Crime and Punishment Reflection: Part One
One of the primary conflicts within Raskolnikov in the first part of Crime and Punishment is the decision to murder of Alyona Ivanovna, an old pawnbroker who Raskolnikov despises. Initially, Dostoevsky introduces the conflict early in the first chapter, when Raskolnikov is contemplating a mysterious “act” that is not mentioned. In his mind, Raskolnikov continuously vacillates between carrying out this seemingly horrendous deed and merely thinking about doing it. Raskolnikov is capable of meta-cognition, constantly persuading himself into and out of doing it multiple times throughout the course of the first part. For example, after meeting Alyona Ivanovna and rehearsing his trial, he states: “’Oh,…show more content… Raskolnikov is nearly on the verge of an emotional breakdown, shown when he becomes worried about the details in disposing the stolen goods, or accidently revealing the blood soaked on his clothes. His main concern at this point is being caught. Through his excessive paranoia, he slips into a weak, anxious, and delirious state. Specifically, after receiving the summon from the police station, Raskolnikov simply loses it: “’If I’m to perish, let me perish, I don’t care! Must put that sock on!’...But as soon as he put it on, he immediately pulled it off again with loathing and horror” (93). He struggles to endure the tension and pressure of the crime he committed, and at one point, even convinces himself to confess. “’I’ll walk in, fall on my knees, and tell them everything’…It was as if a nail were being driven into his skull…The urge was so strong that he had already risen from his seat to carry it out” (94-104). The conflict within Raskolnikov between the option of confession and his desire to escape with the murder successfully consumes him in this section of the novel. Dostovesky uses the Raskolnikov’s friend, Razumikhin, to further reveal the distressed mind of Raskolnikov. He contrasts Razumikhin, a calm, caring, and friendly figure, to disgruntled Raskolnikov, who is anxious, agitated, and is approaching near madness. In chapter seven, the capricious Raskolnikov again attempts a…show more content… Initially, Porfiry apologizes for interrogating Raskolnikov. However, he still believes that Raskolnikov is the true murderer: “’But you did, Rodion Romanych! You killed them, sir…Your poor lip is twitching again, like the other day’…’It wasn’t me,’ Raskolnikov whispered, just as frightened little children do when they are caught red-handed. ‘No, it was you, Rodion Romanych, it was you, sir, there’s no one else’” (458-459). Porfiry knows the guilt that Raskolnikov is hiding, and how it is essentially haunting him day by day. Porfiry urges him to confess, claiming that it would be better for him to confess before the evidence was produced. On the other hand, through Svidrigailov, Dunya also comes to know about Raskolnikov murdering Alyona Ivanovna and Lizaveta. We can see that Raskolnikov’s secret has now been nearly fully revealed, and he reaches an ultimatum to confess. Dunya, out of self-defense, fires at Svidrigailov. Again, Dostoevsky contrasts the siblings, although Raskolnikov could carry through with the murder, Dunya could not be forced to do the same. Raskolnikov in chapter seven has a tearful partition from his mother, and confronts Dunya face to face one last time. Raskolnikov once again reveals his dark side, and justifies his deed if it had been successful, believing that he had only killed a “louse.” This marks the final partition between Dunya and Raskolnikov, as they take