Crime and Punishment · Chapter
Sonia's Arrival and the Visit to Porfiry explained
Sonia Marmeladov arrives at Raskolnikov's room, timidly delivering an invitation to her father's funeral.
What happens
Sonia Marmeladov arrives at Raskolnikov's room, timidly delivering an invitation to her father's funeral. Her modest, childlike appearance contrasts with Luzhin's slanderous description, causing tension with Raskolnikov's mother and sister. After they leave, Raskolnikov and Razumihin head to their first meeting with the investigator Porfiry Petrovich, with Raskolnikov internally panicking about what Porfiry knows.
Themes in this chapter
Poverty and Desperation
Sonia's shabby dress, the plain coffin, and Katerina Ivanovna's strained efforts to provide a dignified funeral highlight extreme poverty.
Psychological Torment
Raskolnikov's internal panic about Porfiry's knowledge, his forced laughter, and his acute awareness of every social nuance show his deteriorating mental state.
Guilt and Conscience
Raskolnikov's pity for Sonia and his immediate recollection of Luzhin's slander ('notorious behaviour') trigger a pang of conscience, contrasting with his criminal guilt.
Characters to notice
- Raskolnikov
Deeply conflicted; feels pity for Sonia, is anxious and paranoid about the impending meeting with Porfiry, and forces a facade of good humor.
- Dostoevsky
Appears as a thematic presence through the exploration of guilt, poverty, and psychological tension.
- the landlady
Mentioned indirectly via Nastasya as Pulcheria Alexandrovna says goodbye, situating the scene in Raskolnikov's rented room.
Key passages
“He at once recollected that his mother and sister knew through Luzhin’s letter of 'some young woman of notorious behaviour.'”
He remembered Luzhin's letter had slandered Sonia to his family.
Highlights the social stigma Sonia bears and Raskolnikov's immediate defensive awareness of it.
“'God give peace to the dead, the living have still to live. That is right, isn’t it?'”
He tells Sonia that while the dead are at rest, those still alive must continue on.
A moment of forced, bleak optimism from Raskolnikov, masking his own turmoil.
“'The most important thing, does Porfiry know that I was at the old hag’s flat yesterday… and asked about the blood? I must find that out instantly...'”
He obsessively wonders if the investigator knows about his suspicious visit to the pawnbroker's after the murder.
Reveals the core of his paranoia and fear of detection as he goes to the interrogation.