Crime and Punishment · Chapter
Chapter VI explained
Svidrigaïlov spends his final hours in a series of grim encounters.
What happens
Svidrigaïlov spends his final hours in a series of grim encounters. He wanders through low haunts, settles a petty dispute, and then, in a torrential downpour, visits Sonia. He gives her money for her family and for Raskolnikov's potential future, hinting at his knowledge of the crime. He then visits his young fiancée's family, giving them a large sum of money. Finally, in a state of existential despair, he rents a room in a cheap hotel, has a nightmare, and at dawn, walks to a deserted street where he shoots himself in front of a watchman.
Themes in this chapter
Existential Dread
Svidrigaïlov's final hours are a direct enactment of existential despair. His meaningless wanderings, his final acts of 'charity,' and his calculated suicide reflect a profound nihilistic conclusion to his life.
Morality and Nihilism
Svidrigaïlov's actions—giving away money, visiting Sonia, and his suicide—are stripped of conventional moral meaning. They represent a nihilistic settling of accounts and a final, willful escape from a world he finds empty.
Psychological Torment
The entire chapter is an extended portrait of Svidrigaïlov's tormented psyche, culminating in a horrific nightmare and his subsequent suicide. His calm, methodical actions mask intense inner turmoil.
Characters to notice
- Raskolnikov
Discussed as having 'two alternatives: a bullet in the brain or Siberia.' His fate is the central concern of Svidrigaïlov's visit to Sonia.
- Sonia (Sofya Semyonovna)
Receives a visit from Svidrigaïlov, who gives her money for her family and for Raskolnikov's needs. She is left in a state of terror and vague apprehension.
Key passages
“"Rodion Romanovitch has two alternatives: a bullet in the brain or Siberia."”
Svidrigaïlov tells Sonia that Raskolnikov's only possible futures are suicide or imprisonment in Siberia.
Highlights the dire consequences facing Raskolnikov and foreshadows Svidrigaïlov's own choice of 'a bullet in the brain.'
“"Why, be starting for America, and be stopped by rain! Ha, ha!"”
Svidrigaïlov sarcastically dismisses the idea that rain could stop his journey to 'America,' a euphemism for death.
Reveals his cynical, fatalistic humor and his fixed intention to commit suicide.
“He put the revolver to his right temple.”
Svidrigaïlov places a gun against his head.
The cold, clinical description underscores the deliberate and unemotional nature of his final act.