A Frozen Embrace

"With an enormous effort he managed to raise himself on one arm. He stared fixedly and savagely at his daughter for a while, as though he couldn't recognize her. He had never actually seen her dressed like that before. Suddenly he recognized her: dressed up in cheap finery, humiliated, crushed and ashamed, meekly waiting her turn to take leave at her dying father. His face expressed infinite suffering. 'Sonia! My daughter! Forgive me!' he cried, wanting to stretch a hand out to her, but lost his balance and fell in a heap off the couch with his face straight down. They rushed to pick him back up and put him back on the couch, but he was going fast. Sonia cried out weakly, ran up, embraced him, froze in that embrace. He died in her arms." (Dostoyevsky, 179)

Each event in Crime and Punishment is written with an awful elegance by Dostoyevsky. The anxious atmosphere he surrounds his characters scream to the reader the same cramped environment. The position of each character is also very significant. When Marmeladov is on his death bed, I was captured by the dramatic and tragic interactions between father and daughter. In eight sentences Dostoyevsky creates an infinite conclusion to Marmeladov life. In our life as well, there are moments that reverberate in our minds and hearts. They have no end, and in turn one is jolted to a screeching halt as the circumstances seem so surreal. It is hard to conclude such times as these as we are constantly reminded of the past. Life continues to pass by, but no longer with the same meaning.
Marmeladov's face of "infinite suffering" tells of a feeling never to be replenished. When he tries to grasp his daughter's hand he immediately falls to the floor face down creating a sense of hopelessness and udder shame. Sonia reacts to her father's fall and gives him a hug so pure in so much sorrow. Time stops in this moment. In Sonia's arms her father dies and with the passing of Marmeladov there follows a galaxy of emotions that will forever rein in the hearts of the characters.

Get Motivated!

The characters in "C and P" all live in the same city and interact with each other frequently, sometimes even multiple times a day. Yet, the main characters have not come together for reasons that are at all similar. They all have different, personal motives for becoming involved with the other main characters in the book. 

Dunia and Pulcheria both came to St. Petersburg in order for Dunia to marry Luzhin, but the move and the marriage were more than just Dunia getting married. They were looking for a way to be able to be closer to Raskolnikov and to be able to help him both financially and emotionally to get back on his feet. 

Razhumikin watched over Rasky when he was ill because he was a good friend, or that's how it came across. I really feel that he did stay with Rasky out of the good of his heart, yet I think that he is a kind of person who loves to be the hero in a story and come out looking like the knight in shining armor. This is also true of his interactions with Dunia and her mother. He ran all around St. Pburg the night that they arrived bringing them information not only because it was the right thing to do, but because it made him look good. Looking good to Dunia has become the Razzy's main motivation for still being involved in Rasky's life. 

All of the characters in C and P have their own personal motives for being involved in Rasky's life because he influences their lives in a positive way despite his illness and criminal past. This is not a trend that is only seen in "C and P" every relationship in the world whether professional, emotional, or friendly is based on (despite how cold and pathetic it sound) "what can a relationship with this person do for me?" Each person has their own secret motivation for becoming involved in another person's life. Wow, look how motivated we all are...

GBP

Svidrigailov might be considered to be a romantic hero because of 3 things: he showed up at the right time, he wants to save Dunya from Luzhin, and he has money.
Svidrigailov came to Raskolnikov just before the relationship between Dunya and Luzhin ended. Which was heroic because now Dunya has a chance of a life without poverty even though Luzhin is gone.
Svidrigailov told Raskolnikov that he couldn't stand to see dunya with luzhin, and would marry her even though he doesn't love her. So, he is trying to save Dunya from a man he knows wouldn't be good for her.
Svidrigailov, also, has a lot of money that he is going to offer to Dunya (and she and the family need it) as well as money that was willed to her by his wife.
Svidrigailov is, basically, looking out for Dunya's best interests and financial support. He wants to be the one to help her, which in most cases would consider him heroic.

OK so i haven't blogged in such a long time, sorry.
When we were reading The Mill again today i was thinking of how much this kind of stuff actually happens in our society today (people killing themselves over a lost job). It seems pointless to me to killer yourself over something so insignificant in the long run because you can always find a new job, or start a farm to produce food. The weird thing was, when I came home I actually heard of someone who tried to kill himself (but didn't actually do it)over a lost job.
To get back to the poem, one of the most sad lines in the poem is:
"Though ruffled once, would soon appear
The same as ever to the sight."
Which, in my opinion, talks about how the woman thought of herself, one little ruffle in the course of the river, barely even noticeable.

Lost in Translation...

So I have been reading (yay go me right Nigel!?) "C and P" and I have been thinking that there is something wrong with the book. You see Dostoyevsky lived in the 1800s which means (using my logic at least) "C and P" was written in the 1800s. Now I can't help but notice when I'm reading that I can understand exactly what the characters are saying and what is going on. This is both good (you know how much I hate to not understand a book) and bad in that there is a cultural piece that is missing from the book. I feel like people in the 1800's would not talk the way that they are talking in the book. This stems (I think) from the way that the book was translated. The translation that we are reading has a copyright date of in 1968, which I think has really influenced the way that the book was written in English. I really noticed the difference when I read one little line in the book. Rasky says to a girl he meets in front of a bar and after she invites him inside he says to her, "I'm going, sweet stuff." Sweet stuff? I'm no Russian language expert, but I have a feeling that what Dostoyevsky had written in the book in Russian was not intended to be read as sweet stuff. It was put in the translation because there are certain words in other languages that I know do not have an exact equivalent word in English. Because there was no exact work for whatever Rasky had said the translator who was working in the 60's used sweet stuff. I know that there is really nothing that can be done (except for me to learn Russian... not really an option for me right now), but I do think that if you can't read Russian you lose a lot of what the language was meant to actually say. A lot of "C and P" is lost in translation...

The Robin Hood effect

The concept of killing people and stealing to give to others who are needy, is hard to wrap my mind around. Murder is such a complex and emotionally exhausting thing (not that I would know from experience or anything), but the guilt that Rasky toils with and the fear that overwhelms him in the police station seems very tiring and anxious. How shameful must Rasky feel? I totally agree with Em. Dostoevsky does a great job revealing Rasky's inner feelings and anxieties. I feel like certain events in Crime and Punishment emulate, in some ways, of the classic story of Robin Hood. I never really liked Robin Hood. I think he had good motives, just like Rasky, but his moral conscience was just... turned off. That's just a scary idea. Plus he's a fox...And foxes are creepy.

The great big world of Universities

Okay, deep breath. Over my North and South Carolina school hunt this week, my mother and I have toured, investigated, interviewed etc. with nine schools. Even though we are both ready to go into a coma from exhaustion, we have had an amazing time and have got some great advice no matter where I go to college. I have visited: Montreat College, Gardner Webb University, High Point University, University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, Duke University, University of North Carolina- Wilmington, Columbia International University, University of South Carolina and University of North Carolina- Charlotte. Each school has been so uniquely wonderful for me and all fit various desires for my college years (possible majors= Education, International Cultural Studies, Communications, Dance and Humanities...a lot, I know...ekkk). Some of the best advice that I have gotten on this trip is from an admissions counselor at Columbia International University. The advice is that I should really give thought to what I would do for free. Whatever that may be is what I should go and do. Hmmm.... I still need to think about my answer some more, but I thought it would be helpful to all of you brainy student in picking an occupation and college (and we really don’t have to have it all sorted out by the way). DO SOMETHING YOU LOVE IS THE THEME. I am so excited about my future, and I strongly encourage all of you to go on a college road trip with the rents, because there are SO MANY colleges out there. The world is diverse and wonderful, longing to be explored and challenged. I am pumped to see where everyone in our class will end up at our 10 year reunion because I know each one of you will do bright, unique and exciting things. Lets Shake up this world class of 2009!


P.S. Its kind of sad, this graduating thing, you know. Transitions are so strange...

A little frantic...

I was reading into the second section of Crime and Punishment at work today and I think that I found out why people do read the book over and over again. I was finding myself actually feeling nervous while I was reading about Raskolnikov looking for blood on his clothes. The writing has made me like Rasky (Raskolnikov) even though he killed the old woman. While he was freaking out I felt like I was really there (that sounds so cheesy) experiencing it with him. I have only gotten to the part where he is at the police station, and it is killing me. I am just worried that Rasky will have some guilt attack and just blurt it out and ruin everything. It stinks because I feel like his getting caught is inevitable, but I don't know when or how it will happen. Frankly this book makes me feel anxious and frantic...