Alex's Response to Madie and Gabe

I agree with both of my partners’ opinions on Chapter 5 of Part IV. Both Madie and Gabe made several valid points in discussing this chapter. All three of us share similar thoughts in regard to the scene in the police station. Due to several of Porfiry Petrovich’s blunt comments, it is rather obvious that Porfiry suspects that Raskolnikov committed the murders. Like Madie said, the tactic that Porfiry uses on Raskolnikov is both clever and successful. Not only do all of the hints Porfiry drops point directly at Raskolnikov, but they cause Raskolnikov to become extremely enraged. I agree with Madie and Gabe that Raskolnikov’s reaction was poorly thought out, especially because that was exactly the type of reaction Porfiry was looking for. The fact that Raskolnikov could not maintain his composure only gave Porfiry one more reason to point fingers at Raskolnikov. Moreover, I was intrigued when Raskolnikov told Porfiry that he felt he was not being treated fairly and wanted Porfiry to be straightforward with him, rather than playing mind games. I found this scene interesting because Raskolnikov suddenly wants to be treated like a normal person and says that if he is going to be considered a suspect, he wants to be properly examined, just like any other ordinary man would be. This immediately caught my attention because it completely contradicts the theme of Raskolnikov’s perceived superiority. Previously, Raskolnikov felt he had the right to commit the murder because he feels he is an “extraordinary” human being and therefore, has the right to disobey the law. However, now that he is actually a suspect, Raskolnikov wants to be treated like all other “ordinary” people.