Crime and Punishment Criminality Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph). We used Constance Garnett's translation.

Quote #7

[Raskolnikov:] "I […] hinted that an 'extraordinary' man has the right […] an inner right to decide in his own conscience to overstep...certain obstacles, and only in case it is essential for the practical fulfillment of his idea (sometimes, perhaps, of benefit to the whole of humanity)." (3.5.101)

This is a more complicated-sounding version of what Raskolnikov hears the student say in the quote above from 1.6.14. This is when he's trying to explain his article on the matter to Porfiry. Knowing that he wrote an essay about this business helps us understand just how obsessed he really is with the idea.

Quote #8

All that infamy had obviously only touched her mechanically, not one drop of real depravity had penetrated to [Sonia's] heart; [Raskolnikov] saw that. (4.4.104)

Not only does Raskolnikov assume that Sonia does her work in a machine-like way, with no feeling, he implies that prostitution, something one does with one's own body, can actually have an impact on the "heart," by which he really means "soul." A moment later, he suggests that, if she stays a prostitute, she will go crazy, kill herself, or start to enjoy it. In other words, if she keeps it up, she'll lose her soul. He sees her as a criminal, even though she doesn't see him as one.