Crime and Punishment Violence

Even though we get dozens of lines like this about Katerina, she remains a somewhat sympathetic character. Part of this is because her kids, and a few others, remain loyal to her and seem to love her. Her abuse is considered a symptom of her illness and her poverty and, thus, not entirely monstrous.

Many of the violent moments in the novel involve Katerina. Sure, she has a right to be mad about the stolen money, but it's painful to read about her treatment of her husband nonetheless. It's also darkly comic. We are angry with Marmeladov for not being stronger, and we want something to wake him to the reality of it. He himself thinks the hair pulling might help.

This is what Raskolnikov overhears the other student saying in the bar about Lizaveta and the pawnbroker. Man, it seems like there are lots of beatings being administered in this novel. This passage is pretty effective in arousing our sympathy for Lizaveta and our disgust for the pawnbroker. It makes us take Lizaveta's death much harder than we would have if we hadn't known of the abuse.

This is from Raskolnikov's famous horse dream. When he wakes from it, he decides not to kill Alyona. In his mind, for a moment, he thinks of her as his innocent victim and wants to save her from himself.

An incredibly graphic moment. Dostoevsky's word choice is interesting here, too. He compares the body to a "glass." This speaks to Raskolnikov's vision of her as a mere object rather than a human being.

What a creepy moment. We knew Ilya was "explosive," but why would he beat Raskolnikov's landlady? Is it because of the story Raskolnikov told him at the police station? Did Raskolnikov somehow cause this? Well, only in his dreams. It never happens, but it sure seems real when we read it.

Major anxiety dream. Even if Raskolnikov could legally get away with the murder, his mind will keep on punishing him. We wonder how long such dreams will continue.

We don't blame you for shuddering. The girl in question is only 14. By Svidrigaïlov's own later admission, he sexually abused her, which caused her to kill herself.

What a relief this moment is. We can't imagine how Dounia will get away from Svidrigaïlov, but she's saved by the gun, just in the nick of time. Dounia doesn't take advantage of the situation, just nicks his forehead to make a point (or she's just a bad shot). In any case, he won't be so lucky when he turns the same gun on himself.