Joshua Cohen's Comment on Alexia's Post

             I find your observation about the fact that he hid his evidence under a rock as being that he is hiding the equally heavy burden of the evidence under an equally heavy rock. At first I thought that he did that because there were other people around the canal and his refusal to hide the rock in the canal was just further evidence of his paranoia in the situation and that the rock was the first place where there were no people around to see him. Also, I feel like the further into the novel we get, the less we know about what is going on. I am not sure we are getting further into Raskolnikov’s mind and I almost feel like we are starting to leave it, or lose ourselves in it. As my previous blog post mentioned, I am not sure if what Raskolnikov is seeing is real or if he is imagining it anymore because of just how insane Raskolnikov is going, therefore it is difficult to say we are getting further into his mind because he seems to be shutting everything out and losing all coherence and as he loses grasp on his mind, the reader seems to be forced to lose grasp on the situation in a very similar manner. Yet if the things Raskolnikov are seeing are real, then they just seem to convenient and I feel that the whole investigation being described in Raskolnikov’s room is just a way to make him feel even more guilty because of just how painfully aware Raskolnikov is of others unjust punishment for something he did. Finally, the irony behind the lady giving Raskolnikov money out of pity is extremely ironic seeing that Raskolnikov was the one who felt all high and might to give away his money, but as soon as he commits the crime that he felt was necessary to continue to exist, he can no longer exist. 

My Comment on Alexa's Post

For some reason my comment did not want to show underneath Alexa's post. What Rodia did was terrible, but like you said I do not want him to receive physical punishment. I do not think it would have any effect on him. Instead his own punishment on himself is far worse than any physical punishment possibly could be. Just like you, I do not really care for Rodia. His arrogant and air of superiority in the first part of the novel just made me dislike him, but that doesn't mean that I do not feel bad for him. From his thoughts we can see how badly this is having an effect on him, both physically and mentally. He is completely different now than he was at the beginning of the novel.

Poor Raskolnikov

First off, I must admit that, while I do believe Raskolnikov should be punished for the crimes he committed, I do not wish to see him go to prison or given the capital punishment. I do, however, want him to suffer internally for the rest of his existence; his true punishment resides in his own mind, not whether he is caught or not. Having to live with the guilt of murder will haunt him for the rest of his life. With that said, it is evident that the guilt is already catching up to him. As of this moment, he lives in constant fear that he will be caught for the murders at any time of the day. His paranoia coupled with his guilt is slowly starting to eat away at him. He is jumpy, nervous, anxious, and frightened about everything, and his character is weakening with every turn of the page. It has become somewhat annoying to read Crime and Punishment now, because his stream of consciousness is scattered and erratic. He no longer possesses the arrogant, self-righteous demeanor he previously put forth. The consequences to his actions are starting to catch up to him, and he is not the same Raskolnikov we were initially introduced to. Not that this is a bad thing, because I never really liked Raskolnikov's character in the first place, but it does make me feel a little bad for the guy. Living in constant fear is unhealthy and, in my opinion, I think it will take its toll on his psyche.

Hiding Your Guilt Won't Work Rodia

I am adopting Rachael's nickname for Raskolnikov, Rodia, because his name is way to long to be repeatedly written throughout my blog posts. Rodia has taken a turn for the worse. The guilt of his punishment has taken over him, causing his previous sense of superiority and arrogance to go out the window and be replaced with weakness and paranoia. This is evident from the reading as we can get a sense of his paranoia. He is constantly in fear that others are suspecting him and that at any moment he will be discovered as the murder. He walks into his own home in the beginning of Chapter 2 of Part 2 in complete fear that he will find policemen searching his home. His speech and inner thoughts are just as sporadic as he appears to be. He is trying to suppress his guilt by getting rid of everything that had to do with the murder, such as the jewelry and the bloody purse. He contemplates where to hid them and ultimately chooses under a rock. I find it interesting that he decided that under a massive rock would be a better hiding spot for them versus a canal, I've never had to get rid of murder evidence but I would think the latter to be a more efficient way but ok. The fact he chose the massive rock is the authors choice at trying to make it symbolic, by saying that he is trying to bury this massive amount of guilt he carries under a equally massive rock. As the chapters continue we just see his physical and mental state diminish. He no longer holds him tall or, as I previously said, carries himself with an air of superiority, instead to those around him he looks wild and some people on the street even assume he is a drunk bum and give him money out of pity for him, which I find ironic.  Overall, I am enjoying the novel. I like how deep we get into Rodia's head and it enables to see how much he has changed from Part 1 of the novel to a couple chapters into Part 2.

What's going to happen?

After Raskolnikov wakes up from being unconscious for four days, in which Razumikhin, the landlady, Nastasya, Zossimov, and Zamyotov have all been taking care of him. Zossimov, Razumikhin, and Nastasya are always talking about the murder that Raskolnikov committed -- not knowing it was Raskolnikov. Because it was him and he is always attending these meetings, he gets very very angry every time they talk about the murder. They began to believe that the one that was guilty was the painter because he had a pair of earrings that belonged to the victim. But, this was not for sure and there were theories that said the real murderer could have been the drop them there, and accidentally deviate the evidence to his advantage. Luzhin, the guy that Raskolnikov's sister is supposed to marry, shows up at his door and Raskolnikov talks to him very distantly. He is very cold and at one point actually explodes on him saying that Luzhin just wants to be a benefactor for his sister. Because of this, Luzhin decides to leave. From what I see, there is a lot of tension growing in the book and I have no idea how this is going to turn out.

Dragging Along (Rachael Marks)

     Rodia has not been feeling well, at all. If the book wasn't delierious enough before, it surely is now. I'm convinced that Rodia's state is purely based off of what he has done. He seems disgusted with the blood and everything, not even thinking about his personal gains. It is clear to me that he has never done something like this before. He is immersed in a state of delusion and can't seem to wrap his head around the occurances. He is not exactly evaluating it, but it still seems to be the only thing that he can think about. Rodia has become very jumpy and feels as if everything he does will be tied to the murder, and everything that goes on is something that may be about the murder. He is wondering when he will be questioned about it, but it seems that the police have not found out anything as of yet. And the book drags along with his fit of anxiety and paranoia.
      I want to like this book. I really really do, seriously. But, I just cannot get into it. My friends who have read the book have told me that it is fantastic, and so I was very excited to read it. The concept is great, the only thing is, it just has not drawn me in. I'm not sure why but it doesn't have the same pull that Atlas Shrugged did. Or maybe I was so transfixed on Atlas Shrugged and now The Kite Runner that I don't have an opportunity to find enjoyment in reading this book. Every weekend I have forced myself through each word, struggling not to close it and give in to my boredom. It's very sad, I really want to appreciated this book! It is very frustrating. Maybe it is too drawn out, or maybe there are just so many more things I wish I could be reading instead, but this book just isn't doing it for me. I hope my perspective changes, and soon.

Joshua Cohen Commentary on Part 2 Chapters 2, 3, and 4: Why Does it Have to be so Confusing?

          In this week’s reading, the number one theme is confusion and general madness. During the reading, I had absolutely no clue what was going on, and to be honest, I was starting to feel the stress that Raskolnikov was feeling because of the way the chapters were written. The pacing of the words were quick yet sporadic and I had a hard time following what was happening, just like Raskolnikov was. Personally, I find this effectiveness to be brilliant, like before, and how the author was able to capture the mind of Raskolnikov as though he were trapped in a cage while he was running about trying to get rid of the evidence of his crime. He goes so crazy, in fact, that he literally passes out and generally loses control over himself. At this point in the story I have no idea what is going on, whether what he is describing is in his head or real. Both points have validity in my head, but neither one makes much sense. On the one hand, Raskolnikov could be going crazy due to the guilt he feels for the crime and has entered a state where he is imagining everything that is occurring to him. The whole investigation and his actions might just be his mind running rampant as he tries to make sense of what is happening. This would make sense as it would be a repetition of how he tried to justify himself earlier through all his actions, and this is just an embodiment of his justification. He could be imagining the fact that the doctors are visiting him and basically talking about the investigation of the murder, quite conveniently, so that Raskolnikov has a blow by blow discussion of what is happening. Yet, this would not make sense if it is all in his head because there are still figures from before the incident that seem to be acting normally and there is proof of things still occurring outside of this room/Raskolnikov’s mind such as the money from his mother. So if this is not just in his mind, this could be justified as a further punishment for Raskolnikov’s crimes that he has to suffer through as he watches his friends and family slowly unfold the truth while he just sits there, lying to them and to himself about the crime. I feel that this is going to be more painful, again, than if he were just caught in the first place, because he is going to be painfully aware of the punishment that others might receive due to his actions. But, I still do not know enough to make any sense of what is what and who is who in this story, so I guess I will just have to wait.