Crime and Punishment The Home

Of course, Raskolnikov is referring to his murderous idea. Part of what his mixed-up brain wants to do is overstep his fears of the landlady, to reach a place where he is in power, either literally or by becoming fearless.

Right away, the novel digs into one of our deepest fears: the landlady, or landlord as the case may be. Since it's only been a few years since the serfs were emancipated, and since the serfs were "owned" by people who also owned land, landperson phobia was probably extremely acute in Russia.

Marmeladov tells Raskolnikov that his home life is so unbearable that he had to leave and sleep outdoors. It's obvious from what he says that the horror of his home is of his own making. He knows it, too. He just doesn't know how to turn things around.

This is the first thing Raskolnikov sees when he enters Sonia's home. Notice how both the chair and the candlestick are rather beaten up? Dostoevsky really wants to emphasize Sonia's poor living conditions.

The funny phrasing is the translator's interpretation of Dostoevsky's impression of how German immigrants to Russia speak. But we digress. Here we see another landlady, but a more vicious one. Katerina asked for it, to be sure, but was also provoked. Like Raskolnikov, Katerina wants to be free from the landlady. As we know, this decision leads to Katerina's death and to a traumatic experience for her kids.

Svidrigaïlov's final "home" before he kills himself is the worst hotel room ever. It seems to mirror his cracked state.

This passage suggests that Raskolnikov and Sonia find a home in each other. As long as they are together, they will feel secure.

This gives us the willies. Would you trust Svidrigaïlov with your children's futures? Sonia almost has to do it. She really doesn't have the means to raise three kids. We can only hope that this is one of Svidrigaïlov's "good deeds" and he found a nice place for them. Either way, their home lives are about to change, for better or worse.