Crime and Punishment: Part Two

In Part Two of Crime and Punishment, the story follows Raskolnikov, a young man who has done something very bad—he murdered a pawnbroker and her sister. Now, he is scared, sick, and confused. He feels very nervous all the time and doesn’t know what to do next. After the crime, Raskolnikov hides the stolen items under a big rock in a secret place. He doesn’t even try to sell them or use them. This shows that he didn’t really do it for the money. He just wanted to prove something to himself, but now he feels terrible. He keeps thinking about what he did and feels very guilty. His mind is not clear, and he gets very sick. He stays in bed for days, barely eating or talking.One day, Raskolnikov gets a letter asking him to come to the police station. He becomes very frightened, thinking they know about the murder. When he gets there, he finds out that it’s not about the crime at all—it’s just about the money he owes for school. Even though the police don’t suspect anything, he gets so nervous that he faints. The way he acts makes the police wonder if something is wrong with him. After this, Raskolnikov’s fear and stress grow even more.As he becomes more and more ill, Raskolnikov has strange dreams and talks to himself. He is not thinking clearly. He tries to go outside a few times, but he feels dizzy and weak. He doesn’t want to see people or talk to anyone. His friend, Razumikhin, visits him and tries to help. Razumikhin is a kind and cheerful person who cares about Raskolnikov. He brings medicine and talks to the doctor to help his friend feel better. Even though Raskolnikov tries to push him away, Razumikhin stays by his side and shows real friendship.While walking through the city, Raskolnikov sees a man named Marmeladov get hit by a carriage. Marmeladov is the same man Raskolnikov met in a tavern earlier. He is poor and sick, and he drinks too much. When Marmeladov is badly hurt, Raskolnikov helps carry him home to his family. He meets Marmeladov’s wife, Katerina Ivanovna, and their children, who live in a small, dirty room and have very little to eat. Raskolnikov feels sorry for them and gives them money, even though he is poor himself. This moment shows that Raskolnikov still has kindness and goodness in his heart, even after what he did.Raskolnikov also begins to act strangely. He goes to visit the pawnbroker’s house again, which is a very risky thing to do. He even talks to a police officer in a way that makes it seem like he knows too much about the murder. The police start to wonder about him. But Raskolnikov doesn’t seem to care. He is tired, sick, and confused. He doesn’t know what he wants anymore. Sometimes he feels proud and thinks he is above other people, and other times he feels terrible and hates himself. His thoughts go back and forth, and he doesn’t know how to feel.Near the end of Part Two, Raskolnikov’s mother and sister come to the city to see him. They are very worried because they heard he was sick. His sister, Dunya, is supposed to marry a man named Luzhin, who Raskolnikov does not like. He believes Luzhin is selfish and only wants to control Dunya. Raskolnikov becomes angry and doesn’t want his sister to marry him. He thinks she is doing it just to help the family, and he doesn’t want her to suffer.When they arrive, Raskolnikov is not very friendly to them. He is still feeling very weak and upset. His mother is shocked by how pale and sick he looks. His sister is kind and tries to talk to him, but Raskolnikov is too tired to say much. Luckily, Razumikhin helps them and tries to make everyone feel better. He becomes friends with Raskolnikov’s family and promises to take care of them while Raskolnikov recovers.By the end of Part Two, Raskolnikov is still sick in both body and mind.