Crime and Punishment & Other Great Novels of Dostoevsky
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Contents
Chapter 6 A Laceration in the Cottage
Overview
Alyosha, unable to find Dmitri, visits Captain Snegiryov to deliver Katerina Ivanovna’s aid and seek reconciliation after Dmitri’s insult. He encounters the captain’s impoverished, chaotic household, including feverish Ilyusha, who had bitten him. Alyosha offers Dmitri’s public apology; the volatile captain, torn between pride and need, draws Alyosha outside to speak further.
Summary
Tormented by his clumsy attempt to reconcile Katerina Ivanovna and Dmitri, Alyosha resolves to fulfill her commission to aid Captain Snegiryov. After confirming Dmitri is avoiding him, he goes to Lake Street, reflecting that the captain’s son is likely the schoolboy who bit his finger.
At the decrepit cottage, Alyosha finds Captain Snegiryov’s cramped room and anxious family: his proud yet unwell wife Arina Petrovna, disdainful daughter Varvara, gentle hunchback Nina, and feverish son Ilyusha behind a curtain. The captain greets Alyosha with jittery bravado and fear, veering between deference and defiance.
When Ilyusha admits biting Alyosha, the captain theatrically threatens self-punishment, exposing his wounded pride after Dmitri’s public assault. Alyosha calmly explains he understands the boy’s motive—loyalty to his father—and promises that Dmitri will apologize publicly in any manner the captain requires.
The offer pierces Snegiryov’s defenses, revealing love for his “litter” and his desperate need to be treated with dignity. Family tensions flare: Varvara denounces her father’s buffoonery, Nina weeps, and Arina rambles tearfully about being unloved, which the captain tenderly tries to soothe.
Overwhelmed by the domestic tumult and his own conflicting impulses, the captain abruptly insists they leave the room. Grasping Alyosha’s hand, he leads him outside to continue an earnest conversation away from his family’s eyes.
Who Appears
- Alexey (Alyosha) KaramazovSeeks Dmitri, then visits Captain Snegiryov; offers Dmitri’s public apology and tries to ease the family’s shame.
- Captain Nikolay Ilyitch SnegiryovImpoverished, volatile father; wounded pride clashes with need. Alternates between bravado and tenderness; leads Alyosha outside.
- Ilyusha SnegiryovFeverish schoolboy who had bitten Alyosha; fiercely defends his father and interrupts the scene from his bed.
- Varvara SnegiryovaElder daughter; sharp-tongued, indignant at her father’s antics, openly contemptuous of Alyosha’s visit.
- Nina SnegiryovaHunchbacked daughter with gentle demeanor; quietly weeps during the family’s humiliations.
- Arina Petrovna SnegiryovaIll, muddled mother; swings between pride and plaintive rambling. The captain comforts her tenderly.