4.5-4.6 “So you’re off to a party now?’ — ‘A funeral, actually.’

The last two chapters of Part Four. We seem to be closer to the resolution, but Dostoevsky keeps inventing and inventing new unexpected twists.

Hello, Dostoevsky enthusiast!

List of articles by chapters you can find here

Reading schedule is here.

I've combined the last two chapters of Part 4 for discussion due to the tradesman's role. Without this context, it's challenging to analyze Porfiry's behavior during his encounter with Raskolnikov.

If you haven't yet read Chapter 4.6, please do so before continuing.

Part 4 concludes in an unusual manner. At this point, what are your thoughts? Will Raskolnikov evade punishment for the old woman's murder? Dostoevsky masterfully maintains our uncertainty until the very end, keeping us guessing about the finale and the plot's direction.

The official flat

All meetings with Porfiry, for one reason or another, reference Gogol. I haven't quite figured out if there's some mystical or demonic meaning to this, but that's how it is.

"You know, an official flat is a splendid thing, isn't it? What do you think?"

This "official flat" — in Russian, "kazennaya kvartira" (казенная квартира) — comes from the word "kazna," which generally refers to state or royal treasury. It's the wealth of the country, so to speak. Thus, a "state-owned house or apartment" is provided by the government. This term is used to refer to prisons and mental asylums (as in the novel "The Double") in various contexts. The phrase is another reference to "The Government Inspector," where the Mayor and Khlestakov also discuss an official apartment with a similar double meaning — as moving from one apartment to another.

It's amusing that Porfiry immediately hints at either prison or a mental asylum. This aligns with Rodion's worldview — he too offers Sonya a limited choice regarding his fate. Porfiry seems to be winking at Rodion again. In their previous meeting, Rodion thought he had winked, and now it happens a second time?

In the Russian Empire's courts of 1865, a verdict required clear evidence. Circumstantial evidence, regardless of its quantity, was inadmissible. Porfiry (and by extension, Dostoevsky) was aware of this formal weakness in the investigation's position. Raskolnikov, too, recognizes this legal loophole, which fuels his fierce clinging to the argument about the absence of evidence. This prompts Porfiry to engage in his secret psychological game — a battle of nerves against his opponent. His goal: to compel Raskolnikov to confess his crime to everyone.

Overall, the chapter is brilliant. Porfiry is a true detective-actor who transforms himself for good, unlike Rodion who does so for evil. Here, Porfiry's monologues exhausted and irritated me to the point where I wanted to confess to something just to make him stop his rambling "about everything and nothing." The effect is achieved; sitting there, I imagine Rodion trembling from this elaborate circus act.

How did Porfiry's monologues seem to you? Would they have exhausted you?

Features of the second meeting with Porfiry

The second meeting occurs at the police station the day after the first. The reason is perfunctory; Raskolnikov arrives to submit a statement of property ownership for the items he had pawned with Alyona Ivanovna, as Porfiry required.

Porfiry initiates his covert psychological game—a battle of nerves—against his opponent. His aim: to compel Raskolnikov to confess his crime to everyone. In essence, Porfiry enters their second conversation utterly convinced of his opponent's guilt.

The investigator's demeanor shifts markedly from the first encounter to the second. Previously, he was largely stationary, with the narrative describing his varied emotional reactions. Now, he paces the room ceaselessly, his former phlegmatic nature vanishing. This sudden hyperactivity paradoxically unveils his physical presence, and we only now perceive his "small stature".

The dynamics of one character force the other to track him constantly with an intense gaze. To an outsider, the conversation seems to meander aimlessly. Raskolnikov perceives it through his own lens of uncertainty; this diffusion of words grates on his nerves, pushing him to the brink of a breakdown. This is precisely Porfiry Petrovich's clandestine objective.

And Raskolnikov, moth-like, gravitates toward this flame, despite recognizing the danger. He could have opted not to visit Porfiry, yet he finds himself inexorably drawn there.

The combination of movement and speech creates a constant, rhythmic pulse. This symbolic circling around the listener intensifies, suggesting the Word is approaching an unexpected climax.

Suddenly, Porfiry's former good nature vanishes, replaced by an unsuspected malice. Yet for him, the meeting's end proves to be a defeat.

Eavesdropping as a Key Plot Device

In Chapter 4.6, we discover that on the same morning, a tradesman shared his suspicions about the student's crime with Porfiry. Porfiry seizes this opportunity to orchestrate a daring experiment—an unexpected "confrontation" between the tradesman and Raskolnikov.

Let's revisit the crucial instances of eavesdropping in the novel:

• Raskolnikov overhears the pivotal conversation. In a tavern, a student and an officer's discussion behind him crystallizes his "Idea."

• In a Haymarket square, Rodion learns from a merchant couple's conversation with Lizaveta that she'll be absent the next day, prompting him to act. These overheard snippets ultimately lead to his committing the murder.

• Svidrigailov, upon discovering the vacant room adjacent to Sonya's apartment, deliberately eavesdrops on their conversations. We know he'll be present when Raskolnikov plans to confess to Sonya about Lizaveta's murder.

Now, Porfiry leaves the tradesman to eavesdrop on his "interrogation" of Raskolnikov. But what did the tradesman actually hear?

Mikolka

At the climactic moment, when Raskolnikov seems on the verge of breaking, Mikolka—a schismatic—suddenly bursts into the room, uncontrollably confessing to the murder. By a twist of fate, suspicion lifts from Raskolnikov.

The character's full name is Nikolai Dementyev. Throughout the novel, he's also called Mikolay, Mikolka, and Nikolashka—variations of the same name. Dostoevsky's choice of name is deliberate and significant. Recall the dream about the horse from the first part:

The horse's killer is also named Mikolka—just like the painter who takes the blame for Raskolnikov's crime. This "rhyme" of opposing images manifests the dialectic of the people; Dostoevsky reveals "two faces" of the folk soul, embodied by the two Mikolkas: the cruel Mikolka and the good-natured, self-sacrificing Mikolka.

Let me remind you of the story of Mikolka the painter

On the day of the pawnbroker's murder, Mikolka and his partner Mitka are painting floors in a second-floor apartment of the same building where the old pawnbroker lives. They work until 8 p.m. and are about to leave. Simultaneously, on the fourth floor, Raskolnikov commits the murders.

A playful quarrel erupts between Mikolka and Mitka, causing them to run out of the apartment and continue their scuffle on the street. As Raskolnikov leaves the crime scene, he hides in the empty second-floor apartment while the old woman's clients ascend the stairs, thus evading detection.

While concealed behind the door, Raskolnikov accidentally drops a box of earrings. He then flees the building unnoticed. By coincidence, Mitka and Mikolka's antics draw all the attention that evening, leaving Raskolnikov's presence undetected.

Consequently, suspicion falls on the hapless painters. That same evening, Mikolka discovers the box of earrings behind the door and, unaware of the murder, pawns the jewelry with tavern owner Dushkin. Dushkin reports this suspicious incident to the police, creating compelling evidence against Mikolka. Upon learning of the old woman's murder, Mikolka grows anxious, compounded by potentially incriminating personal circumstances.

The impressionable Mikolka decides to flee the city, later explaining his flight as fear of conviction. He confesses to stealing the earrings and reveals how he found them. Investigator Porfiry Petrovich, seeing Mikolka's non-involvement in the murder, releases him and deems him "clean" in this regard.

Though cleared of suspicion, Mikolka undergoes a strange transformation. He suddenly perceives himself as a sinner, albeit not a murderer. Being deeply religious, he resolves to endure suffering for his past sins. Mikolka approaches Investigator Porfiry, confessing to the murders of the old woman and her sister, viewing this as an opportunity for atonement and to "accept suffering."

What do you think? Will Porfiry convict Mikolka for Raskolnikov's crime, or will he uncover the truth?

Raskolnikov's Reaction

In Porfiry's office, Raskolnikov feigns fearlessness and arrogance. Despite being caught off guard by Mikolka's confession, he maintains a facade of indifference, as if the outcome were inevitable given his proclaimed innocence.

"So you're off to a party now?" "A funeral, actually." "Oh yes, of course, a funeral. Well, look after your health; mind your health!"

Porfiry's sarcastic suggestion that Raskolnikov will celebrate his "impunity" belies the truth—Rodion feels neither joy nor freedom. For him, this turn of events is akin to his own funeral.

Returning home, Raskolnikov's mind teems with even more questions. Mikolka's confession has disrupted his plans, leaving him unsure of his next move.

Fortune smiles on Rodion once more when the tradesman visits to clarify matters. He apologizes for his accusation, now convinced of Mikolka's guilt. This nameless tradesman serves a dual purpose: he's both an acquaintance of the murdered woman—representing those personally affected by her death—and the voice of the populace. He embodies the "crowd" that sees all, knows all, and wields the power to condemn or absolve in an instant.

When the tradesman seeks forgiveness, Raskolnikov responds with a cryptic "God will forgive." Steeling himself, he decides, "Now we'll fight some more," and sets off for the Marmeladovs' memorial dinner.

What are your impressions of the fourth part of the novel?

The next article on the beginning of Part 5 will be published as scheduled next Thursday, October 10. I have cleared my schedule for the weekend due to my birthday. Happy reading to everyone, I invite you all to join the discussion in the comments or community chat.