First Impression

I found the first three chapters of Crime and Punishment to be quite entertaining. In the beginning of the first chapter, Dostoyevsky chooses not to introduce the young man who acts as the story’s protagonist. Instead, he chooses to elaborate on the details of the character’s life, such as his extreme state of poverty, the torn up rags he uses as clothes, and his emotional state of mind. Within the first two paragraphs of the novel, the narrator informs the reader that the mental condition of the young man is irritable, exasperated and on the verge of hypochondria. In addition, the speaker asserts that the young man “had become so completely absorbed in himself, and isolated from his fellows that he dreaded meeting not only his landlady, but any one at all” (Dostoyevsky 1). Through this statement, Dostoyevsky emphasizes fundamental features in the protagonist’s character that become more evident as the novel progresses. Moreover, I appreciated the author’s technique of introducing the main character with immense detail, while neglecting to provide the most significant detail- his name. However, the young man later introduces himself as a student named Raskolnikov while meeting with Alyona Ivanovna, a pawnbroker. The narrator informs the reader of a terrible plan Raskolnikov has devised over the last month. Although Dostoyevsky does not elaborate on the young man’s plan, he creates suspense by associating it with Alyona Ivanovna and notifies us that Raskolnikov carefully observes her surroundings in connection with his plan. Within the first chapter, Raskolnikov’s internal conflict manifests as we observe his struggle between his will to commit the crime and his disgust at the thought of doing so. In my opinion, the introduction of Crime and Punishment generated a lot of suspense and immediately captivated my attention. I am impelled to continue reading and excited to find out more information regarding Raskolnikov’s plan.

-Alex Balogh