Laura Occasionally Blogs

After reading seven GLBT young adult novels in a row, I was desperate to read something grown-up so I picked up Crime and Punishment. I think it's the kind of book that could benefit from duneguy-style Spoilers Ahead treatment. Besides, we're unlikely to get more Little Women while Paul is on vacation.

So, away we go.

Chapter 1
We open on Raskolnikov slinking out of his house, afraid to meet the landlady or anyone else; not, it is specified, because he is afraid of her (although he doesn't have the money to pay his rent and hasn't for some time), but because he is feeling a strange terror at the idea of meeting anyone. He's just feeling a little fragile today, okay? As he walks through the streets, he mutters about some great undertaking, which he tries to convince himself is just a fantasy and he won't really do it. Or will he? If I know Russian literature, smart money's on throwing himself under a train.

Raskolnikov goes to see a hardened old lady and pawns his watch. He asks her questions about her living arrangement, making her suspicious, and seems to be casing the joint. Oh, crime. Smart money was also on crime.

In Russian books everybody calls each other by their full names.

"Goodbye--are you always at home alone, your sister is not here with you?" he asked as casually as possible as he went out into the passage.
"What business is she of yours, sir?"
"Oh, nothing particular, I simply asked. You are too quick, Aliona Ivonovna."

And there are certain times when you know the English translation (by Constance Garnett) has got to be clunkier than the original.

Raskolnikov was not used to crowds, and, as was said previously, he avoided society of any sort, especially recently.

Raskolnikov decides he'd like to be with people after all, so he goes to a tavern.

Chapter 2
At the tavern, Raskolnikov meets a drunken clerk, or rather ex-clerk, named Marmeladov. Marmeladov tells a lengthy sob story about his poverty. His children are starving, and his oldest daughter, Sonia, had to become a prostitute to support them. She now has a "yellow ticket" (not to be confused with a yellow ticket of leave) and she has to live alone in a tenement house so as not to besmirch the family's good name, but she still brings them money under cover of night. Briefly Marmeladov had a job, but he lost it, and he's so afraid of his wife, Katerina, who beats him, that he hasn't returned home in five days.

Raskolnikov takes Marmeladov home, where he reunites with his wife in a flurry of blows. There are some Ignorance and Want-looking children hanging around. Raskolnikov leaves a few copper* on the table before he leaves, and then regrets it.

He walks home gloomily wondering if Man is a scoundrel. I love you, Raskolnikov. I don't want to know you in real life, but I kind of love you.

*I've sort of worked it out--I'm pretty sure a ruble is the equivalent to a D&D gold piece, a kopek to a silver piece, and presumably a copper to a copper. It doesn't sound like much but it is a lot to level 0 peasants.