Crime and Punishment & Other Great Novels of Dostoevsky
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Contents
Chapter VIII. Conclusion
Overview
The town rapidly uncovers the conspiracy as Shatov’s body is found, Kirillov’s suicide note confuses authorities, and Lyamshin’s full confession exposes Pyotr Stepanovitch’s network. Amid arrests and public shock, Darya and Varvara receive Stavrogin’s plea to flee to Switzerland, only to reach Skvoreshniki and discover Stavrogin has hanged himself.
Summary
The aftermath unfolds swiftly: Marya Ignatyevna wakes before dawn, cannot find Shatov, and runs to Kirillov’s lodge, where she stumbles upon his suicide. Panic-stricken, she alarms neighbors, spreading news that draws police, but she collapses by midday. She dies three days later, and her newborn dies sooner of exposure.
Authorities, misled by Kirillov’s letter, initially conflate Shatov’s murder with Kirillov’s suicide, but the discovery of Shatov’s cap and body at Skvoreshniki strengthens suspicions of accomplices and a hidden organization. Arina Prohorovna destroys papers and gives little away when questioned.
By the next day, Lyamshin breaks down. After a failed flight and suicide attempt, he rushes to the authorities, confessing everything: Pyotr Stepanovitch’s structure of quintets, the strategy of systematic destabilization, and links across recent crimes. He pointedly absolves Stavrogin of organizational guilt.
Arrests follow: Virginsky confesses with restraint; Erkel remains fanatically silent; Liputin is seized in Petersburg after debauchery; Tolkatchenko is caught nearby and speaks candidly. Public opinion oscillates, some praising Pyotr’s “organization,” others condemning his shallow theorizing and immorality.
Then a private drama surfaces. Darya Pavlovna receives Stavrogin’s letter inviting her to emigrate to Uri, confessing moral paralysis and rejecting suicide while asking her to be his “nurse.” Darya agrees, and Varvara Petrovna decides to accompany her. Before they depart, word comes that Stavrogin returned to Skvoreshniki.
At the estate, they search his rooms and ascend to the loft, where Varvara Petrovna finds Stavrogin hanged, a note beside him stating, “No one is to blame, I did it myself,” with tools prepared for the act. The inquest rules out insanity, closing the tragedy with his deliberate, solitary death.
Who Appears
- Nikolay (Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch) StavroginSends Darya a confessional letter inviting exile to Uri; soon after, is found hanged in Skvoreshniki’s loft with a note.
- Darya Pavlovna (Dasha)Receives Stavrogin’s letter, agrees to go; accompanies Varvara to Skvoreshniki and faints upon discovering Stavrogin’s body.
- Varvara PetrovnaShocked by town’s events; decides to accompany Darya; discovers her son Stavrogin hanged in the loft.
- LyamshinBreaks down, confesses the entire conspiracy, detailing Pyotr’s network and aims; inadvertently clarifies multiple crimes.
- Marya Ignatyevna (Shatov’s wife)Finds Kirillov’s suicide, runs into the street with her newborn; collapses and dies days later; her baby also dies.
- Arina ProhorovnaCovers tracks after her husband’s confession; questioned as midwife but reveals little.
- VirginskyArrested while ill; pleads guilty, testifies with restraint, distances himself from violent methods.
- ErkelArrested; remains obstinately silent, seen as a youthful fanatic; his grieving mother pleads for mercy.
- LiputinCaptured in Petersburg after a drunken spree; lies in testimony and prepares to grandstand at trial.
- TolkatchenkoFlees, then is arrested nearby; confesses readily and plans a rhetorical defense.
- Pyotr StepanovitchAbsent fugitive; revealed by Lyamshin as the organizer of quintets and orchestrator of chaos.
- KirillovHis suicide initially misleads police; serves as grim cover for the group’s crimes.
- ShatovHis body is found at Skvoreshniki; evidence exposes murder and implicates a wider conspiracy.
- Alexey YegorytchServant-steward who delivers Stavrogin’s letter and later alerts Varvara to Stavrogin’s return.