I did some research and according to several online websites, (including sparknotes under the "key facts" section) Crime and Punishment was first published as a series in the magazine 'The Russian Messenger' in 1866 before being published as a book in 1867. This makes perfect sense because within the book's six chapters and epilogue, there are several chapters that serve as episodes of drama. Many chapters or episodes end with the introduction of a new character which builds suspense. When writing for the magazine, Dostovesky was very purposeful by doing this in order to keep readers interested and excited for the next publication.
I think the letter 'W' resembles the novel because each chapter originally served an independent role in the work's whole. And in putting together all of parts to his magazine series, he created a novel. Similarly, the letter 'W' consists of 4 straight lines placed together to create the whole letter itself. Also, the jump from one line to the next in the W's shape, reflects the suspense that pushes the reader forward into reading the next chapter.
... because the first line is like the rising action- Raskolnikov as he plots and counts steps and ties ax slings into the inside of his coat. Then, the first peak- the murder of two innocent women. Next, you hit rock bottom- the dip in the center is his delirium, contemplation of suicide, and attempts at confession. Then, rising action again! The second peak is the confession. The final line in the M is the falling action- the epilogue and his imprisonment.
I think that at many parts of the book, characters often intersect with one another, which serves to heighten the drama and sometimes the suspense of the novel. For example, at the beginning of the novel, the reader is introduced to other characters through conversations and letters initially (such as Svidrigailov and Petrolich) before Raskolnikov encounters them in the present. Each new character brings a diffent viewpoint to the narration. Also, the book is the intersection of differnet ideas, mainly religous and philosophical (i.e. whose allowed to commit crimes, religous quandries). Intersections can also bring clashes and quarrles, and there are plenty of clashes in "Crime and Punishment". In the end, the intersections of characters seem to turn out beneficially (Raskolnikov and Sonia, Razumikihn and Dounia), although Svid.'s suicide proves the exception.
In conclusion, charcters and ideas intersect and cross paths in "Crime and Punishment", as does the letter X.
So I think that "y" can represent the structure of Crime and Punishment in two ways. First of all, "y' can represent "why?" (which is cheesy, i know) and the idea of questioning. This refers back to the question of crime and its justification, and also Nietsche's idea of extraordinary and ordinary men. Also, the structure of the book is based largely around dialogue, much of which is Raskolnikov's thoughts and conversations with himself. In these, he often poses rhetorical questions, and especially after the murder, he constantly questions and doubts himself. For example, in the passage after he kills the pawnbroker and Lizaveta, he freaks out about his sock and constantly questions whether he forgot anything else (page 89). Also, right after he reads his mother's letter, he rants (pg. 38-43) and contemplates the letter. He constantly questions his future and his sister's. For example,
"What can you do to prevent it? Forbid it? By what right? What can you promise in return to claim such a right? Dedicate your life, your future to them--after you get your degree and find a job? ... And your sister? Can you imagine what your sister will be like ten years from now or during those ten years? Can you guess? So he tormented himself, fretting at himself with these questions, and he even took a certain pleasure in it. None of these questions was new; he had suffered them all, since long ago. Since long ago they had been rending him, and they had rent his heart asunder. Long, long ago his present anguish had taken shape within him, had grown and developed, and had recently ripened and become dense, assuming the form of a terrible, wild, fantastic question, exhausting him, mind and heart, implacably demanding resolution"(43). These questions are what cause him to get sick and go crazy in the beginning of the book, and are crucial to the structure, because they propel the plot.
The second way is that there are three stems that meet in the middle. I think the book can be separated into three distinct phases of Raskolnikov's mental progression. The first is when he is mysterious and constantly hints the crime he's about to commit. The second is after the two murders when he gets sick, is constantly paranoid about being caught, and can't decide whether to confess. The last is when he decides to confess and goes to Siberia, ultimately realizing his love for Sonia.
B - because the book, even just by the title is divided into two very distinct sections, the crime and the subsequent punishment. Within the scope of those two sections various aspects of structural significance are encompassed, and the letter B. B is like two circles with a stick on the side. Thus the two parts of this novel, which progress in a circuitous fashion, going back and forth through many different opinions and decisions, are joined by the action that brings significance to them. Also Raskolnikov spends most of his life circling back and forth pondering his crime (or non-crime depending on his mood at the time) and the punishment (deserved, undeserved, endurable, or unendurable). Thus B is the structure of Crime and Punishment.
However it could also be the letter R if we are thinking more in terms of the development of Raskolnikov's psychological views. In the beginning he spends a lot of time trapped in a circle, going back and forth deciding whether or not to commit the crime. But after the crime is commited, where the head and the legs of the R meet, he is given two paths, and must decide which to follow.
A.... So I am going to say that the pinnacle of the A represents the climax of the story when Raskolnikov confesses to Sonia...I don't know about you but when he confessed to her it was like an explosion. It sort of reminded me of a love story, which Sonia agrees with as she says that she will "follow" him all the way to prison.
Well I am going to stretch this a bit...but both legs of the A represent the struggles Raskolnikov had to go through to get to the point of confessing to Sonia. Each leg shows that ambiguity and indecision Raskolnikov faces. Perhaps you could call one leg "should I?" and the other "should I not?" Then I guess you could say that the line in between the two legs could be a blockage...perhaps suspense before he actually gets to the point of being able to confess. Or it could be the other thoughts flooding his head causing him to change sides.
Ahh what sarah said is so interesting, because i meant to ask that in class! it seemed, because of how many parts ended in suspense, like it was originally broken up by the chapters or parts. Anyway, this is sort of an interpretation, but I think the structure resembles an
E
At first, I was just trying to see if e, the first letter of my name, could work as a joke, but then I realized it sort of does. Granted, there would be more than three lines coming off, so it would be a somewhat screwed up e, but it "resembles" one. Anyway, I think the crime is the backbone of the "e" and the strcture of the novel, and the lines coming off of it are all of the elements of plot and structure that connect back to the murder....one of them would be Rasko's philosophical and moral questions. Another would be his mother and sister's roles in the novel and aftermath of the crime. Another would be characters like Razu and Sonia who help Rasko deal with what he did.
So I interpret the whole structure concept in two ways:
First, I look at the way the structure is effected by Raskolnikov's psychological state. In this case, I would pick the letter H. This is so because at first Rask is "up and down" on his emotions over the crime as to whether or not he is calm about what happened or if should be nervous/whether or not he should turn himself in or not. This is represented by the first leg of the H. Then, the "-" part of the H represents the period in which Rask slips into a state where he is calmer and he keeps a fairly steady path of not turning himself in. Then the second leg of the H represents the return to the "up and down" psychological state up until Rask turns himself in.
The other way to make a comparison on the structure is the overall way that the novel functions. In this case I would pick the letter G. The structure of the book seems almost circular, but it isn't quite circular. The novel starts with the murder of the pawnbroker and this is where Rask has his first mental breakdown. Then, the novel goes through a large amount of events as Rask tries to contain his secret and the detective tracks him. This begins the circular shape. However, the "-" part of the G, the break in the circle, comes at Rask's final psychological breakdown. Here, he goes through the routine of "to confess or not to confess." However, instead of then trying to surpress his secret, Rask confesses. Thus, the story ends and does not start the cycle over again. Making the structure of the events in the story representative of a G.
I would pick the letter j for the book. On one level because it is the first letter in the word justification and the book deals with Raskolnikov's need to justify the murders and what situation a person can go outside normal moral behavior. My second reason for picking the letter j requires that you look at the lower case j. The bottom part of the letter is a curve that kind of wanders much like Raskolnikov does when he struggles with his decision to commit murder. It also represents his troubled mental state following the murders. Also the abrupt jump from the bottom part of the letter to the dot on top represents the way in which many characters suddenly enter the story at the beginnings or ends of chapters, often as Raskolnikov wakes up from sleep. The seperate dot on top of the j also represents Raskolnikov's withdrawal from society that exists from the beginning of the book and reaches its height after the murders.
well not actually but, i have a different explanation so noo bigs.
A
I think the structure of Crime and Punishment is represented by the letter A because i think the book is structured in 3 distinct, rigid parts, which all match together. The first part of the A represents Raskolnikov's peak as he begins to plot his murder. The tip is most distinctly the pinnacle, which is his murder. He then begins to descend slowly downward, spiraling downward into complete delirium, and even madness. However, he somehow works his way back up with Sonia, and his redemption is represented by the the third piece, which bridges the two. His redemption is what links his two opposing sides and makes Rosko, and the entire structure of the book, complete. It is also fitting because that line in the middle gives closure, as does the end of the novel.
I think the structure of the novel is represented by an H. H has two lines connected in the center. I think the book is structured into two sections: the first concerning the "crime" and the second concerning the "punishment", with the segue being his delirious state.
H is also appropriate because each line goes vertically, as each section of the novel has its ups and downs. For example, the crime section has ups when he is confident that he should kill the pawnbroker and when he gets the letter from his mom, but lows like when he butchers them with an ax. In the punishment section, the lows are more prevalent (delirium, crazy talk, confession, going to jail), but there are highs (his positive outlook going into jail- "only seven years"- and his newfound love for Sonia).
On a whole, i think the structure mo def represents an M. I really hate to say basically exactly what Alicia said but i guess early bird gets the worm right?
Although the letter M only has four points, in my opinon we can condense parts I and II of the book as rising action and make it the first part of the M. and The first part of the letter M is continually rising and getting steeper until its turn of action. Like the story, suspense and tension is created right away with Rasko's illness and his creepy observations of Lizavetas apartment during the first chapter. However, in Part III, it appears as if Rasko is beginning to regain his reason again and possibly rid himself of his illness. This represents the falling action and thus the second part of the M. In Part IV we see suspicion rising, a ridiculous love triangle between Svids, Razu, and Dounia, and Sonia urging Rasko to confess. Thus the action rises again (the third part of the M). In Part V and the epilogue everything is resolved. Finally Rasko confesses, Svids finally kills himself (he should have died long before this), Rasko goes to prison and is in touch with his family again, and Rasko's whole crew relocates to Siberia. Action continues to fall, mirroring the fourth part of the M until Rasko and Sonia really cheesily confess their love to each other and add some really crappy romance to put the cherry on top of a crappy epilogue (in my opinion)
The letter S is essentially two half circles: one represents crime, the other punishment, the main structural divisions of the novel. The reasoning behind that is self-explanatory. I also thought it was a good representation of Raskolnikov's sanity. When he is pondering this crime at the beginning of the novel we see his sanity begin to decline in his desperation. However, it seems he has finally decided against it, and that he will get a job, a steady income and possibly his sanity once again as the first semi-circle reaches a close and the line evens out. Then he commits the murder, which begins the downward spiral of his sanity, part two, which doesn't end until he confesses. Seeing as Raskolnikov wasn't exactly in tip-top shape sanity-wise when the novel begins, I think S represents how both crime and punishment contribute to his growing mental instability.
Structure of the Crime and Punishment is comparable to the appreance of a G. G looks somewhat like a maze (sorry if some of you disagree with me =[). The entire novel is like a maze. This maze would be a labrinth of suffering and depression. When Raskolnikov murders the pawnborker he enters it. Like a person stepping into a maze, he does not know what to do; he suffers tremendously with emotional breakdown. Instead of heading to the right direction, which involves giving full attention to the murder, Raskolnikov deviates to wrong paths, which are about other people's troubles. When he has to be caring the biggest problem, his crime, and how to deal with it he focuses on Dunia's trouble with Ruzhin. He also cares extremely about Sonia and helps her in every possible manner, instead of helping himself. Raskolnikov visits every chamber in the maze to hide from having to deal with the crime and hopes that people will forget about it. However, Raskolnikov realizes that those chambers do not give him any comfort and lead to the end of this maze of darkness. He then tries the final path and confronts the verdict. Finally when the novel gives full attention to Raskolnikov's crime and Raskolnikov confesses the maze ends. Only then, Raskolnikov sees hope, which he could not find when he tried to avoid confronting the murder (like deviating from the right path will never give you the award you expect at your destination).
Since I had that obscene rehearsal last night, gone from 3 to 10:30 (I got miserably lost on the way home), I’m doing this in the morning. And I am not going to read any posts before I write this :D
Okay let’s talk structure. The novel opens with Raskolnikov wandering the streets of St. Petersburg without guilt, but with angry thoughts, philosophical life questions, and of course a tough decision on his mind. After the inciting incident of the murders, the unraveling of Raskolnikov’s guilt and subsequent psychological punishment begins (and lasts a very long time). Finally Sonia encourages and inspires him to publicly atone for his sins by turning himself in, and thus beginning the actual, straightforward punishment. What is also interesting to note is that towards the end, guywithfunnyname #6 (Svidrigailov) wanders the streets of St. Petersburg in much the same attitude as Raskolnikov in the beginning. This walk, for both characters, in a way represents a ‘walk the plank’ type deal, a final judgment. I say final because both walks led to the characters’ deaths, as Svidrigfvskfvnjkf obviously committed suicide and the Raskolnikov’s murders led to the breakdown of his mental state and eventually his freedom.
That was a bit of a tangent, but I swear there’s a point when it comes to the letter. I’m going to pick Z. The novel opens linearly, and then has a sudden change in plot and purpose with the murders. The body of the novel is structurally all on the same level, about the consequences of the sudden angled change, and then this changes abruptly with Raskolnikov’s confession. I didn’t pick S because these changes were sudden and obvious, not a continuous flow. Also, I wanted to make sure the letter ended the way it began and was somewhat symmetrical (looking at Z, it actually isn’t, but it’s more symmetrical than P or F for instance) because of the repeated imagery and connection with the bookend walks.
I had that same rehearsal as Olivia (woo!), so i'm posting this late, sorry!!
I choose the letter N.
When writing N, you first make a quick downward stroke. That would represent the first part of the book, in which Raskolnikov commits the two murders. Right from the start, he has plunged into crime.
The next step of the letter is a diagonal downward stroke, which represents Rask's downward decline of mental stability. His guilt weighs him down.
Finally, you move your pen up. This would be like Raskolnikov's redemption. The book ends on a hopeful note, just like the letter ends on an upward slope.
Ranking the books: Song of Solomon One Hundred Years of Solitude The Sound and The Fury Crime and Punishment Jane Eyre Native Son Othello Ceremony Hard Times Wide Sargasso Sea
16 comments:
DUBS
I did some research and according to several online websites, (including sparknotes under the "key facts" section) Crime and Punishment was first published as a series in the magazine 'The Russian Messenger' in 1866 before being published as a book in 1867. This makes perfect sense because within the book's six chapters and epilogue, there are several chapters that serve as episodes of drama. Many chapters or episodes end with the introduction of a new character which builds suspense. When writing for the magazine, Dostovesky was very purposeful by doing this in order to keep readers interested and excited for the next publication.
I think the letter 'W' resembles the novel because each chapter originally served an independent role in the work's whole. And in putting together all of parts to his magazine series, he created a novel. Similarly, the letter 'W' consists of 4 straight lines placed together to create the whole letter itself. Also, the jump from one line to the next in the W's shape, reflects the suspense that pushes the reader forward into reading the next chapter.
M!
... because the first line is like the rising action- Raskolnikov as he plots and counts steps and ties ax slings into the inside of his coat. Then, the first peak- the murder of two innocent women. Next, you hit rock bottom- the dip in the center is his delirium, contemplation of suicide, and attempts at confession. Then, rising action again! The second peak is the confession. The final line in the M is the falling action- the epilogue and his imprisonment.
Plus, you know, M is for murder. Fitting.
X
I think that at many parts of the book, characters often intersect with one another, which serves to heighten the drama and sometimes the suspense of the novel. For example, at the beginning of the novel, the reader is introduced to other characters through conversations and letters initially (such as Svidrigailov and Petrolich) before Raskolnikov encounters them in the present. Each new character brings a diffent viewpoint to the narration. Also, the book is the intersection of differnet ideas, mainly religous and philosophical (i.e. whose allowed to commit crimes, religous quandries). Intersections can also bring clashes and quarrles, and there are plenty of clashes in "Crime and Punishment". In the end, the intersections of characters seem to turn out beneficially (Raskolnikov and Sonia, Razumikihn and Dounia), although Svid.'s suicide proves the exception.
In conclusion, charcters and ideas intersect and cross paths in "Crime and Punishment", as does the letter X.
Y...
So I think that "y" can represent the structure of Crime and Punishment in two ways. First of all, "y' can represent "why?" (which is cheesy, i know) and the idea of questioning. This refers back to the question of crime and its justification, and also Nietsche's idea of extraordinary and ordinary men. Also, the structure of the book is based largely around dialogue, much of which is Raskolnikov's thoughts and conversations with himself. In these, he often poses rhetorical questions, and especially after the murder, he constantly questions and doubts himself. For example, in the passage after he kills the pawnbroker and Lizaveta, he freaks out about his sock and constantly questions whether he forgot anything else (page 89). Also, right after he reads his mother's letter, he rants (pg. 38-43) and contemplates the letter. He constantly questions his future and his sister's. For example,
"What can you do to prevent it? Forbid it? By what right? What can you promise in return to claim such a right? Dedicate your life, your future to them--after you get your degree and find a job? ... And your sister? Can you imagine what your sister will be like ten years from now or during those ten years? Can you guess? So he tormented himself, fretting at himself with these questions, and he even took a certain pleasure in it. None of these questions was new; he had suffered them all, since long ago. Since long ago they had been rending him, and they had rent his heart asunder. Long, long ago his present anguish had taken shape within him, had grown and developed, and had recently ripened and become dense, assuming the form of a terrible, wild, fantastic question, exhausting him, mind and heart, implacably demanding resolution"(43).
These questions are what cause him to get sick and go crazy in the beginning of the book, and are crucial to the structure, because they propel the plot.
The second way is that there are three stems that meet in the middle. I think the book can be separated into three distinct phases of Raskolnikov's mental progression. The first is when he is mysterious and constantly hints the crime he's about to commit. The second is after the two murders when he gets sick, is constantly paranoid about being caught, and can't decide whether to confess. The last is when he decides to confess and goes to Siberia, ultimately realizing his love for Sonia.
oooh X is a good one. I like it.
But I'm going with ...
B - because the book, even just by the title is divided into two very distinct sections, the crime and the subsequent punishment. Within the scope of those two sections various aspects of structural significance are encompassed, and the letter B. B is like two circles with a stick on the side. Thus the two parts of this novel, which progress in a circuitous fashion, going back and forth through many different opinions and decisions, are joined by the action that brings significance to them. Also Raskolnikov spends most of his life circling back and forth pondering his crime (or non-crime depending on his mood at the time) and the punishment (deserved, undeserved, endurable, or unendurable). Thus B is the structure of Crime and Punishment.
However it could also be the letter R if we are thinking more in terms of the development of Raskolnikov's psychological views. In the beginning he spends a lot of time trapped in a circle, going back and forth deciding whether or not to commit the crime. But after the crime is commited, where the head and the legs of the R meet, he is given two paths, and must decide which to follow.
A....
So I am going to say that the pinnacle of the A represents the climax of the story when Raskolnikov confesses to Sonia...I don't know about you but when he confessed to her it was like an explosion. It sort of reminded me of a love story, which Sonia agrees with as she says that she will "follow" him all the way to prison.
Well I am going to stretch this a bit...but both legs of the A represent the struggles Raskolnikov had to go through to get to the point of confessing to Sonia. Each leg shows that ambiguity and indecision Raskolnikov faces. Perhaps you could call one leg "should I?" and the other "should I not?"
Then I guess you could say that the line in between the two legs could be a blockage...perhaps suspense before he actually gets to the point of being able to confess. Or it could be the other thoughts flooding his head causing him to change sides.
Ahh what sarah said is so interesting, because i meant to ask that in class! it seemed, because of how many parts ended in suspense, like it was originally broken up by the chapters or parts. Anyway, this is sort of an interpretation, but I think the structure resembles an
E
At first, I was just trying to see if e, the first letter of my name, could work as a joke, but then I realized it sort of does. Granted, there would be more than three lines coming off, so it would be a somewhat screwed up e, but it "resembles" one. Anyway, I think the crime is the backbone of the "e" and the strcture of the novel, and the lines coming off of it are all of the elements of plot and structure that connect back to the murder....one of them would be Rasko's philosophical and moral questions. Another would be his mother and sister's roles in the novel and aftermath of the crime. Another would be characters like Razu and Sonia who help Rasko deal with what he did.
So I interpret the whole structure concept in two ways:
First, I look at the way the structure is effected by Raskolnikov's psychological state. In this case, I would pick the letter H. This is so because at first Rask is "up and down" on his emotions over the crime as to whether or not he is calm about what happened or if should be nervous/whether or not he should turn himself in or not. This is represented by the first leg of the H. Then, the "-" part of the H represents the period in which Rask slips into a state where he is calmer and he keeps a fairly steady path of not turning himself in. Then the second leg of the H represents the return to the "up and down" psychological state up until Rask turns himself in.
The other way to make a comparison on the structure is the overall way that the novel functions. In this case I would pick the letter G. The structure of the book seems almost circular, but it isn't quite circular. The novel starts with the murder of the pawnbroker and this is where Rask has his first mental breakdown. Then, the novel goes through a large amount of events as Rask tries to contain his secret and the detective tracks him. This begins the circular shape. However, the "-" part of the G, the break in the circle, comes at Rask's final psychological breakdown. Here, he goes through the routine of "to confess or not to confess." However, instead of then trying to surpress his secret, Rask confesses. Thus, the story ends and does not start the cycle over again. Making the structure of the events in the story representative of a G.
I would pick the letter j for the book. On one level because it is the first letter in the word justification and the book deals with Raskolnikov's need to justify the murders and what situation a person can go outside normal moral behavior. My second reason for picking the letter j requires that you look at the lower case j. The bottom part of the letter is a curve that kind of wanders much like Raskolnikov does when he struggles with his decision to commit murder. It also represents his troubled mental state following the murders. Also the abrupt jump from the bottom part of the letter to the dot on top represents the way in which many characters suddenly enter the story at the beginnings or ends of chapters, often as Raskolnikov wakes up from sleep. The seperate dot on top of the j also represents Raskolnikov's withdrawal from society that exists from the beginning of the book and reaches its height after the murders.
ZOE WAY TO STEAL MY LETTER.
well not actually but, i have a different explanation so noo bigs.
A
I think the structure of Crime and Punishment is represented by the letter A because i think the book is structured in 3 distinct, rigid parts, which all match together. The first part of the A represents Raskolnikov's peak as he begins to plot his murder. The tip is most distinctly the pinnacle, which is his murder. He then begins to descend slowly downward, spiraling downward into complete delirium, and even madness. However, he somehow works his way back up with Sonia, and his redemption is represented by the the third piece, which bridges the two. His redemption is what links his two opposing sides and makes Rosko, and the entire structure of the book, complete. It is also fitting because that line in the middle gives closure, as does the end of the novel.
H
I think the structure of the novel is represented by an H. H has two lines connected in the center. I think the book is structured into two sections: the first concerning the "crime" and the second concerning the "punishment", with the segue being his delirious state.
H is also appropriate because each line goes vertically, as each section of the novel has its ups and downs. For example, the crime section has ups when he is confident that he should kill the pawnbroker and when he gets the letter from his mom, but lows like when he butchers them with an ax. In the punishment section, the lows are more prevalent (delirium, crazy talk, confession, going to jail), but there are highs (his positive outlook going into jail- "only seven years"- and his newfound love for Sonia).
On a whole, i think the structure mo def represents an M. I really hate to say basically exactly what Alicia said but i guess early bird gets the worm right?
Although the letter M only has four points, in my opinon we can condense parts I and II of the book as rising action and make it the first part of the M. and The first part of the letter M is continually rising and getting steeper until its turn of action. Like the story, suspense and tension is created right away with Rasko's illness and his creepy observations of Lizavetas apartment during the first chapter. However, in Part III, it appears as if Rasko is beginning to regain his reason again and possibly rid himself of his illness. This represents the falling action and thus the second part of the M. In Part IV we see suspicion rising, a ridiculous love triangle between Svids, Razu, and Dounia, and Sonia urging Rasko to confess. Thus the action rises again (the third part of the M). In Part V and the epilogue everything is resolved. Finally Rasko confesses, Svids finally kills himself (he should have died long before this), Rasko goes to prison and is in touch with his family again, and Rasko's whole crew relocates to Siberia. Action continues to fall, mirroring the fourth part of the M until Rasko and Sonia really cheesily confess their love to each other and add some really crappy romance to put the cherry on top of a crappy epilogue (in my opinion)
S!
The letter S is essentially two half circles: one represents crime, the other punishment, the main structural divisions of the novel. The reasoning behind that is self-explanatory. I also thought it was a good representation of Raskolnikov's sanity. When he is pondering this crime at the beginning of the novel we see his sanity begin to decline in his desperation. However, it seems he has finally decided against it, and that he will get a job, a steady income and possibly his sanity once again as the first semi-circle reaches a close and the line evens out. Then he commits the murder, which begins the downward spiral of his sanity, part two, which doesn't end until he confesses. Seeing as Raskolnikov wasn't exactly in tip-top shape sanity-wise when the novel begins, I think S represents how both crime and punishment contribute to his growing mental instability.
G
Structure of the Crime and Punishment is comparable to the appreance of a G. G looks somewhat like a maze (sorry if some of you disagree with me =[). The entire novel is like a maze. This maze would be a labrinth of suffering and depression. When Raskolnikov murders the pawnborker he enters it.
Like a person stepping into a maze, he does not know what to do; he suffers tremendously with emotional breakdown.
Instead of heading to the right direction, which involves giving full attention to the murder, Raskolnikov deviates to wrong paths, which are about other people's troubles. When he has to be caring the biggest problem, his crime, and how to deal with it he focuses on Dunia's trouble with Ruzhin. He also cares extremely about Sonia and helps her in every possible manner, instead of helping himself. Raskolnikov visits every chamber in the maze to hide from having to deal with the crime and hopes that people will forget about it.
However, Raskolnikov realizes that those chambers do not give him any comfort and lead to the end of this maze of darkness. He then tries the final path and confronts the verdict.
Finally when the novel gives full attention to Raskolnikov's crime and Raskolnikov confesses the maze ends. Only then, Raskolnikov sees hope, which he could not find when he tried to avoid confronting the murder (like deviating from the right path will never give you the award you expect at your destination).
Since I had that obscene rehearsal last night, gone from 3 to 10:30 (I got miserably lost on the way home), I’m doing this in the morning. And I am not going to read any posts before I write this :D
Okay let’s talk structure. The novel opens with Raskolnikov wandering the streets of St. Petersburg without guilt, but with angry thoughts, philosophical life questions, and of course a tough decision on his mind. After the inciting incident of the murders, the unraveling of Raskolnikov’s guilt and subsequent psychological punishment begins (and lasts a very long time). Finally Sonia encourages and inspires him to publicly atone for his sins by turning himself in, and thus beginning the actual, straightforward punishment. What is also interesting to note is that towards the end, guywithfunnyname #6 (Svidrigailov) wanders the streets of St. Petersburg in much the same attitude as Raskolnikov in the beginning. This walk, for both characters, in a way represents a ‘walk the plank’ type deal, a final judgment. I say final because both walks led to the characters’ deaths, as Svidrigfvskfvnjkf obviously committed suicide and the Raskolnikov’s murders led to the breakdown of his mental state and eventually his freedom.
That was a bit of a tangent, but I swear there’s a point when it comes to the letter. I’m going to pick Z. The novel opens linearly, and then has a sudden change in plot and purpose with the murders. The body of the novel is structurally all on the same level, about the consequences of the sudden angled change, and then this changes abruptly with Raskolnikov’s confession. I didn’t pick S because these changes were sudden and obvious, not a continuous flow. Also, I wanted to make sure the letter ended the way it began and was somewhat symmetrical (looking at Z, it actually isn’t, but it’s more symmetrical than P or F for instance) because of the repeated imagery and connection with the bookend walks.
ps - quick glance - no one picked Z! Yay!
I had that same rehearsal as Olivia (woo!), so i'm posting this late, sorry!!
I choose the letter N.
When writing N, you first make a quick downward stroke. That would represent the first part of the book, in which Raskolnikov commits the two murders. Right from the start, he has plunged into crime.
The next step of the letter is a diagonal downward stroke, which represents Rask's downward decline of mental stability. His guilt weighs him down.
Finally, you move your pen up. This would be like Raskolnikov's redemption. The book ends on a hopeful note, just like the letter ends on an upward slope.
Ranking the books:
Song of Solomon
One Hundred Years of Solitude
The Sound and The Fury
Crime and Punishment
Jane Eyre
Native Son
Othello
Ceremony
Hard Times
Wide Sargasso Sea
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