Section 2

This forum is for discussion of Crime and Punishment Section 2, which is broken down into two groups for discussion/post.

Section 2: Chapters 1-4
Section 2: Chapters 5-7

Section 2: Chapters 1-4:
The Punishment:Raskol is experiencing punishment through his own guilt (mixed with fever). He is constantly conflicted over wether he should confess, and is visably shaken each time he hears details of the suspects and murders.
He tries to rid himself of any evidence of the crime, hoping to rid himself of the guilt.
The fever and delusions that Raskol experiences gives the reader a feeling of uncertainty as well. When Raskol wakes up, we along with him, wonder what is real, what has actually happened, what has been said, what has been discovered, and how much was a horrid dream or delusion. I think that this technique brings the reader into the novel.

Actually, I feel that the only unpredictable thing in this story is his "fever." Will he or won't he spill the beans? Will he die? Will he be a mass murderer? Will he start an epidemic?

I'm actually enjoying the fever variable.

Section 2: Chapters 5-7

In this section Raskol wants to confess, in fact he talks so much about the crime, and in ways that it has to at least give rise to suspision.

He happens upon his friend Marmeldov after his accident and helps him, then offers to support the family. He then begins to feel less guilt about his own sin.
SparkNotes says that he acted out of guilt, in order to relieve himself in a way, but I felt like the story was too fast paced for him to have thought it through that far. I felt like he helped out of compassion (a trait we have seen glimpses of so far) and then later felt the relief of some of his guilt. I believe he may continue to help the family in order to maintain that feeling.

fromthe beginning raskol has shown conflicing natures. It would n't surprise me if he confessed to a stranger just to get it out or we may se him go over the deep end and belabeled 'mad'.