Crime & Punishment- A couple discussion questions in the comments
Crime & Punishment-
A couple discussion questions in the comments
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Crime & Punishment-
A couple discussion questions in the comments
If Raskolnikov had only killed Alyona and not Lizaveta, would this change the way you feel about his crime? Why or why not?
Who is the bigger criminal, Raskolnikov or Svidrigaïlov? Why do you think so?
I haven’t read c and p for a while but what I can remember is that Dostoevsky portrays Lizaveta as innocent and the resilient one in the face of her sisters depravity. Ofcoase the reader is sympathetic for Lizaveta but since Rashkolnikov has embarked upon a quest of discovering whether he is ordinary or extraordinary, and since he believes that he is an extraordinary heroic legend, it therefore gives him authority and justification to commit on killing those who are an obstacle of his prosperity to do what is right for the whole of humanity. I think the two murders did have a profound impact on raskolnikov simply because he eventually realised that he wasn’t extraordinary and could not survive the burden of guilt. But I tell u what, if he only killed Lizaveta and not both, it would have had an even bigger footprint and guilt that would simply be unbearable for him.
Tom Seddon I wonder if he only had killed the old pawn broker and not Lizaveta, would he feel guilty at all? Does his guilt come from murder, or from specifically murdering an innocent, beloved person?
well I think it would make no conspicuous difference because I think it was more the thought of killing anyone and realising he is not extraordinary which gave him a sudden shock of guilt.
@Tom but if he has the “right to kill,” who he kills is beside the point. I think he could rationalize his superiority but he could not feel it or live with it
that vague idea of the “right to kill” gave him consolation and vindication, and sort of concealed his horrific crime in his personal perception of it. The guilt would probably be slightly more noticeable and larger, but would hide behind his right to kill to justify it
What do you think of Raskolnikov’s “temporary insanity”? Did the book make you feel a little crazy at times?
It made me look around and see mortality in a different light. Life can be so easily crushed.
A similarity that struck me in Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov is when one was on their way to commit suicide and the other to confess his crime, both felt that what they were doing was necessary, but second guessed themselves and used their surroundings as distractions to mechanically follow through with their plans.
This was the first book I’d read by Dostoevsky. I’ve read a few since and very much enjoyed The Double and Notes from the Underground. Both are fairly smaller than C&P, but very much worth a read if you enjoyed this
@Gemma I just started notes from the underground today! It’s intriguing. Crime and punishment was the first of his that I’ve read. He’s definitely a literary genius! ?
He is, for sure! Notes from the Underground is in two parts. Part 1 was a little struggle, but I couldn’t put part 2 down!
Let this page know what you think!