3.1 «The essence of pancakes»
In this chapter, we will meet Rodion's family, learn from Razumikhin what makes a person human, and Fyodor Mikhailovich tells us a secret - how to maintain beauty and not age.
Hello, Dostoevsky enthusiast!
We begin PART 3 of the novel! List of articles by chapters you can find here
Reading schedule is here.
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Raskolnikov's meeting with his mother and sister goes, to put it mildly, not very well. I don't know about you, but I really felt the sadness and despair Rodion's mother experienced. After three years of separation, to receive such a cold, even hostile greeting from the closest person - it's shocking. Rodion not only can't cope with his emotions, but he also continues to harm everyone around him. This punishment for his crime spreads, and his relatives suffer too.
It's not surprising that Pulkheria Alexandrovna immediately starts crying. Her maternal heart feels all the weight that Rodion carries. The sister, in this chapter, is shown almost as an ideal. Besides being beautiful and well-mannered, she also behaves intelligently and reasonably. And here it becomes apparent that she truly can find someone better than Luzhin. If this were not in the mid-19th century, Dunya would most likely be a successful businesswoman.
Rodion gives his sister an ultimatum:
“Listen, sister,’ he repeated to her as she was leaving, making a last effort, ‘I’m not raving. This marriage is a villainous thing. I may be a villain myself, but you don’t have to… one’s enough… and even if I’m a villain, I couldn’t call you sister if you did it. It’s either me or Luzhin! Now go away…”
What do you think about this? On the one hand, I agree that Dunya shouldn't marry Luzhin, but Rodion is using radical methods. Such ultimatums don't suit him well. One shouldn't reject their sister even if they don't like her decision. Yes, it's a cry of desperation, and Rodion's mind is addled, but still.
How do you feel about his ultimatum?
In this chapter, we leave Rodion sleeping on his sofa and get to know Razumikhin and the Raskolnikov family better. The drunken Razumikhin also behaves strangely here, eccentrically, but with care and kindness. He immediately falls in love with his friend's sister, forcefully squeezing her hands and the hands of Rodion's mother.
I think Rodion had already told him something about her before because Razumikhin immediately confessed his love to them. Of course, it's the alcohol speaking, but he's out of his mind at times. The fact that he squeezes the hands of both women as if in a vice is mentioned more than once. Razumikhin is quite overexcited and ready to run back and forth to inform them about Rodion's condition.
Dostoevsky expresses his philosophy of pochvennichestvo through Razumikhin
“Well, would you believe it: they insist that one has to be totally impersonal, that’s what they really admire! How to avoid being one’s own self, how to be as little like oneself as possible! That’s the height of progress for them. And if all that rubbish was even their own ideas, but no…”
It is from this episode that Razumikhin becomes a consistent exponent of the philosophy of "pochvennichestvo" (roughly "return to the native soil”) in the novel, which was developed in the first half of the 1860s by the Dostoevsky brothers, as well as other critics and publicists (Ap. Grigoriev, N. N. Strakhov) in the pages of the journals "Vremya" and "Epokha". In Dostoevsky's article "Two Camps of Theorists" (1862), he describes the main provisions of his philosophy of pochvennichestvo, criticizing the then-existing Slavophilism and Westernism.
The pochvenniks recognized the special mission of the Russian people to save all of humanity and preached the idea of bringing the "educated society" closer to the people, on a national or folk "soil" with a religious and ethical foundation.
The pochvenniks advocated for the development of industry, trade, freedom of the individual and the press. While accepting "European culture", they simultaneously denounced the "rotten West" - its bourgeois nature and lack of spirituality, rejected revolutionary socialist ideas and materialism, contrasting them with Christian ideals.
"It is impossible to force people to abandon their heritage for the sake of a foreign ideal. It is necessary to take into account national characteristics for development. People's instincts are sensitive to external interference, and imposed ideas can hinder development. The desire to level all peoples under one template is despotic and denies the right to original development" - this was Dostoevsky's main message.
How do you feel about lying?
Razumikhin also discusses lying and its benefits extensively. He believes that only the ability to lie makes a person human. This is an interesting observation; Dostoevsky seems to be quite interested in the phenomenon of lies, and this theme appears in all his works.
In Pasternak Slater's translation, he translated this as "talking nonsense," but Dostoevsky clearly writes about "lying." What does it say in your translation?
“Talking nonsense is humanity’s only privilege over the rest of creation. If you talk nonsense, you’ll find your way to the truth! Talking nonsense is what makes me human.
***
“Talking nonsense of your own—that’s almost better than talking someone else’s truth; in the first case you’re human, in the second you’re nothing but a parrot! Truth won’t go away, but life can get choked up; we’ve seen that happen. ”
What do you think about this? How do you feel about lying?
Razumikhin's character is revealed differently here than when he is in Raskolnikov's company. He is a very amorous and sociable young man. He already has some dealings with Raskolnikov's landlady, although he met her just a couple of days ago, but he already knows everything about her, all her habits, what she likes, how she spends her days. Probably, while Rodion was unconscious, he was sitting at her place for days and having a pleasant time. And now Raskolnikov's sister Dunya has arrived, and he's already in love and asks Dr. Zosimov to distract the landlady. What really connects them? What has he already promised her? And now he's already set on conquering Dunya, even though she's still engaged to Luzhin. Oh, these intrigues.
Also in this chapter, Raskolnikov is given some kind of diagnosis for the first time, namely monomania. It was already mentioned in the comments during the discussion, but now it's given by Dr. Zosimov, reporting on Raskolnikov’s condition.
What is monomania?
Monomania is a mental disorder characterized by an obsessive fixation on one idea or group of ideas. Zosimov didn't elaborate much on the symptoms, he just mentioned it for now. However, based on the general description of Raskolnikov's behavior in the novel, we can assume that some of his traits could correspond to the symptoms of monomania:
Obsessive idea about the "right" to kill
Sudden mood and behavior changes
Tendency towards self-isolation and alienation from others
Constant rumination on the same problem
It's important to note that Dostoevsky did not aim to give an accurate medical diagnosis to his character. Raskolnikov's psychological state rather reflects his inner conflict and moral dilemma than a specific mental disorder. But closer to the end of the novel, I will write a more detailed description of the psychological portrait, which has already been done by psychiatrists and doctors who gave him a "literary-psychological diagnosis". If any of you are familiar with psychiatry, you can also collect symptoms; Dostoevsky, although not a doctor, left very interesting details throughout the text.
My favorite quote from the chapter, and possibly from the entire novel
Razumikhin says it to Zosimov when speaking about the meaning of life as he understands it, and why he wants to be with Rodion's landlady, why he wants to start a relationship with her.
“This is all about feather beds—and more than just feather beds! It’s about attraction, the end of the world, an anchorage, a safe haven, the centre of the earth, the three fishes that hold up the world, the essence of pancakes, most delicious fish pies, the samovar at nightfall, gentle sighs and warm jackets and a warm stove to lie on—it’s just like being dead, but at the same time you’re alive, you’ve the best of both worlds! Well, brother, I’ve let my tongue run away with me, it’s time to go to sleep!”
This quote from Razumikhin is a vivid and imaginative allegory about domestic comfort, love, and the meaning of life. Razumikhin describes his understanding of happiness through a series of symbols:
Feather beds - a symbol of comfort and coziness
The end of the world and an anchor - symbols of safety and stability
The center of the earth - a symbol of importance and significance
The three fish that hold up the world - a reference to Slavic mythology
Pancakes and fish pies - symbols of domestic warmth and care
The samovar at nightfall - an image of a cozy evening
A warm stove - a symbol of the hearth
It's interesting to note the mention of the three fish holding up the world. In Slavic mythology, there was indeed a belief that the world stood on three whales or fish. According to one version, there were originally four, but when one swam away, it caused the great flood. This detail adds depth and cultural context to Razumikhin's statement.
This whole picture is reminiscent of an idyllic scene from Goncharov's "Oblomov," where the main character enjoys the simple pleasures of life while visiting the widow Pshenitsyna. Razumikhin, like Oblomov, sees happiness in simple things, domestic comfort, and warm relationships.
Overall, this quote reflects Razumikhin's desire for simple human happiness, which he finds in domestic comfort, love, and care. This contrasts with Raskolnikov's gloomy reflections and adds a note of warmth and hope to the novel.
And at the same time, death is mentioned here, as the bringer of ultimate calm, and the ultimate reward. Razumikhin seeks something beyond the turmoil of life while he’s still alive.
A silly and amusing thought
In this chapter, Dostoevsky makes an interesting observation and description of Raskolnikov's mother's appearance - Pulkheria Alexandrovna.
“Despite the fact that Pulkheria Alexandrovna was all of forty-three years old, her face still retained traces of her former beauty, and she looked much younger than her age; this is almost always true of those women who, as they grow old, preserve their clarity of mind, the freshness of their impressions, and a pure and honest ardour of the heart. Let us add in passing that preserving all these qualities is the only way to avoid losing one’s beauty even in old age. Her hair was already growing thin and grey, little radiating wrinkles had long ago appeared around her eyes, her cheeks were sunken and withered with grief and care; and yet her face was beautiful. ”
Photograph by Mikhail Tulinov (1860s). The only full-length photograph of Dostoevsky. This is how he looked at approximately 43 years old
At the time of writing, Dostoevsky was exactly 43 years old. Could he have identified himself with her, describing himself figuratively? That it was he who preserved clarity of spirit, freshness of impressions, and an honest, pure ardor of heart into old age. That he is not yet old in spirit and feels quite young. He had already experienced a lot, and at the same time (not knowing yet) he was on the threshold of the most important time of his life - meeting Anna Snitkina, and writing his major novels, for example, "The Idiot", "The Brothers Karamazov". After all, "Crime and Punishment" is only his first major novel.
He often inserted himself into the novel as a "cameo", some say that in this novel he is the criminal investigator - Porfiry, who was briefly mentioned by Razumikhin. But what if he is Pulkheria, the one who created Rodion, the one who gave him life.
I don’t like lying, but Dostoevsky might be on to something through Razumikhin stating that lying is what makes us human. Everyone lies to some extent. There are white lies, regular lies, and villainous lies. But not only humans lie—animals, too. Male birds pretend to be injured to lure cats away from the nest, etc. Perhaps lying is what defines a certain level of consciousness.
This book seems to have nothing that makes it a pleasure to read but yet I read. It is like totally chaotic painting with no place to rest the eye and no focal point and yet I stand in front of it mesmerized. The first time I read this book I hated it and only finished so I could say I had read it. With your insights, I find the book amazing. I joined this read along just because I wanted to find out why such an annoying book was a classic. I am finding out!
Dunya is the only character that does not make me wince. Even the mother seems to border on hysterical.
1) I'm not sure what it is I like about the novel. The psychological underpinnings are still perplexing at this stage. The plot is interesting but not riveting. The characters are generally unlikable except for Dunya and I feel sorry for her mother. The symbolism would totally go over my head if not for your summaries. And yet, somehow, the sum is far greater than the parts, and I find it compelling?!
2) Ultimatums always go well. Right?
3) I was counting on Razumikhin to be a voice of reason for Rodion, but he's turing out to be...an odd fellow himself...
4) 43-year olds then seem so much older than they do today!