razumikhin's party, where he is warmly greeted by his friend, who insists that he will walk him home. Raskolnikov feels much better about his life and is certain that the ailment which had plagued him had now passed. Razumikhin is drunk and he compliments Raskolnikov for how he had dealt with Zamyotov in the restaurant, as Zamyotov had now come around to liking Raskolnikov. It is all very confusing, and Raskolnikov begins to feel a little faint as well. They arrive at his apartment to discover Raskolnikov's mother and sister already waiting for him at the apartment. At the very sight of his loved ones, Raskolnikov loses consciousness.

Analysis

Peter Petrovich's introduction into the plot of the novel is rather ominous, and it is easy for the reader to despise the character due to the dislike that Razumikhin displays for him. Razumikhin is a uniquely positive and likable character, with whom the reader can align relatively easily, his dislike for Peter is evident during their debate about the progressive cause. He accurately identifies Peter as having an ignorant position on the subject, this fact is substantiated later in the novel when Peter himself admits that he had memorized the arguments of his roommate, by whose own admittance we understand his knowledge to be third-hand. The entry of Peter also allows us to have another close look at Raskolnikov's prideful nature, for his rude behavior with his sister's fiancé is categorically disrespectful. The other characters in this interaction dismiss Raskolnikov's actions as being brought on by his sickness, the reader on the other hand is aware that Raskolnikov's behavior is deliberate.

In this section of the book, we are able to perceive the inner conflict Raskolnikov experiences between his desire for confession and that of evading detection. His conversation with Zamyotov in the crystal palace is scandalously close to the actual truth, as well as his actions at the scene of the crime when he revisits it. Porfiry Petrovich later reveals that these two instances particularly piqued his conviction that Raskolnikov was involved in the crime. In this way, it is evident that Raskolnikov's actions after the murder are what lead to him being discovered by Porfiry. Raskolnikov also displays his capacity for compassion when he attempts to save Marmeladov's life, and then donates his every last dime for the arrangement of the funeral. However, these are not completely altruistic actions but are rather motivated by his desire to make amends and lessen the guilt that he experiences.