Crime and Punishment · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

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Chapter 1
Translator’s Preface
A biographical sketch of Fyodor Dostoevsky, detailing his impoverished childhood, early literary success, arrest and near-execution under Tsar Nicholas I, years of penal servitude, lifelong epilepsy, personal tragedies, financial struggles, and his ultimate recognition as a deeply loved Russian writer.
Chapter 2
Crime and Punishment
The novel opens with Raskolnikov, a destitute former student, leaving his squalid garret in a state of intense psychological agitation. He is tormented by a plan to murder the pawnbroker Alena Ivanovna, which he views as a test of his extraordinary nature. After a fitful sleep, he wakes irritable, contemplates visiting his friend Razumihin but rejects the idea, and finally goes to the pawnbroker's apartment on a pretext. There, he meticulously observes the layout and the presence of her half-sister Lizaveta. The chapter establishes his profound alienation, poverty, and the psychological torment driving him toward the crime.
Chapter 3
I
In the oppressive heat of a Petersburg July, the impoverished and deeply introspective student Raskolnikov leaves his garret, consumed by a secret, 'hideous' plan. He navigates the squalid city streets, tormented by his own thoughts, poverty, and a profound sense of alienation. His journey is a 'rehearsal' that leads him to the apartment of the old pawnbroker, Alena Ivanovna, where he rings the bell, his nerves stretched to their limit. Afterward, shaken, he retreats to a tavern for a beer, experiencing a fleeting, abnormal sense of relief.
Chapter 4
II
Raskolnikov, weary of his isolation, enters a filthy tavern seeking human company. He is approached by Marmeladov, a drunken, ruined former titular counsellor, who launches into a lengthy, self-lacerating monologue about his poverty, his family's suffering, and his daughter Sonya's prostitution, which he feels he has driven her to. The monologue reveals the depths of his degradation and the social and moral collapse of his family.
Chapter 5
Chapter III
Raskolnikov wakes in a state of irritable torment in his squalid room. His servant Nastasya brings tea and reveals his landlady's threat to go to the police over unpaid rent. Their conversation highlights his poverty, idleness, and his intense, secretive 'work' of thinking. A long-awaited letter from his mother arrives, detailing the family's financial desperation, his sister Dounia's engagement to the wealthy Pyotr Petrovitch Luzhin, and the sacrifices made for his sake. The letter plunges Raskolnikov into a violent emotional turmoil, culminating in him fleeing his cramped room to walk the streets in agitated distraction.

Translator’s Preface

Crime and Punishment

I

II

Chapter III