Reaction to Alexia's Blog

I agree with Alexia (and Rachael) that the book keeps becoming more and more boring and redundant. I agree with Alexia that the sudden infatuation Razumihin has with Dunya is a nice break from the dullness of the novel of murdering this person, then panic attack, then internal debates. It was definitely a lighter break that was definitely necessary. I like that you pointed out that Dunya said she is marrying for herself, not for Raskolnikov, because Raskolnkiov very frequently said she was marrying for him, and I also like that you point out her strength. I am starting to like Dunya's character.

Reaction to Josh's Post

I guess I get where Josh is coming from, but I do not find this story anywhere near as interesting as he does. The whole Napoleon comparison is brilliant and it works well considering Raskolnikov’s mentality and outlook on situations. The theory/idea that Raskolnikov “feels the need to gratify himself by discovering someone in a situation where they are lower than him, and using what little he can control to help them so that he can feel in control of them” makes complete sense and actually explains a lot about Raskolnikov’s behavior in this book. But unlike Josh, I am not enjoying Crime and Punishment as much as he is. I was wrong when I said that I can speak for all of us by saying that this book is terrible, because evidently Josh loves it. Not that there is anything wrong with that, clearly a bunch of people enjoy C&P because it is an extremely famous and popular novel, but we definitely have different tastes when it comes to our reading material. I like that Josh is so passionate about it, because his opinion gives me a lot of insight on what we are reading. I never would have thought to compare Napoleon to Raskolnikov, and Josh seems to just understand the nature of the book a lot better than I do. For that, I am grateful, because without his posts I would most likely be completely lost in the plotline.

This book is frustrating

I think I speak for all members of my group when I say that Crime and Punishment is one of the worst books I have ever read. Not that the writing is bad or anything like that, because let’s be real, the writing is fantastic in and of itself, but the plotline? Not so much. This story is mediocre at best! It is boring and redundant. I feel like I have been reading the same page over and over again. When is something different going to happen? I need a break from the strange thoughts inside Raskolnikov’s mind. Like I said in my previous post, I still believe that Raskolnikov’s next victim will be his sister’s fiancé, Luzhin. When Raskolnikov is bothered by somebody, what does he do? He gets rid of them. I feel like he does not know how to deal with his anger and his problems. His solution to “dealing” with people he does not like is killing them. Therefore, it is completely logical that Luzhin will be his next kill, if he does decide to murder another person. He is so bipolar and weird when it comes to dealing with other human beings. A part of me wants him to get caught and put in prison because  I feel like he would feel more comfortabele there. It would literally just be him and his own thoughts, nobody to mess up his psyche. Pulcheria describes her son as being “like two different people.” That description fits him perfectly, because he is the most hot and cold character I have ever experienced. One minute he is nice and caring and the next he is cold and detached from humanity. It is the weirdest thing to read about and it is quite difficult to keep up with sometimes. Honestly, I just want this story to end already. Getting through this book is exhausting and sometimes I find myself having to read the same page over and over again because I lose interest and immediately forget what I just read. This week’s reading did not reveal too much about Raskolnikov himself, which I found to be odd considering the whole story revolves around him and his messed up brain. I cannot think of one thing I have learned about him that was revealed by his own thought process and not somebody else. We learned quite a lot about how his family thinks of him through his mother, sister, and possible brother in law. Learning about him through the eyes of other characters was a nice change. It gave us a break from the redundancy of his own thoughts.

Joshua Cohen's Reaction to Rachael's Post

I can understand how you can view this book as boring and somewhat repetitive, because it is very much so, yet there are some underlying theories and principals that make the overall story more interesting than it is at first glance. When reading through the thoughts of Raskolnikov it is extremely annoying to sift through his ranting and somewhat choppy nature to find relevant statements as opposed to rambling thoughts. Yet I feel that the fact that this book makes you feel a little insane while reading is a compliment to the ability of the author to make the reader feel somewhat attached to the character, mostly by the fact that you are experiencing the story through this characters eyes. Also, there are some good ideas that are portrayed in the book that often get me thinking about how society really defines insanity and the differing opinions about actions. Personally, I find that looking at a situation through a different perspective is often more insightful than looking at a situation by myself or just reading one perspective, and the same applies to the structures and assumptions of society. I find Raskolnikov’s idea on how murder might be socially acceptable if it is done for an idea to be interesting in the fact that at first most people think that murder is wrong in all aspects, but Raskolnikov is arguing the side of the murderer, quite literally in this case, which is interesting, at the same time it is disturbing. But, that is my opinion, and everybody else has their opinions and nobody is ever one hundred percent right. 

Is Raskolnikov Really Insane? Commentary on Part 3 Chapters 2-5

There is quite a bit to talk about in this week’s reading, firstly is the editorial that Raskolnikov wrote about the morality of murder. According to Raskolnikov only certain people, he calls them “extra ordinaries” as opposed to the “ordinary” people, can murder rightly. He believes that these extraordinary people are those who have a new idea and if they kill for the idea, it is fine. He uses Napoleon as an example, which is fitting seeing how he acts towards those below him. The whole time he is explaining his beliefs, he is giving obvious signs that he is clearly in the state of mind and had the reason to murder the woman, yet nobody seems to be suspecting him. It seems like at his first encounter with any sort of police or detective, he is extremely suspicious and almost paranoid about them accusing him, yet he loses any sort of paranoia as soon as he is talking about one of his ideas. One example was when he toyed with the detective by asking him if he thought that he was the murderer and basically argued against himself in proof of his crime, yet the detective did not convict him. Or when Raskolnikov goes off about his editorial on murder, clearly hinting at his guilt, and the investigator seems to not take much notice.  The reason that I say that Raskolnikov identifies with Napoleon is the way that he feels the need to gratify himself by discovering someone in a situation where they are lower than him, and using what little he can control to help them so that he can feel in control of them. That might be why he seems to be falling for Sonia, because she is in a position where he would basically have complete control over her life based on his will as Raskolnikov thinks he is in a much higher position than she is. Also, Raskolnikov seemed to get himself into a similar situation with his previous fiancé and how she was somewhat ugly and was in a lower position than Raskolnikov giving him no reason to really marry her other than his intentions to feel like he has control over someone or something. Also, when Raskolnikov feels the worst is when he is not able to control what is happening around him, like when he did think he had a choice about what to do and had very little control over his life. When he regained control over his life to some extent, he seemed to return to his normal state, which is still not very normal compared to other people. I am also somewhat confused by Raskolnikov mixed messages in that at one point he feels compelled to turn himself in yet at another point he is terrified that somewhat might know the truth. At this point, I really do not know what to think about the story and I am waiting for it to make sense.

Reaction to Luisa's Post (Alexia Barrios)

I find it interesting that you think the next person that Rodia is going to be is Luzhin. It’s kind of funny actually considering that he is blatantly obnoxious about his wealth and intelligence and the fact he is marrying Dunya because she is poor. If I thought he was capable of committing murder again I would agree that he would kill him, but personally I don't think he is capable of it. Yea he's having mental breakdowns and whatnot but I don't think he is mentally capable of adding another person’s death to his conscience. It will destroy him. I agree that it was a little strange that Rodia was engaged before. With his self-absorbed and superiority complex I would think that he would have either been forever single or at least have a very distinct taste in women, so I was shocked that his mother described her as being ugly and whatnot. He is somewhat "socially awkward" but I would say that it is because he is very intelligent possibly to the point where he has difficulty interacting with others. Also his sense of superiority might make that difficult as well.  I also found it interesting that Dunya wanted her brother to be there when they were meeting up with her fiancé. I believe that she is purposefully going against his wishes as a way to test Luzhin’s feelings toward her and to see how he would react to the situation. I find Dunya to be a very intelligent and strong woman, and I believe she is someone who defies the gender roles that were posed during the time that they are in since though she is marrying for her sake I think she would not mind being alone and being independent.

Raskolnikov is strange, really strange

I honestly think the next person Raskolnikov is going to kill, if his sister does not let him go, is Luzhin. I am almost positive that if his sister does not follow his advice, he will kill Luzhin so he does not have to deal with him no matter what his sister's decision was. I was shocked that Pulcheria, Raskolnikov's mom, said Raskolnikov used to be engaged. Of course, she describes the girl as very ugly and useless, but the main point is that Raskolnikov used to be engaged. I found that kind of a shocker because since he is so socially weird, I would not think he would be capable of having a girlfriend let alone be engaged to her. His mom and the landlady did not want the marriage to happen, though. I found it peculiar that the mom said that Raskolnikov is like two different people and that he has always been like that. She says that sometimes he is goodhearted and intelligent and others he is cold and lives in his own world. I think Raskolnikov is so socially awkward precisely because he lives in his own world and almost never makes any connections with the people around him. I agree with her statement that he lives in his own world, in which he plans all his deadly actions. Razumihin, trying to be a good friend, decides that bringing women around Raskolnikov will help him out in a way.
Luzhin sends a letter and he says he wants to meet with them the day after but he does not want Raskolnikov to be present. I understand Luzhin on that part because Raskolnikov did insult him. The decision was left up to Dunya for Raskolnikov to be there or not, and she does want him there. I wonder why.
What I found sad at one point was that Pulcheria was afraid of Raskolnikov, her own son. I think she too believes her son has gone mad and she does not know what his next reaction will be since he has been so impulsive. Zossimov too thinks Raskolnikov is insane. Surprisingly, Raskolnikov is very kind to everybody this time and says he will go back to college soon (how old is he again? Did they ever tell us?).
His mom tells Raskolnikov that Marfa has died and Raskolnikov gets frustrated because he notices that everybody is afraid of him, and Dunya confirms this observation. Quickly, though, he regains his composure and actually apologizes for acting rudely recently but states that he is still adamant in not liking Luzhin. His behavior is so bipolar and weird!!

Response To Alexia (Rachael Marks)

I completely agree with all of the contents of your post. The book has been very redundant and uneventful, which has been oh so tedious. It was very nice to finally have something happen. Even if it is a random romance story, which was what I could not stand about Atlas Shrugged, this book needed it. Not romance exactly, but something! And it has finally given it to us. 

I will admit that I did not read up to this part before reading your post, but your post intrigued me to do so and I was very happy to discover that something happened. I do love Dunia, and I hope that the book continues to save itself. I will be very disappointed if we once again get sucked into the drab occurrences that we have had to put up with for much too long. 

This story-line with Dunia will definitely be an interesting one. Her reaction, actions, and the outcome will most likely be very entertaining. I actually look forward to it.

Razumikhin's Sudden Love and Dunya's Resourcefullness (Alexia Barrios)

To be completely honest, I am no longer enjoying this book as much as I did in the beginning. I enjoyed Part 1 of the novel, but those parts following it have been uneventful in my opinion. The same events seem to be occurring over and over; he has a delusion or a panic attack, decides he wants to confess then never does. The readings these past couple of weeks have consisted of these same actions. I feel like Rodia has been doing going back and forth with whether or not to confess, and then whether or not he is acting mad and at first it was entertaining, but now it no longer holds my interest. The only aspects of this weeks reading that really grasped my interest were the subplots and other smaller events that occurred.

In this weeks reading one interaction that really sparked my interest was the sudden infatuation that Razumikhin grew for Dunya. It was a nice break from the dull and heavy tone that the novel has had thus far but it was certainly odd and one that I didn’t expect since I never thought the author would incorporate any romance into the novel. We witness this sudden love for Dunya occur as Rasumikhin is in “a state" (193) as he walks Dunya and her mother back to their horrible lodging that Dunya’s “scoundrel” (195) of a fiancé, Luzhin, put them in. Razumikhin’s drunken state seemed to allow his thoughts on her “goodness, purity, sense…and perfection” (194) to be known, and it is how we learn of his “sudden drunken infatuation for Avdotia Romanovna” (196) Also, it seems that his drunkenness provided him with some clarity on people and he makes a interesting point when he says “though all my friends there are drunk…they are all honest, and though we talk a lot of trash…we shall talk our way to the truth at last, for we are on the right path, while Peter Petrovich…is not…” (195) It demonstrates that though they are not wealthy and as intellectual as Dunya’s fiancé they possess a characteristic that is far more valuable in his opinion which is equivalent to my own; honesty.

I also liked learning more about Dunya. Up to this point of the novel we knew very little about her, but now we learn of not only her beauty through Razumikhin’s vivid descriptions but also of her intelligence and resourcefulness. In the past I have mentioned Rodia’s arrogance and once again it was shown as he mentions Dunya’s engagement saying that “you (Dunya) are marrying Luzhin for my sake” (190). She proves this to be incorrect when as she claims she’s “marrying for my (Dunya) own sake, because things are hard for me.” (222) She also plotted to test her fiancé, urging Rodia to meet up with them to see “the whole truth” (225) if he is really “angry or not” (225) which I thought was representation of her strength and dignity.

An Attempt To Not Complain (Rachael Marks)

So obviously we all know I do not enjoy reading this book. I will attempt to spare everyone the agony of hearing more about that because redundancy is boring. It is EXTREMELY boring... I could not possibly be trying to imply anything about the book could I? Because the book is not exactly redundant (just... really... slow and dwells too much on unnecessary events). 

But the thing is, I am going to try my hardest not to talk about how tedious it is to read this book. How I dread having to blog about it. I am not going to talk about these things. I forbid myself from saying anything about how I groan each time I even look at the book (woops... I guess I did say something). 

Done! No more complaining (at least not about having to read it). Now for the actual discussion of the book, which I guess is a reaction in ways, but in reality my reaction to the book is my constant complaint. I do not find summarizing the book a reaction, but I suppose it might be nice to change things up and react to certain events in the book. Most of the events render me the same reaction, "yeh- that's nice- I get that you're sick and delusional Rodia", but I will try to change it up a bit. 

So there is a huge collection of people visiting Rodia. They are all talking about different things and it becomes overwhelming. I realize that what they were discussing was important, but did they really all have to come at Rodia at once? I wanted answers, but this is were the description is actually supposed to occur. 

Once we finally start hearing that the police actually are doing something about the fact that someone has been murdered, in comes Peter to just make everything annoying. As I suspected, he and Rodia did not get along at all. I suppose he is not quite the man Rodia's mother hyped him up to be. 

Then Rodia continues to be annoying, I guess he felt that Peter was taking away his spotlight. He starts walking around being angry with people and confusing them. So now not only the readers, but the actual characters are aggravated with him. Joy! 

Pretty much Rodia just continues like this for a while. He teases people, like when he hints that he may be the murderer, but of course it is taken as a joke. Some woman attempts suicide which makes him think about suicide, because he cannot go more than a few hours without thinking about something related to death. So yeh, that is what happens. I apologize for my reaction being so bland, but really, it is suitable for a story that is on the same level of blandness. 

Comment on Alexa's Post (Alexia Barrios)

 Personally, I do not think his character is extremely complex but just very annoying. His emotions throughout this second part of the novel are erratic and unpredictable. He has gone through a variety of emotions, but mainly, especially in this weeks reading, he presents himself as calm, but to the point that it is eerie. It is like the calm before the storm type of scenario. He is definitely not “a psycho maniac”, he is just someone who is dealing with a great amount of guilt after killing two men in cold blood. One would think he is because the murder was so vicious, but I do not like he is a psycho or he would not feel the guilt that he does throughout the second part of the novel. This is why he is capable of being kind and yet has killed two people. It was a crime of passion, so once it was complete he was capable of returning to his normal nature but now he has the burden of the murder on his conscience, which altered him, but not entirely. Just like you, I was not expecting him to want to confess since he has tried so hard to avoid suspicion; the fact that he was raising suspicion during his conversation with Zametov was very strange in my opinion.

 

Reaction to Luisa's post

I agree with Luisa to a certain extent. I do think Raskolnikov is messed up, but I do not think he is sadistic. Sadism is the deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. I do not think this accurately portrays Raskolnikov's disposition on the murders he committed. Honestly, I still do not know how to feel about him. His character is weird and his thought process is difficult to follow. Maybe he is just confused with his own purpose in life, maybe he is psychotic, I really do not know. Luisa also mentioned that she finds it strange how Razhumikin is obsessed with Dunya. Well, I find it weird and slightly annoying that Raskolinkov continues to demand that she calls off her engagement. I have a feeling that he is going to snap at some point and murder her fiancé. Maybe he will be Raskolnikov's next victim? Who knows. Raskolnikov is a strange person and thinks about things in a completely different perspective than normal people. His lines between right and wrong, moral and immoral, are definitely blurred. There is never knowing what he is going to do next, but I guess that is what keeps us on our toes.

Intolerable! (Rachael Marks)

Once again I will be subjected to ranting about this book. It still fails to entice me in any way and it still drags along. The thing that irks me lately is the names. Oh these names! They are so bothersome and confusing. One of the most challenging aspects of this book is that I have such a difficult time following what is going on because I do not know who is who. The names prevent me from connecting to certain characters and remembering who they are. It makes it very frustrating to read this novel. The worst part is that some of them look very similar and it becomes difficult to distinguish which person is actually being talked about without always keeping very close attention. After reading The Kite Runner today and being so amazed and depressed it was so annoying to be subjected to reading this book. I cannot stand it. I hate that I cannot stand it! Why is it so damn difficult for me to get into it? I love psychology and following the mindset of people, but it is so intolerable that I just cannot find anything that can keep my head from drifting off. I feel like I am just reading words at this point. I do not end up putting them together, I just read them and forget to make sense of them. Then I have to read certain sections over and over again. Maybe if I were able to read this book at another time I would find greater joy in it, but while reading it at the same time as various intriguing novels, it is just torterous. Maybe I am still upset about all of the other books I want to be reading right now, but this book has been hell.

I really do not know what else to say. I hate to attack books that I cannot understand. Maybe, I understand it too much and everything just seems boring about it. I am not very sure. I just feel awful for having the same complaints about it. I want to write about something different. I want to write something interesting and thoughtful about it. But here I go ranting along. I really do hope that this changes soon. I do not think I can rant any longer about this book without feeling like my posts are repetitive and insignificant.

Completely Confused

The more I read and progress through the book, the more confused I seem to be. Raskolnikov's character is one of the most complex characters I have ever been introduced to. From the beginning of the book, I knew that there was something quite off about him but I could never place my finger on it. There has always seemed to be a part missing from him that takes away from his humanity. He does not fit in with the rest of society, he knows it and we know it. He possesses a certain sickness of spirit, and coupled with his moodiness, depressive anxiety and arrogance, it spawns his obsession with the murder. While it is quite confusing as to why he randomly decided to become a murderer in the first place, it is also confusing that he is not a complete psycho maniac. Raskolnikov is capable of extreme generosity and compassion and tends to pity the weak and helpless. His acts of kindness towards Marmaledov's family when Marmaledov passes away was unexpected, but pleasant. This capacity for goodness signals that all is not lost in Raskolnikov. The fact that he is a murderer but is kind to others is strange but captivating. In the past, I have compared his personality to that of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but some of his personality traits remind me of Ted Bundy's as well. While he is not as normal and charming as Ted Bundy was known as being, he does have the whole being a secret murderer but still being a nice person thing going for him. The whole dynamic of his character is frustrating, because while he is suffering with the fact that he is guilty for his crimes, he does not want to be punished for it for the rest or his life. The last thing I expected him to do was confess, and for a moment, I thought he was going to. But of course, that is way too simple for Raskolnikov and he just loves being complicated. I am always up and down with my feelings towards him. Honestly, I just want to get to the end of this book already because I am extremely interested in how it is going to turn out. 

Raskolnikov is a Sadistic Person

Raskolnikov is actually mad, just like the police Zamyotov thinks so. I found it extremely surprising that Raskolnikov almost said his crime. I personally think Raskolnikov is messed up in the head, just as I am sure every one else in my group would agree. I also find it strange that he gets so angry at a suicide attempt when he walks past the bridge...because he just killed two people like it was nothing, so why would he be so revolted by a suicide attempt? I find it even more shocking when he asks the workers why the blood is gone... That to me is very, very sadistic, he basically wanted to keep seeing the blood of the two people he killed as a reminder of the action he had done, and he wanted to keep that reminder. I think he is a psychopath. Contrary to this previous action, when Marmeladov was about to die, Raskolnikov was there, and when he did die, Raskolnikov left money for Marmeladov's family. When he carries out actions like this, they make me think he still has a little bit of a conscience, but I guess only for people that gave him something, because he killed two completely innocent people just because he did not like them. Another thing from the chapters I read this week that stood out to me other than Raskolnikov's extremely strange personality, is the peculiarity of Razhumikin's sudden "obsession" with Dunya, he is very attracted to her because of her beauty and confidence. Razhumikin even gets jealous when a doctor appreciates Dunya's beauty. Raskolnikov, on the other hand repeats to Dunya to call off her engagement.

My Reaction to Alexia's Post

Personally, I don’t find Raskolnikov’s calm demeanor to be disturbing, in fact, I find it to be a bit of a relief in relation to the rest of the novel. I think that his calm demeanor has to do with the fact that he finally found something to do, another task similar to the murder of the old lady in terms of keeping him busy. This time, it is helping out the family abandoned by their father, Marmeladov, whom Raskolnikov gives money openly and agrees to help them get out of their current state. Another task that is keeping Raskolnikov and away from insanity is the conflict with his sisters new fiancé, which he has also taken a quest to make sure that he never marries his sister, thus keeping Raskolnikov a little bit more busy in the meantime.  I feel like this new calmness is almost justified given the fact that his insanity seemed to stem from the fact that he had nothing to do other than to suffer in his guilt and think about the crime he has committed. But once he has something to take his mind off of the crime he is able to return to relative normality. Yet I feel like this current calm is just temporary and I feel he is going to do something that is only going to make things worse, much worse. Personally, I prefer when Raskolnikov is the egotistical guy who goes around and helps those lower than him as opposed to the paranoid nearly schizophrenic murderer.

"And what if it was I who murdered the old woman and Lizaveta?" (Alexia Barrios)

Rodia behavior just seems to be getting weirder and weirder as the novel progresses. In beginning of Chapter VI we see him as “perfectly calm; not a trace of his recently delirium nor of the panic fear that had haunted him of late. “ (284) This behavior is odd seeming that his mental and emotions have been going on a downward spiral leading many of his friends to believe that he is insane. But this sudden calmness is unsettling. Rodia has three options of what he can do about his current situation; confess to the murder, commit suicide and end this relentless emotional punishment that he currently enduring, or just continue living how he is an hopefully live through the guilt. Rodia, in this weeks reading, is determined to turn himself in. The oddest encounter in Chapter VI is that between Rodia and Zametov (he was introduced earlier in the novel, but referred to as “the head clerk” at the police station). Rodia’s behavior is strange as he toys with Zametov. He does not blatantly admit to be the murder but he keeps going back and forth with Zametov, stating rhetorical questions such as, “And if it was I who murdered the old woman and Lizaveta?” (303) I cannot fully comprehend what Rodia is attempting to do here. Is he trying to send subliminal messages to Zametov that he committed the murder? Is this his way of getting it off his chest and telling somebody what he did without really telling them? The whole conversation is circumstantial, he never fully confesses to doing anything, but he alludes to the possibility, such as when he reminds him of “when I (Rodia) fainted. Well, do you understand now?” (296) He is basically telling Zametov that he committed the murder hence why he passed out in the police station, and Zametov is obviously “alarmed” (296) as Rodia says this then Rodia breaks off into “the same nervous laugh as before, as though utterly unable to restrain himself.” (296) This entire conversation just demonstrates his desire to be discovered, which goes against his previous desire to escape suspicion. Before he would have avoided any talk of the murder, but now he is openly discussing it, even putting input on what he supposedly “should have done” (302), such as “I should have taken the money and jewels…I would lift that stone-there would sure to be a hollow under it, and I would put the jewels and money in that hole…there’d be no trace.” (302) Overall, his internal conflict about what he should do with his guilt is still going on, he wants to confess but the fact he never fully does so far in the novel shows that in my opinion he is not ready to turn himself in and face his punishment.

Cool Picture I Found

What Makes Raskolnikov Tick? Commentary on Part 2 Chapters 5-7 and Part 3 Chapter 1

         It seems like Raskolnikov is driven insane by the fact that he does not have a goal or purpose that he has given himself to accomplish. The entire time after the murder up until now has been filled with Raskolnikov basically wandering around slowly going insane as he does not know what to do with the money. At one point, he was faced with three choices on how to endure the current situation, he could turn himself in and suffer the consequences of his crime once and for all, he could kill himself and end the torture he is under, or he could continue living and just live through the guilt of his actions. Through his actions he is convinced he must turn himself in, even though it seems like this decision was made by his inability to control himself in front of the police leading to him justifying that it would make sense to turn himself in. But after Marmeladov is killed and Raskolnikov has an opening to really help the family left behind by their father’s death, he has a task and he starts to grow sane once more. Now that he feels like he can use his newly acquired power of money, Raskolnikov thinks that he has some personal standing and grows somewhat cocky. This can be seen through him basically playing with the detectives and taunting them that he might be the one who is the murderer. Yet this might also be interpreted as Raskolnikov acting in such a way to see if society could see him as a murderer, to see if they would think that he is able to do this. I am not sure if he is just justifying the fact that he did it or if he is trying to make sure that people do not continue to suspect him as a murderer so that he can become his version of a superhero. As Raskolnikov gains a sense of purpose, his actions become a lot more determined and he becomes much more confident it seems. For example, his confidence towards his hatred with his sister’s new fiancé is coherent enough that it cannot be blamed on his sickness and it could even be said that this acts as just another goal for Raskolnikov to accomplish that pulls him away from insanity. At this point I am not sure if Raskolnikov is pretending to be crazy to draw off the cops, to draw them closer to him, or if he is even playing at all, for all I know this guy is probably crazy.