Crime and Punishment & Other Great Novels of Dostoevsky
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Contents
Crime and Punishment — Part III
Overview
Raskolnikov forces his mother and sister to leave and insists Dounia break off her engagement to Luzhin. Razumihin, drunk yet devoted, takes charge: he settles the women, fetches Zossimov, and arranges a night watch.
Zossimov reports Raskolnikov’s condition is improving but morally strained, urging avoidance of fresh shocks.
Summary
Raskolnikov, exhausted and agitated, halts his mother Pulcheria Alexandrovna and sister Avdotya Romanovna’s attempts to stay, and orders them to leave with Razumihin. He declares Dounia must refuse Luzhin immediately, calling the proposed marriage an infamy, and collapses on the sofa, turning to the wall.
On the landing, Razumihin persuades the distraught women to go to their lodgings, promising to return with news and to bring the doctor, Zossimov. He escorts them through the streets, drunkenly professing devotion and warning that Raskolnikov must not be irritated. At their poor lodgings, he denounces Luzhin’s character, then rushes back to check on Raskolnikov.
Razumihin soon returns to report that Raskolnikov is sleeping soundly under Nastasya’s care. He fetches Zossimov, who visits the women, explaining that Raskolnikov’s illness stems from harsh material conditions and moral anxieties, with a fixed idea near monomania, yet his state is improving; family presence may help if fresh shocks are avoided.
Afterward, Razumihin bristles when Zossimov calls Dounia “fetching,” then arranges the night: Zossimov will sleep at the landlady’s, and Razumihin in the kitchen, to monitor Raskolnikov. On the way, Razumihin jokes and confesses entanglement with Praskovya Pavlovna, trying to divert her interest toward Zossimov, while reaffirming his watch over Raskolnikov.
Who Appears
- Dmitri RazumihinDevoted friend; escorts Raskolnikov’s mother and sister, denounces Luzhin, fetches Zossimov, arranges care, and keeps night watch while drunkenly infatuated with Dounia.
- Avdotya Romanovna (Dounia)Raskolnikov’s sister; urged to refuse Luzhin, remains composed, evaluates Razumihin, and comforts her mother.
- Pulcheria AlexandrovnaRaskolnikov’s mother; distressed by his state, relies on Razumihin, and is reassured by Zossimov’s assessment.
- Rodion RaskolnikovIll and agitated; sends family away, demands Dounia break with Luzhin, then falls into deep sleep.
- Dr. ZossimovPhysician; examines the situation, attributes illness to material and moral causes, notes a fixed idea, and advises avoiding shocks.
- NastasyaServant; stays with Raskolnikov while he sleeps, per Razumihin’s plan.
- Praskovya PavlovnaRaskolnikov’s landlady; object of Razumihin’s awkward entanglement, used to secure night accommodations for Zossimov.
- Pyotr Petrovitch LuzhinDounia’s fiancé; absent but condemned by Raskolnikov and Razumihin, central to the demanded break.