This was a bittersweet chapter for me. I absolutely
loved the fact that Lebezyatnikov spoiled Luzhin’s
plan! To be honest, before this chapter, Lebezyatnikov annoyed me. He just seemed like
another insignificant character that digressed from the novel’s central plot.
However, Luzhin is probably my least favorite character in the novel, and to
see his plan get ruined and illustrate the real bad guy was extremely
satisfying! Especially since part of Luzhin’s plan was to make Sonya look as if
she was at fault. Despite the fact that she is a prostitute, I have gained
respect for Sonya over the course of the novel. I feel bad that she lives in
such miserable conditions and has forced herself into prostitution in order to
help her family. The fact that Sonya still has hope that God will forgive her
of her sins makes her one of the few positive characters in Crime and Punishment, which at times can
be relieving. I was also happy when Raskolnikov stood up against Luzhin in
support of Dunya, revealing that Luzhin probably wanted to slander Sonya in
order to get back at Raskolnikov for ruining his engagement and to prove to Dunya
that Raskolnikov is disrespectful. Why Raskolnikov does this was not entirely
clear to me. On one hand, he could be selflessly helping Sonya out and fighting
against Luzhin's injustice. On the other hand, he could be helping her in order
to prevent Luzhin from ruining his relationship with his sister and as a
result, the rest of his family. Raskolnikov's conflicted moral code leads me to
believe there is some of each side in his actions. By protecting Sonya while
embarrassing Luzhin, Raskolnikov killed two birds with one stone. On the other
hand, I felt bad that Katerina Ivanova’s family was evicted from their housing
unit. Although she has had poor behavior lately, I believe she was acting out of
her low self-esteem, poor health, and to convince herself that she is in a
better reality. The fact that Katerina no longer has food or a home foreshadows
that she will die soon. However, I do believe that Raskolnikov’s feelings and
friendship with Sonya is genuine, and he will not want her family to suffer or
be homeless. Therefore, I believe that Raskolnikov will probably offer his
apartment to Sonya and her family some time in the coming chapters.
- Alex
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