Alex's reaction to Part 3, Ch. 4-6

Chapters 4-6 of Part III are both interesting and suspenseful. In these chapters of Crime and Punishment, Dostoyevsky continues to elaborate on Raskolnikov’s inner conflicts and how they impact his character. The central conflict in the novel deals with Raskolnikov’s unavoidable sense of guilt and intense anxiety over getting caught. As the novel progresses, Raskolnikov continues to become more careless when it comes to protecting himself from being identified as the murderer. It becomes increasingly evident to the reader that other characters are starting to suspect that Raskolnikov was somehow involved with the murders of the Ivanova sisters. What I found most interesting in these chapters was Raskolnikov’s article “On Crime.” This article, which was published in a magazine, details Raskolnikov’s thoughts on murder. “On Crime” argues Raskolnikov’s opinion that some extraordinary people are better than the others, and this superiority gives them the right to commit murder in addition other crimes. As I read about this article, my mouth dropped. I was in complete shock that even someone as mentally deranged as Raskolnikov could be stupid enough to publish something like this, especially if he is trying to hide the fact that he is the real murderer. “On Crime” definitely draws attention to Raskolnikov’s involvement with the crimes. The article displays the immoral and corrupt side of Raskolnikov’s personality, making it easy for others to point fingers when hypothesizing whom the true killer is. I was especially interested in Porfiry Petrovich’s reaction to the article because he saw it as a piece of psychological evidence that pointed to Raskolnikov’s guilt. I expect Raskolnikov will commit more idiotic actions making his guilt more apparent, and I look forward to finding out what they are.

Alex