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Virginia Wolf on Dostoevsky, "The novels of Dostoevsky are seething whirlpools, gyrating sandstorms, waterspots which hiss and boil and suck us in. They are composed purely and wholly of the stuff of the soul. Against our wills we are, drawn in, whirled around, blinded, suffocated, and at the same time filled with a giddy rapture. Out of Shakespeare there is no more exciting reading."
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MY OH MY, THE BEST CHAPTER SO FAR! IF YOU LOOK AT MY NOTES, AND READ THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLLER COASTER RIDE WE'RE ABOUT TO EMBARK UPON, THE THEATRE IS FULL, LIGHTS, ACTION!!!
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His mother's letter, had tormented him. But concerning the main, capital point, he had not a moment's doubt, not even while he was reading the letter. The main essence of the matter was decided in his mind and decided finally: "This marriage will not take place as long as I live, and to the devil with Mr. Luzhin!
"Because the thing is obvious," he muttered to himself, grinning, and maliciously triumphant beforehand over the success of his decision. "No, mama, no, Dunya, you won't deceive me! . . . And they still apologize for not asking my advice and deciding the matter without me! They think it's impossible to break it off now; but we'll see whether it's impossible or not! And what a capital excuse: 'Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin is just such a busy man, that he can't get married any other than posthaste, almost right on he train.' No Dunechka, (Dunya) I see it all and know what this so much is that you want to talk to me about; I also know what you were thinking about all night, pacing the room, and what you prayed about.
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RASKOL'S ALREADY HAS MUCH ON HIS MIND, THE LETTER BRINGS ADDED PAIN TO HIS BURDEN. THERE IS SO MUCH TO UNDERSTAND IN THIS CHAPTER!
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And what's she doing writing to me: Love Dunya, Rodya, and she loves you more than herself? Can it be that she's secretly tormented by remorse at having agreed to sacrifice her daughter for the sake of her son? 'You are our hope, you are our everything'! Oh, mother . . ." Anger boiled up in him more and more, and he thought if he met Mr. Luzhin right then, he might kill him!
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THIS GIVE YOU A GOOD GLIMPSE INSIDE RASKOL'S OVERWROUGHT THOUGHT PROCESS AT THIS TIME. THERE IS SO MUCH IN THIS CHAPTER I'M GOING TO DRASTICALLY SHORTEN IT!
MR. LUZHIN BEING A PRACTIVAL MAN PAYS FOR PART OF THE EXPENSE TO GET RASKOL'S MOTHER AND SISTER TO PETERSBURG, THEY HAD TO RIDE A PEASANT CART 60 MILES TO THE TRAIN AND RIDE THIRD CLASS, THIS INFLAMES RASKOL! MOTHER WILL HAVE NOTHING LEFT WHEN SHE GETS TO PETERSBURG. THEY'RE PUTTING ALL ON THE NOBILITY OF MR. LUZHIN, REFERS TO DUNYA AND HIS MOTHER AS "SCHILLERESQUE SOULS" TO BELIEVE IN THIS MAN.
RASKOL BELIEVES DUNYA IS SELLING HERSELF THE SAME AS SONYA MARMELADOV (Remember she became a prostitute to feed her family at the age of 16. Seems there was no other way.) ONLY FOR HIM THE FIRST BORN! BELIEVES THIS ACT OF MARRIAGE TO BE THE SAME.
IT COMES INTO HIS MIND HE HAS BEEN FLEECING HIS OWN SISTER AND MOTHER, BORROWING MONEY FROM SVIDRIGAILOVS, AND MAMA TAKING ADVANCES AGAINST HER PENSION. THIS HAS TORMENTED HIM ALREADY. THIS ANGUISH WAS BORN IN HIM LONG AGO AND WORN UPON HIS HEART. HIS MOTHER'S LETTER SUDDENLY STRUCK HIM LIKE A THUNDERBOLT, HE DECIDES AT ALL COST TO DO SOMETHING, OR . . . "RENOUNCE LIFE ALTOGETHER!" A MONTH OR SO THE THING THAT HAS CONSUMED HIM WAS ONLY A DREAM, NOW?
SUDDENLY HE FELT THE NEED TO SIT DOWN AND THERE WAS A BENCH JUST AHEAD OF HIM, HE NOTICED A WOMAN WALKING STRANGELY AHEAD OF HIM, A YOUNG GIRL PERHAPS 15 OR 16. SHE HAD BEEN RAPED. THERE WAS A MAN WATCHING HER WITH PERHAPS THE SAME IN MIND. RASKOL WENT OVER TO HIM AND SAID "Hey, you -- Svidrigailov!" (Remember that's the rich man where Dunya took an advance for Rakol's schooling and was forced to endure to work the loan off.) A POLICEMAN STOPS RASKOL FROM ATTACKING THIS MAN.
AFTER A FEW MOMENTS OF CARING AND HELPING THE YOUNG GIRL, GIVING THE POLICEMAN MONEY FOR A COACHMAN. HIS THOUGHT PATTERN COMPLETELY CHANGES AND HE NO LONGER SEEMED TO CARE., ABOUT THIS POOR GIRL. IN SPITE OF HIS CHANGE OF HEART IT WAS VERY PAINFUL TO HIM. HE WISHED TO BECOME TOTALLY OBLIVIOUS OF EVERYHING, AND THEN WAKE UP AND START TOTALLY ANEW.
HE HAD FORGOTTEN WHERE HE WAS OFF TO. I WAS HEADED TO VASILIEVSKY ISLAND TO SEE RAZUMIKHIN, ONE OF HIS FORMER UNIVERSITY FRIENDS. I WILL DESCRIBE RAZUMIKIHIN IN MORE DETAIL IN THE NEXT POST. HE BECOMES A VERY HELPFUL IMPORTANT CHARACTER THROUGH THE REST OF THE NOVEL.
IT'S GETTING GOOOD MY FRIENDS DON'T LEAVE ME NOW!!!
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