
In which Raskolnikov is still a weirdo
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Thomas Magbee
Hello and welcome to Classical Stuff youf Should Know, a podcast about classical stuff that you should know. My name is Thomas Magbee. I am joined, as always, by Mr. Graham Donaldson.
Graham Donaldson
Hi.
Thomas Magbee
And Mr. A.J. hainberg.
A.J. Hainberg
That is me.
Thomas Magbee
We are moving into part two of our series on Crime and Punishment.
Graham Donaldson
It's a series now?
Thomas Magbee
Yeah, it's a series. If you go beyond one, that makes it a series. Right.
A.J. Hainberg
Well, it's just a sequel then. You have a trilogy and then a series.
Thomas Magbee
Right.
Graham Donaldson
The first series is more than four or four or.
A.J. Hainberg
I think it's four plus.
Graham Donaldson
Okay.
Thomas Magbee
It's got to be two plus.
Graham Donaldson
So this is a sequel.
Thomas Magbee
Let's talk about this for the next hour. So if our last one was crime, this one is going to be covering and. Right.
Graham Donaldson
Yes.
Thomas Magbee
Punishment is the third part. That's right. So look, please enlighten us on.
Graham Donaldson
And so where we left off last time. Ras Kolinkov's family is in town because his sister Dunya is going to get married to losing, who's only marrying her because she's virtuous and poor. And he feels like he can lord saving her from her poverty over her the rest of her life so that she will be more of a submissive wife, which not a great plan. Not great. And unless.
A.J. Hainberg
Unless.
Graham Donaldson
And she realizes it. But she's also impoverished and her brother is just like a college dropout, weirdo,
A.J. Hainberg
wet sack and useless.
Graham Donaldson
And so anyway, so she's in town and Raskolnikov is, you know, murdered people. And he comes back to his room and Svitr Gailov is there. Svitrgalov is Dunia's old boss who married Martha Petrovna. Martha Petrovna was like this rich country lady and she's like, I'm gonna marry me a bad boy because that's super fun. And I'm older, I'm rich, and I don't know, there must be something about the bad boy that's appealing.
Thomas Magbee
And I just state the obvious here. So part one is two episodes ago. this point, we're just gonna, like, straight. Continue.
Graham Donaldson
We're just straight continuing into it. So if you have no idea what we're talking about, go back and listen. Go back and listen to part one of Crime Punishment because we're on book four, Chapter one. Like, we are just coming right into. Jumping right into it.
A.J. Hainberg
Yep.
Graham Donaldson
So she went. She marries the bad boy, having never been a bad boy. I don't understand. I don't know how that works.
A.J. Hainberg
You aren't a bad boy.
Graham Donaldson
I'm not a Bad boy.
Thomas Magbee
I believe you're currently one.
Graham Donaldson
I'm not a current bad boy.
A.J. Hainberg
But you're wearing. Your hat is such a rakish angle.
Graham Donaldson
I'm not recovering that leather jacket that you wore today.
Thomas Magbee
Now, is this why you're in shades right now?
Graham Donaldson
I've been playing yes. When AJ does his episode, I just have my jackknife, and I'm just, like, putting it between my fingers on the table. Tough guy over here. Anyway, so she marries. She marries Sirna Gale office in town because, as we find out, Martha Petrovna's dead. She had a too big of a meal one night and went into the sauna and died.
Thomas Magbee
What?
Graham Donaldson
But it's. Which is apparently a thing, but it's fairly obvious that Svitrgalov killed her. Maybe he didn't directly kill her. He just sort of, like, worked the circumstance to have her die. Like, you know, have another slice of pie. Yeah, stay in the sauna half an hour longer. And she sort of had a heart attack and died. And Svitrgalov is in town because he has a proposition for Raskolnikov. He's like, listen, I got a couple of reasons why I'm here. One, I have money from. From Martha Petrovna. Two, Dunya, she's getting three grand, which is a lot of rubles, so she's just gonna get that. And he says, and two, I'm going, I'm prepared to give her 10,000 rubles, but I need to hang out with her alone. And Ras Kov's like, that's not happening. Not happening.
A.J. Hainberg
What a weird. Can I spend time alone with your sister?
Graham Donaldson
I need to talk to your sister by herself. I need to talk to her. And Russ Kov's like, nope. You have a reputation of being, like, a crazy person. You have a reputation of all the people that you've ever had love affairs with, have died or committed suicide. So, like, little serving girls, there was, like, a page boy, there was Marfa. Anybody that seems to have had some kind of, like, sexual relationship or even just like, a romantic relationship with Spider Galov is dead. They have either been murdered or, you know, fell into the lake, right? Or they've killed themselves because they were of despair. And Spitter Gal is like, these things happen. It's not me. You know, people are crazy. And so he's very much a. He's, like, very evil as your. As you sort of hear this character, but he's also sort of lovable. Lovable. He's sort of got that, like, foppish dandyish way about him where he's sort of easygoing and he's like, what do you mean, murder? You know, he's just sort of sliding through life. Yes. Yeah. What murder? Have you ever seen that video of the, like, Italian mobsters? No. No. Where the news report is like, they're coming out of this funeral. They're coming out of this thing. And. And, like, what are the reports of. Of. Of this guy who went to jail? He's obviously a mobster goes to jail. He's like, what about the reports of the guy, the people that he murdered? And the guy goes, murder? What murder? He's the greatest guy around. You've never seen it?
A.J. Hainberg
Is it like a real interview?
Graham Donaldson
Yeah, yeah. It's really from, like, a news station. Anyway, whatever.
A.J. Hainberg
What are you talking about?
Graham Donaldson
What murder? He's the greatest guy around. So Sidri Galov's kind of like this. He's like, murder? What are you talking about? Like, ah. But he confesses to Raskolnikov. He's kind of got this little twinkle in his eye. And he sort of says to Raskolnikov that he. When Raskolnikov's like, hey, man, so why do you want to hang out with my sister? And Sir Gailov says, well, I've come back to town and I've been on this, like, booze bender for the past five days. I've been gambling again. I've been, like, whoring it up. And he's like, I'm bored. In fact, this is what Spider Galov says about his state of life. He says. He talks about, like. Then Marfa had this sort of, like, relationship document. He's like, I'm allowed to sleep with, like, people in the lower classes, but I can't, like, hit on her friends. Like, they have this, like, sort of open marriage document that Marfa thinks is kind of like, you know, dangerous and fun. And she can, like, shock her girlfriends at, like, tea parties, being like, you know, there's my Jaguar who lives in my house kind of thing.
Thomas Magbee
Yeah.
Graham Donaldson
Anyway, so. And Spider Galoff says this. I didn't want to go any that where. Though Martha Petrovna herself suggested twice that I go abroad, seeing that I was bored. But for what? I used to go abroad, and I always felt sick at heart. Nothing special, really. Here's the dawn coming up. Here's the Bay of Naples, the sea. You look, and it's somehow sad. The most disgusting thing is that you're always so sad about something. So it's like, whoa, buddy, so spider gal is like, yeah, I've gone to like the most beautiful place on earth and earth and watched a sunrise and I was depressed. And so Raskolnkov's like, this guy's messed up anyway.
A.J. Hainberg
Which is weird coming from Raskolnikov.
Graham Donaldson
Yes, yes. And Raskola Gov is like, oh, you are an evil person. And Sergeylov doesn't yet know about the murders, but is going to find out. And Svit Galav is like, buddy, you are no, like, we are very similar kinds of people. Raskov's like, no, of course we're not. I'm virtuous, I'm great, I'm Napoleon.
Thomas Magbee
But he thinks Svidrigalov does think something is off about Raskov.
Graham Donaldson
He's like, he's like, you can see it. You can see his little angry, beady little eyes. And he's like, there's something. You're a messed up kid.
A.J. Hainberg
Well, and he like, spends most of his time holed up in his apartment and he's really weird. And yeah, Raskolnikov's just kind of a weirdo.
Graham Donaldson
And SUV has heard rumors about this murder and all this kind of stuff anyway, so he's like, I want to hang out with your sister's like, never. And so S like, all right, well, at least tell her about this money and tell her about my proposition. Let her make her own choices. And in this chapter, they have a little conversation about hell. And S G says, I think hell is just sitting in empty room by yourself with spiders. And maybe we all deserve this. And call's like, I. I don't like you. And so leaves Raskolnikov, goes to find his sister. And this is the big denouement where, where losing is here to, like, hash out the, like, marriage. And he has said to Dunya, listen, I need to talk to you. When you're in St. Petersburg, don't bring your brother. I don't want to talk to your weird, wormy little brother. And. And Dunya's like, he's my brother. No, he's coming to this meeting. So they're all at this meeting. Losing comes in.
A.J. Hainberg
Poor mom is just falling.
Graham Donaldson
Mom has no idea how to deal with this. She's just sort of like a simple, happy mom who's just can't really understand why people don't like each other and
A.J. Hainberg
like, loves her son.
Graham Donaldson
She loves her son, doesn't understand why he's so angry all the time. When you left, he was like a good boy who, like, went to church. And now he's like, you know, with his AirPods and his hoodies, and he's just, you know, not wanting to talk to anybody. I don't understand. My boy losing comes in, sees Ras Kolikov there, and he's like, what is he doing here? And Dun is like, I invited him. We need to hash this out. She's like, you are asking me to be your wife, and you are telling me I need to reject my brother. I can't do that. I want you to be reasonable. And Lucy's like, your brother hangs out with prostitutes. And Dunya's like, listen, you are asking me to choose between my family and choose between you. And he's like, yeah, you should choose your husband. You should choose me, your husband. And she's like, listen, I am choosing. Well, this here's the scene. Losing's like, I've been insulted. I can't believe how you haven't been paid. Like, considering my status and all of this, my interests. You haven't been placing my interests at a high enough level. And Junior flares up and says, this. What Junior flared up? I place your interests alongside all the. That has so far been precious in my life. All that has so far constituted the whole of my life. And you are suddenly offended because I attach so little value to you. She says, listen, I just met you, and I have placed you on an equal footing in my heart with my mother and my brother and my family. And you're saying I haven't valued you enough? I valued you alongside the same things that I valued the most in this life. And loosen's like, man, but I should be more a husband. A woman should leave her family and be married to her husband and, like, adapt to him. And. And then Junior basically says, like, leave. We're done. This marriage isn't happening. She's also learned about the money from. From Sir Gail off. So there's a little bit of a. Like, a windfall. And she's like, I don't have to marry you for money. So she's like, lucian, I want you to leave. And he is shocked. Razuma can is like, floating in the corner of the room being like, yes, break up.
A.J. Hainberg
I think what's named Lutzen. He's. I'm not sure he's ever had a loss because of all his cash. Like, I think he thinks he can just chuck his money around and she's so poor he can get what he wants.
Graham Donaldson
He's.
A.J. Hainberg
And so when it all goes sideways, he's like, what?
Graham Donaldson
And, like, resume again. Is levitating in the corner being like, yes, break up and try not to say anything. Don't jinx a big guy. Don't jinx it. Just like, keep your mouth shut and let this nature take its course. And then Dunya's like, losing. I want you to leave and loosen's like, man. And he's like, he sort of leaves, he doesn't really know what to say. We get a little bit of some internal dialogue and monologue with him as he's leaving. He's like, you know what? This isn't. I don't think this is completely a lost cause. He's like. He's like, girls be crazy. Girls are emotional. I'm gonna come back later and talk to her. Let's see. Peter Petrovich looked at him Raskolnikov for a few seconds, his face pale and twisted with spite, then turned and went out. And rarely, of course, has anyone carried away so much spiteful hatred in his heart as this man felt for Ras Kolnikov. He blamed him and him alone for everything. Remarkably, as he was going down the stairs, he still imagined that the case was perhaps not lost at all. And as far as the ladies alone were concerned, were even quite, quite redeemable, remediable. So he's like, all right, I just got to get like the girls by themselves and. And then I got to like, you know, like shake some fancy dresses and necklaces at them and they'll be like, yeah, marriage, yeah, yeah. And he's like, then I will get. Then I'll. Then I'll have them in my corner
A.J. Hainberg
again as long as I can skirt around that weird spider brother.
Graham Donaldson
But if I can just like get Ras Kolikov out of the picture, Dun will come back to my, like, my fancy baubles and she'll marry me. Cuz that's what girls be like according to losing. All right, so Dunya's like, oh, I feel so free. And Razuma Kin's like, this is the greatest thing that could have ever happened. And he's like, dunya, I got an idea. We just got three grand. He's like, listen, I know a couple of guys, they want us to translate German books into Russian because the Germans got all the cool books and we got nothing. And I know some guys that want us to translate books. I know German, I can translate it. We, we can use your money. I've got a little bit of money saved up. We can start a printing press. We can hang out a lot.
A.J. Hainberg
And I'm sure there's me lots of late nights.
Graham Donaldson
I just give you late nights.
A.J. Hainberg
We're gonna be like printing books. I'm really smart, I translate.
Graham Donaldson
We're gonna need four pairs of hands to do typesetting, right? And so our hands might brush each
A.J. Hainberg
other's ages might happen.
Graham Donaldson
So he's got all of these things and Dunya's into it. He says, we'll start little by little and wind up with something big. At least we'll have enough to eat. And in any case, we'll. We'll get back what we put in. And it says that Dunya's eyes were shining. Oh. So Dunya's like, huh? And Razuma Kin is like, we can make money in the publishing business, so.
A.J. Hainberg
But he's so earnest.
Graham Donaldson
He's so.
A.J. Hainberg
It's really hard to like, he's one of those guys I feel like that could sell you anything, you know what I mean?
Graham Donaldson
And so you have this beautiful scene where, where people are kind of excited about the future and there's kind of a path forward of like just a good simple, hard working life of like good family values and love and happiness and simple hard work. And Raskolnikov is standing here watching Razumikin and his sister kind of fall in love with each other. And Raskolikov's like, this freaking sucks. And he's like, he's like, I have to leave right now, you guys. You stay together. But I. I must go. I carry a torture within me. And they're like, what's your problem? Problem? And so he storms out and he's like. And he's like, mother, sister, we may never see each other again. And Mom's like, what? And Dun's like, res K Like, what are you talking about? And he sort of stomps off and Razumakin follows him. He's like, bro, what's going on? Y And Raumin goes, looks at him and he's like, do you understand, Rask? Like, resum. He's like, no, I don't understand. What's your problem? Raskara's like, I gotta go take care of stuff. And he storms up and Resumin's like that there's something going on. And I don't know what's going on. All right?
A.J. Hainberg
He's like, did resume cannot put it together?
Graham Donaldson
Yeah, he hasn't put it together. He's like. And then Raskonkov's like, this might be the last time we see each other. Resumin's like, stop being a weirdo. And Raskolnikov storms off.
A.J. Hainberg
Okay, was this after he bought him clothes?
Graham Donaldson
Yes. Oh, yeah. Bottom clothes was way like the first time we meet. Meet him.
A.J. Hainberg
Razumkin.
Graham Donaldson
So adorable. So. So Raskolikov. Now this whole thing has happened. And he goes to Sonia's house. So this is part four, chapter four, for those. This is like the centerpiece of the book is this scene. Raskolenkov goes to Sonja's house. He's never really talked to her. He sort of knocks on the door and shows up, and she's there. And she's in her place where she applies her trade. And so she is super embarrassed to have Raskolnikov there. Cause this is, you know, the place where she. She does what she has to do or doesn't. Or does what she does. And Ras Kolikov walks in, and he doesn't really know why he's there. He just sort of feels drawn to her. And he basically comes up to her and he says, listen. He's like, the way I see it is we're really similar. And Sonya's like, how? And he's like, you seem to be able to suffer without despair. And he's like, I think about your situation, and there should be only a couple of. Of conclusions. You either just go crazy, like, absolute mad, or you totally give in to depravity. Like, you just become hardened and bitter, or maybe even like, decide to be the kind of person that loves what you're doing and just becomes like an immoral monster. Or you kill yourself. Raskulling calls like, how do you not do any of those things? You haven't gone crazy. You're not morally depraved. And you're just like, I love being a prostitute. I'm gonna give myself over to the darkness. Or you don't fling yourself into the water. Why don't you do it? And Sonya's like, I don't know. Leave me alone. And Ras Kolnikov is sort of pushing her on this.
Thomas Magbee
Wait.
A.J. Hainberg
So it's like suicide crazy or suicide crazy?
Graham Donaldson
Depravity, okay? And he's like, he. Because he's like, you are. How do you shoulder the suffering that you're in? He's. Because Raskulling out space is like, I can't shoulder the suffering that I'm in. He's like, I'm either going crazy. I'm either going to give myself over to depravity or I'm going to kill myself. And Raskolongoff basically is coming to Sony and saying, like, how do you do deal with it. How do you deal with the suffering of. Of like, living in this crushing, terrible world that we live in. And. And she. And Raskolnikov says, imagine the worst thing that could happen. Imagine little Polinka, little Peleshka, your little. Your little stepsister Katerina. I've. Nomin is going to die. She's coughing up blood. She's got consumption, she's got tuberculosis. She's gonna die. And what's going to happen to Palenque? She's. She's going to go and be a prostitute on the streets. And Sonia Raskull was being like a real big bully. He's like, hey, your sister, your little baby sister is going to be like a prostitute one day. And so he's like, stop talking about this. And. And he says, what are you going to do then? What are you going to do then? And Sonia says, no, God won't let it happen. Russ Kov is like, what? And she's like, yeah, God's not going to let it happen. He will not let this suffering happen. And Raskolnkov's like, oh, my goodness, that's it. He's like, do you believe in God? And she's like, God is everything, but. He's like, God allows all this crappy stuff to happen to other people. And she says, no, no, God will protect her. God, she repeated beside herself. And then Raskolnikov says, but maybe there isn't any God. Raskolnikov replied, even almost gloatingly as he looked at her and laughed. So he sort of takes pleasure and be like, maybe God doesn't exist, you weirdo.
A.J. Hainberg
Right?
Graham Donaldson
Sonia's face suddenly changed terribly. Spasms ran over it. She looked at him with inexpressible reproach, was about to say something, but could not under a word, and simply began sobbing all at once, very bitterly, covering her face with her hands. So before Ras Kolikov, he'd been like, coming, paying for the funeral, saying that he wanted Peshka to pray for him. Sonia thought that maybe Ras Kolnikov is this, like, this kindred sufferer in the world, but believes in God, and together they can sort of, like, maybe pull themselves out of their combined suffering with faith and, you know, love. And now Raskolenov's like, God don't exist, girl. And so she looks at him with a reproach like, oh, you're one of those. Like, you're one of these new guys that don't believe in God. And then she just starts to Cry. And then he does some more cringy things where he, like, kisses her feet and she's like, what are you doing? And he's like, I am bowing down to human suffering. She's like, stop it. And being weird again. And then he sort of keeps pressing her, and she keeps talking about, like. Or she essentially says that, like, the way that she can. Or he figures out the way that she can work through this is, oh, gosh, he actually believes. She actually believes that God is going to deliver her a miracle. That's why she hasn't killed herself. That's why she can shoulder all this suffering. She's kind of hoping that God is going to save her. Crap. That's why she. And so rascaling goes like, that's not me. That's not the option I'm going for. I'm not. Is that the only way out of this madness that I'm finding myself in is to, like, believe in God? Crap that sucks. Time passes, and they're sort of sitting there in silence, and. And Ras Kolinkov pushes. He's like, do you pray to God a lot? And she says, what would I be without God? And he says, and what does God do for you in return? And so he says, shut up. Don't ask. You, like, you are not worthy to have this conversation with me. You don't believe in God. You don't get to see her mock God with me. She basically says, be quiet. And then she says, he does everything. R is looking around her, like, poor room. And he's like, okay, she does everything. He's like, she is a holy fool. She's one of these, like, true believers. She's one of these people that, like, actually believes in the Gospel. Holy crap. She's like, a Christian. Oh, my word. That's why she can suffer through this. And then he sees that she's got, like, a New Testament on her, translated into Russian on her bedside table, and he's like, oh, my word. She's like, actually believes this. Turns out that Sonia would have little Bible studies with her. And Lizavetta, the girl that Raskolnikov murdered with an ax. In fact, the night that Elizavetta was murdered, she was at Sonia's place having a Bible study. And then she went back to the house early, and Raskolnikov was there killing the pawnbroker and then killed Elizavetta. And so Sonya's like, oh, yeah, that's the Bible I got from my friend Lizaveta. She was murdered by an axe. And Raskolnikov's like, ha, ha, ha. Yeah, imagine. Crazy. And then out of nowhere, Raskolenkop asks Sonia to read him the story of Lazarus from John, chapter 11. And he says, can you read me the story of Lazarus? And Sonya kind of perceives that he's not asking it, to mock it. There's like. There's like a moment here, son. She's like, you haven't read it? And Raskhan goes like, I remember it from school and church and stuff, but, like, read it to me. And so there's this scene where she is sitting there and reading the story of Lazarus, the man who was dead in the ground. And she's reading it with sort of greater and greater intensity, and Raskolnikov is sitting there quietly listening to her read the story of Lazarus, and. And Jesus, you know, raises Lazarus from the dead. And. Let's see. And she sort of has this moment where she's sinking when she's reading the story. She said she has this thought in her own mind. So she's reading, and she says to herself, and he, he who is also blinded and unbelieving, he too will now hear, he too will believe. Yes, yes, right now, this minute, she dreamed, and she was trembling with joyful expectation. She's like, God is going to save this man. She's having this moment where she's like, I'm going to read him the story, and God, he is going to believe in God and be saved, says Sonia. And she reads the story and Lazarus is raised from the dead. And then. And then she finishes and says, that's all about the raising of Lazarus. She whispered abruptly and sternly, and stood motionless, turned away, not daring, as if ashamed, to raise her eyes to him. Her feverish trembling continued the candle and had long been burning out in the bent candlestick, casting a dim light in this destitute room upon the murderer and the harlot strangely come together over the reading of the eternal book. So there's just sort of this moment where Sonia reads the story of Lazarus and Raskolnikov sort of sits there quietly and contemplatively. Now, this is like the way that the book is written is Dostoevsky is wanting to show to you that Ras Kolnikov is like. Like is Lazarus. He is a man who has spiritually died because he's. He's given himself over to sin. And this terrible theology, this terrible philosophy of some people are better than others, and life is all about power. And all that stuff that he talked about porphyry in the last episode. For. For as far as Dostoevsky is concerned, this kind of, like, modern will to power, Nietzsche kind of philosophy, even though Nietzsche hadn't written it yet, was the equivalent of being dead. Believing that is is like having killed yourself and Lazarus is in the grave. And the only way you can get out of this is by God coming and raising you from the dead. Ras Kolingov does not believe in this moment. Raskolnikov does not have a conversion moment. The scales do not fall from his eyes. He does not, like, confess his sins. He goes to Sonia. He's like, sonia, you and I, let's get out of here. Me and you, girl, we're gonna middle finger out the rear view mirror. Like, let's leave, my love. St. Petersburg. We're gonna go. We're gonna get out of here, me and you. What. What do we need? The world. If I have you and you have me, that's all we need. And we can go and, like, save each other. So he was like, no, that's stupid. I'm not doing that. You're a weirdo. And also, like, I've got a family. I've got responsibilities. I've got Polishka, Katarina. I'm not leaving the people that I love. And Russ Kolinkov sort of has this feeling of like, if I just had this girl, like, all of my problems would go away, which is dumb.
A.J. Hainberg
Well, he doesn't also kind of fantasize about leaving, but he realizes, like, you can't escape feeling like garbage because you murdered somebody.
Graham Donaldson
Yeah.
A.J. Hainberg
Oh.
Graham Donaldson
And then he. Yes, later on, when Porphyry tells Raskolnikov, I know you're the murderer, he says, like, listen, I know you're not going to run away because you just. You're just gonna go to a small town and still be miserable. So, like, you're not going anywhere. You're not. You're not trying to get away with it. You're trying to, like, rectify the fact that your philosophy isn't true. Anyway, so he's like, sonia, me and you, we can fall in love. We can run away, we can, like, see, start anew somewhere else. And someone's like, no, that's stupid. You can't, like, can't. You can't run from this. And so Russ Khan comes, like, meh, whatever. So he leaves. Meanwhile, we find out Svitlov has the apartment next to Sonia's. And he's been listening in this whole time. Because right when Raskolnikov was leaving, he's like, Listen, Sonia, if I come back, I'm going to tell you who actually killed Lizabetta. And Sonia's like, an odd thing to say, and she doesn't really know what to make about that. And Spider g off is in the room next door being like, oh, this is delicious. Oh, this is hilarious. I knew Ras Kinkov was, like, a weirdo, but Ral has figured it out that Ross Kinkov is the murderer and he's murdered these women because he's got this, like, messed up theory about what it means to be a powerful Napoleon, like, alpha male.
A.J. Hainberg
How did he figure it out? Was it because he was listening when he was talking?
Graham Donaldson
Yeah.
A.J. Hainberg
And yeah, Ras.
Graham Donaldson
That scene ends where Raskolnikov's like, when I come back, I'm going to tell you who murdered Lizabetta. And she's like, how do you know? He's like, I just. I just do. And it's pretty obvious that, like, he is trying to conf. Anyway. And so Sonia's kind of doesn't really know what to make of this, but Spider y is like, oh, that guy's a killer. Okay, so he. Let's see, where do we want to go to next? Russ Kolnagov decides he is going to go and confess, and he is going to go to Porphyry, and he is going to confess his. The crime because he just can't deal with this anymore. And he goes to the police station, he's going to confess. And Porphyry has been, like, waiting for Raskolnikov. Porphyry knows that Raskolnikov is the murderer. And Raskolnikov's like, I have something to say. And Porphyry's like, yes, you do. He's like, okay, take a seat. What do you want to tell me, Russ Con goes like, maybe I don't have something to say. Porphyry's like, oh, my dear sir, no, you don't. Come on. You came all this way. What do you want to tell me? Where I was calling off, is about to confess, and then all of a sudden, the door opens and some guy comes in. He's like, I did it. I'm the murderer. I murdered the pawnbroker. And Lizavetta. And Porphyry's like, what? No, he didn't. And he's like, no, I did. I confess. I need to go to jail. Punish me. And Porphyry's like, you didn't do it. And Russ Kolinkov's like, you know what? I'm gonna leave you guys alone. I'M gonna let you guys work this out. Turns out one of the painters who was at the scene of the murder is kind of like this drunkard, and he found some of the, like, spilled treasure that Raskolnikov dropped out of his pocket and sold it, Found it and sold it and went on a drinking bender. And everyone kind of assumes he's the murderer and he's not, but it's like, really eating away at him. And he's like, everyone suspects me of the murder. Just. He basically got to the point where he's like, just put me out of my misery and send me to jail. I can't deal with all this suspicion. And Porphyry's like, you didn't do it. And he's like, no, I confess. And Porphyry's like, sucks. And so Ras Kov's like, yeah, bye. I'll talk to you later. So there's like this. This like, simple minded man is like, kind of convinced himself that he's a murder. He's like, maybe I did it and I was drunk and I don't realize it. How else would I have this? How else would I have the money? And Porphyry is like, ugh. Anyway, so this kind of this weird scene where this guy, like, fake confesses or. Or has, like, convinced himself he's the murderer. So Raskolnikov's like, that takes the pressure off. Yeah, that takes pressure. And Raskolnikov's like, I have been saved. The universe has given me a second chance. And so he takes that as a sign that he is the great man and the universe is trying to have
A.J. Hainberg
him, like, start his career.
Graham Donaldson
Okay, all right. Now, meanwhile, Peter Petrovich is trying to think of a plan. He's like, I got to. I gotta drive a wedge between my girlfriend, fiance and her brother. And if I can drive a wedge between these two, then who else does she have in this world but me? And then we will have a happy marriage. So if you've ever. Yes. If you really want to get back with your ex girlfriend, drive a wedge between her and everyone she loves. Not great. So Lucy has this plan. The plan is this. The funeral is going on for Marmalade off. And next door where Luzen is staying. And the funeral is just a farce. Like, Katerina Ivanavana has spent too much money. She's trying to make it seem like a fancy funeral. She's invited all the people that she knows, but all the people that she knows are like, like, drunk losers. Marmalade off's friends who are like her, his drinking buddies. And they're only coming to the funeral because there's free food and vodka. So they're coming to this funeral to get loaded. She's having this funeral. She's trying to have, like, solemn speeches and awake for her dead husband. And people are just like stuffing deviled eggs in their pockets and they're like, drinking at the back of this thing. The thing is just a farce. And losing is kind of next door.
A.J. Hainberg
And doesn't she start to, like, mock everybody too? She's like, look at that old owl over there.
Graham Donaldson
Yeah, she's having. She sort of is like, losing her own mind. Meanwhile, Lucy calls Sonia over to his apartment and she comes in and she's like, kind of embarrassed to be there. And he's like, I wanted to offer my condolences. And he gives her a five ruble note. And she says, oh, thank you so much. This is so kind. Won't you come and join us for the food next door? He's like, no, I can't. I've got important, like, rich man things to do. And plus, that's not my kind of scene. And so he's like, oh, yes, of course, of course. You're so important and we're so poor and gross. And he's like, you are. You are poor and gross, and I am not, anyway. But as she's leaving, Loosen's roommate sees Losing put something in Sonia's pocket. He's like, huh, that's strange. Doesn't think anything of it. Meanwhile, Sonya goes back to the party. Raskolnikov's at this party as well. And then the party's going on, and in bursts, Lucin and losing's like, I must draw everyone to a close and draw your attention. He's like, I. I was in my room counting my mountain of money, which she was when she came in my bank notes. When Sonia came in, I gave her alms and I gave her some money for the funeral. And when I continued counting my money, I am missing, like, I think like a thousand ruble note is gone from my table. And she did it. She must have taken it. And I demand you, like, if you give it back to me now, I won't make a scene. And Sonia's like, what? And Ras Kolnikov's sitting there being like, I, you. I hate you losing. I know what's up. And Sonia's like, I don't know what you're talking about. She's like, I'll give you the $5 back. And he's like, no, my good woman, you took this thousand ruble note. Katarina Ivanovna loses her dang mind. And she's like, there is no way this girl stole from you. This girl would have given you her final money than steal from you. She did not do it. Look at her. She's got a money on her. And as she goes through, she's, like, emptying her pockets, and she, like, takes out her pockets, and then this thousand ruble note flies out of her pocket and lands on the ground. Lucian goes, picks it up, unravels it, and, like, holds it up for everybody to see. And everyone's like, oh, dang. Sonya's a thief. Sonia does not know what to do. Lucy's like, I He's like, you are going to go to jail for this. I'm going to to prosecute you the full extent of the law. Sonia has a breakdown and runs out of the room. And Martha Petrovna is like, there's no way this is a trick. She did not steal it. She's not a thief. Something's going on. And Marfa Travnis, like, going crazy because she's sick and she's this party and she's beside herself, and she's kind of, like, losing her grip on reality. Ellis is like, hey, it's okay. Like, everyone knows this. All I care is that everyone knows that Sonya sucks. And he doesn't say that, but that's what he's trying to do. And so he's like, I'm sure you know, like, she doesn't need to go to jail, but, like, we can't have someone like this living in these premises who's going to steal from us, blah, blah, blah. And then his roommate's like, buddy, I saw you put that note in her pocket. And he's like, what, what was your mate's name?
A.J. Hainberg
That's right.
Graham Donaldson
Le Mesnanikov says, listen, buddy, I saw you put that note in her pocket. And Lucy's like, shut up, man. And he's like, no. He's like, I totally saw you do this. I thought you were being generous. I thought you were giving her a thousand rubles because you felt so sorry for her and you didn't want to make a big scene of him. But now I realize you're just trying to discredit this poor girl. I have no idea why. Why are you being such a jerk? And losing's like, shut up. I, I, this is preposterous. And then last Colin cough's like, I know exactly why you did this. You're doing this because you're trying to show my sister who you want to marry, that my friends are dirtbags so that she will marry you. And all the drunk guys who are, like, shoving food in their face are like, yeah, tracks. That makes sense. And Lucy is. Then they start mocking him, and they're like, what a loser. Why would you do this? I can't even get a girl to marry you. Daddy like, Daddy Warbucks, Daddy money banks. And he's like, I hate you all. And he leaves. And losing leaves town. He's like, he cannot recover from the embarrassment of us, and he, like, peaces out. So his plan of, like, driving a wedge between a brother and sister ended in, like, a bunch of drunk, poor people mocking him, which he can't stand. And he's awesome. He's like, I should never, like, I hate people.
A.J. Hainberg
And he leaves, gathers up his mountain
Graham Donaldson
of money, and losing's gone. And Ras Kolnikov is like, all right, I have to go and talk to Sonia right now. So he goes to Sonia's house, where she is there beside herself, kind of going crazy, and she just, like, almost had this moment where her crappy life was over. And Dossy FC says Sonia has always trusted that if she was just the meekest and the most not servile, but if she was the meekest and most, like, basically the smallest creature, that she could be subservient to everybody, that that would be enough to save her, that people would just have pity on her and would not crush her because she knew how crushable she was. She was vulnerable. But she thought if she just loved and served and was nice and kind to people, that people just wouldn't walk all over her. Now Raskolnikov shows up, and he's like, so do you see now? You almost were destroyed. You were almost crushed by Lucin. And the only reason he did this is he had the power to destroy you because he had this, like, petty relationship problem. He was willing to absolutely crush you like an ant to, like, puff up his ego just a tiny bit. He's like, now don't you realize that, like, how vulnerable you are? And. And basically, he's trying to convince her that, like, you should. He's. Well, he says this. He's like, what if I came to you and said lucian is trying to destroy you, and he's doing it for a bad reason. He's doing it because he just wants to stroke his own ego and, like, win brownie points with my sister and what If I told you that he was willing to kill you to do this, and you knew that he was doing, wanting to kill you, would you go and kill him to save yourself and to save Peshka and to save Katarina Ivanovna, Would you kill him so that he doesn't kill you? And Raskolnov's assuming that. That Sonya is going to be like, yeah, I guess I should. I guess I should be a little more tough, I guess. Like, this is a dog eat dog world and I should, like, kill people. He's hoping that Sonia realizes that his philosophy is true. And she says, why are you asking me things that we can't do? That's up to God. That's not up to me. Raskonko's like, why do you bring God into everything? Stop bringing God into it. Like, if he's like, imagine there's no God. Would you kill people then? She's like, but there is a God, so I can't kill people's. Like, this sucks. He says, this was good. He said, dossier says that this conversation was much cooler in Raskolnikov's head than it is in real life. Like, raskolnikov's coming. He's like, oh, this is gonna be awesome. I'm gonna say the scenes and she's gonna be like, you're right, we should be hardcore and like, let's get married. And that doesn't happen. So it's like, we should love the Lord and not, like, wreak judgment on our fellow man. Raskolnikov was like, oh, this was much cooler in my head. So this conversation is not going the way it was supposed to go. And Neuroscientov decides that he's going to tell Sonia who murdered Elizaveta. Because he was hoping that. That Sonia was going to say, like, yes, maybe murder is justified. And Russ Kolenkov would be like, I'm a murderer. I killed. I killed the pawn broker who's terrible for money. He was hoping that this was gonna be a moment where he can kind of look like a badass. Oh, pardon me. But instead he looks like. But he's. When it comes out, it doesn't come out that way. He's like, do you know who murdered Lizavetta? And she's like, no. He's like, guess. She's like, what? He's like, I want you to guess who did it. And he looks at her, he's like, do you know? Do you understand now? She's like, what? He's like, he doesn't Even tell her.
Thomas Magbee
Yeah.
Graham Donaldson
He just sort of insinuate. He sort of says, like, guess who murdered her?
A.J. Hainberg
Can you tell from my aura?
Thomas Magbee
Yeah.
Graham Donaldson
He's like, can you tell the. How cool I am that I murdered her? And she's like, did you really do it? And then she says, you are the most unhappy person in the world. So, Sonia, she says, oh, what have you done to yourself? And he's like, oh, this isn't how I thought this was gonna work. She's like, what have you done to yourself? You were the most. Most unhappy person. He thought that she was gonna be like, oh, you're so cool. You're so evil. But no, she's like, you are the most unhappy creature ever. What have you done to yourself?
A.J. Hainberg
You've, like, brought ruin upon your mind.
Graham Donaldson
That's right. And. And she says, confess.
Thomas Magbee
Yeah.
Graham Donaldson
To God right now. Lay down in the dust. Confess your sins. Accept suffering, and find atonement. Russ Konkov's like, I don't want to do this. That's bad. I don't want. He's like, oh, no. And she's like, that's all you got.
A.J. Hainberg
But I'm like, a king.
Graham Donaldson
He's like, I'm Napoleon. And she's like, no, you're not. She's like, I don't know. He tries to explain the whole Napoleon thing. He's like. So, like. She says, why do you do it? He's like, well, okay, so hear me out. So, like, Napoleon, he was, like, a general, and he, like, sent all his men to die. And she's like, I have no idea what you're talking about. About. And he tries to explain this thing, and. And she's having none of it. She's having none of it. And then, let's see if I. And so she's like, I don't know what you're talking about with Napoleon.
A.J. Hainberg
It's one of those things where I think, like, in his head and is in his apartment when he's, like, lurking there like a spider at all. He sort of thinks himself into a cool spiral, and he's like, this is all very complicated and sounds amazing. And then when he tries to explain to someone else, they're like, oh, that's dumb.
Graham Donaldson
And she does it. She's like, explain it to me why you did. And he does this whole Napoleon thing. And she's like, can you explain it in a different way? And then he's like. And then he sort of gives her a reason. He's like, people are bad and take advantage of us. And I want to be cool. And she's like, I don't. I. She's like, do you really believe that? And he eventually gets to the point where he just says, I kind of wanted to see if I could do it.
Thomas Magbee
Wow.
Graham Donaldson
He's like, I hate people. And I kind of wanted to. He's like, I got angry. I just like, I'm spiteful and I hate humanity. I wanted to kill someone. And so is like, you need God. You need to like sort yourself out. You need to confess. And she says, you need to. Basically, he says, eventually says, I wanted to kill without cause. A tree, Sonia. To kill for myself, for myself alone. I didn't want to lie about it even to myself. It was not to help my mother that I killed. Nonsense. I did not kill so that having obtained means and power, I could become a benefactor of mankind. Nonsense. I simply killed. Killed for myself. Killed for myself alone. And whether I would later become anyone's benefactor or would spend my life like a spider, catching anyone in my web and sucking the life SAP out of everyone should at that moment have made no difference to me. I wanted to see if I had the right to kill. She's like, the right to kill. And show. Raskov basically says, like, I basically had all the like animal desire just to be bad. And I tried to wrap it around this high sounding philosophy to justify it. And Sonia sees right through that. And she says, confess your sins, lay down in the dust, wear the cross of Christ and accept atonement and suffering. Or so that you don't. So that you're not dead's like, I don't want to. And she's like, well, those are the only options. And he's like, well, I'll talk to you later. And so he leaves. But he. And meanwhile Spider Gailov has listened to this whole thing and he's like, oh, this is wonderful. He murdered. And this. He murdered her for all these like stupid reasons. Okay. So meanwhile. Oh, he doesn't leave. Actually. Someone comes in, is like, hey, Katerina Ivanovna got kicked out of her house for this terrible funeral and for like throwing a fit. And she is like like screaming and raging on the streets and the children are outside crying and Sonia and Russ Kov like, oh, crap. They go and find her. Katarin Ivanovna dies. She get. She's consumed with grief and madness and everything. And she has this very sad scene where she's going to like her former, like upper middle class friends that she grew up with and she's like on their porches being like, remember me? And. And everyone's like, oh, girl. Like, you know, and then I once
A.J. Hainberg
danced in front of the.
Graham Donaldson
So she's just sort of loses it. And then she dies in the streets. And then Sonia's like, oh, no, I don't know what to do. And the little kids are dying, and. And so this horrible thing happens. Russ Koff goes home and. And then, yeah, he. He sort of is. Anyway, so Raskolnikov, everything's in crisis. And Svitrgalov shows up, back to Raskolnikov's house, and he's like, hey, man. He's like, I got. I want to reintroduce this proposition for you. He's like, I am going to take care of Sonia and the kids. I'm going to give them some money. I'm going to save them. They don't need to suffer and die in prostitution. I'm going to give them some cash. Raskolenkov's like, why? He's like, well, I really want to talk to your sister. Raskolkov's like, stop asking. I'm not going to talk to. I'm not going to let you talk to my sister. And Sir Galav's like, all right, whatever. And so then S. And Ras Kolnikov have this sort of, like, long conversation about how terrible He's. He sort of insinuates that he knows about the murder. And Raskolnikov is at this point where he realizes, like, I can't go on living like this. And he's trying to figure out what to do. Suitor Gail off writes to Sonya, to Dunya, and says, I know why your brother's so weird. Come talk to me. And Dunya's like, oh, I really don't want to do. That's a bad idea. But she does. And so Spider Galoff has Dunya come to talk to him, and he's like, listen, I know why your brother's so messed up and your mother brother is so messed up, because I've heard it from his mouth. He has. He murdered the pawnbroker and he murdered her. And he's got this like, twisted, messed up stupid philosophy about, like, the great man and Napoleon. And he tried. He sort of explains it, and Dunya kind of understands it. She's like, yeah, that tracks like. Like Raskolnikov, he's got his head twisted all about sorts of stuff. And she's like, what can be done? Can he be saved? And Svitrgalov says, oh, yeah, I can save him on one condition. That you give yourself over to me, body and soul. Dunya's like, that doesn't sound great. And Sidi Galov says, I want you to tell me. I want you to be mine. I want you to give yourself over to me. This is loosen. But even worse, like, sell yourself to me so that I will save your brother. I have the power to keep your brother from death and from. And. And from getting him into jail. I can give him money. I can get him out of the country. I can save him. All you got to do is give yourself over to me. And Dunya's like, not happening. Not doing it, sir. Gail off goes and kind of locks the door. And he's like, listen, I really want you to think this through. He's like, all you got to do is just give yourself over to me. Like, sexually, relationally. We get married, I don't care if it's marriage or not. Me and your brother, we can go live with all of this money I have, and we can go and we can do whatever we want. And Dunya says no. And pulls out a gun. Whoa. Which is awesome. And holds it to Svitagello's head or holds it as points at sphere. And he's like, ooh, spicy. He's like, aren't you fun? And she shoots him. Whoa. But misses, like, just grazes him. He, like, grazes his temple. And he's like, ooh, the wasp has stung. And he's like, oh. And she tries to, like, shoot him again. The gun jams. And he's like, I'll wait. And so she's like, fixing the gun. And fixing the gun, he steps closer and closer to her, and he's like, right in front of her. And the gun is, like, right at his chest. And he's like, do it. Do it. Are you going to shoot me? Come on, do it. Save your brother. Do it. And she says. And she's like, turns away, throws the gun on the ground and just starts crying. She's like, I'm not doing it. He sees her virtue and purity of heart and not willing to murder and not willing to give herself over to him. And he goes and he says. He basically says, let's see, I'll read it. Let me go. Junius said imploringly. Svitargalaf gave a start. This let me was spoken somehow differently from the previous one. So you don't love me? He asked softly. Dunya move her head negatively.
Thomas Magbee
Literally just shot it. No. Yeah.
Graham Donaldson
And you can't ever. He whispered in despair. Never whispered Dunya A moment of terrible, mute struggle passed in Svitrgalov's soul. Inexpressible was the look he gave her. Suddenly he withdrew his arm, turned away, walked quickly to the window and stood in front of it. Another moment passed. Here's the key. He took it from his left pocket of his coat and placed it on the table behind him. Without looking, without turning to Dunya, take it. Go quickly. She takes the key, opens it and flees. So s has this moment where he's like, could this ever happen? He almost has that same kind of feeling that Ras Kolinkov had with Sonia. Like, if. If you could just tell me you loved me, that would be all I need to know that I could go on in this world. This, like, desire to be accepted by, like, the object of your affection. If the girl I love could just look at me and say, I. Yes, you are enough. You are a man. You are the person I want. If I could just win the girl I love, that's all I need. But luckily these women are like, I don't want to be with you. You're terrible. And so when she says I could never be with you, like, okay, like, get out of here right now. Get out before I lose my mind, before I assault you, whatever. Before I throw myself or force myself on you. Get out. And Sonya's like, she gets out of there S. Gailov, then goes for a walk, s off, gets drunk, s off, has dreams and visions of terrible things. His past sins, the murders he's committed, the. The lives of, like, the. Of the. That he's like, sexually abused people and they come back and haunt him. And he has a vision that God floods the city of St. Petersburg to, like, wash away all of the iniquity of man. Like Noah. And that he's in his room and the water is slowly rising. He has a dream that he comes across a sad little five year old girl, but then she, like, is actually a prostitute and comes on to him and he's horrified. Like, he has these horrible visions of human depravity and wickedness and sin. And he takes the gun that Dunya had and he goes and he shoots himself and he dies. Meanwhile, Raskolnikov is being completely sort of overcome. He goes to Porphyry's house and Porphyry says to Raskolnikov, in two days I'm going to arrest you, arrest you for the murder of Lizaveta and the pawnbroker. And Ras Kov is like, you got nothing on me, pig. And. And he's like, no, no, I. I know you did it. Like, I know you did it. I've known you've done it this whole time. And Raskolnkov's like, you got nothing. And he's like, no.
A.J. Hainberg
Iov is really bad at it, by the way. He's so. He's like, I know you didn't rest. Kov has. He just goes like, oh. And, like, looks at his knees for, like, five minutes, and he goes, no, no, I didn't.
Graham Donaldson
Yeah.
A.J. Hainberg
He's like, you, obviously, it's. It's like when we catch students cheating, and we're like, did you cheat? And they, like, kind of freeze and look down at the floor and they go, no. I'm like, obviously, yes, you totally did.
Graham Donaldson
And Porphyry says, this is what's going to happen if I want you to turn yourself in and I want you to confess that you did it, and I'm going to put a good word in with the judge that it was. That was your poverty and it was your momentary lapse of judgment. And I'm pretty confident that I. That you can go to jail just for 10 years. You're a young man. Don't throw your life away. Mask like, oh, no, he's being a weirdo again. And Porphyry says, if you don't do this in two days, I'm going to arrest you, and I have evidence to throw you away, and you're going to go to jail for the rest of your life or maybe even be killed. And then Ross Kolinkov's like, why would you do this? And. And Porphyry says, you know what I think about when I see you? He's like, I think that under different circumstances, you have the kind of temperament that if you just believed in the right things. He's like, you don't believe in this philosophy anymore. And the whole reason why you're so. You're so messed up is because you are so embarrassed or you're so frustrated that you believe something that was a lie and you dedicated yourself to this lie. You have too much pride to admit that you were wrong. He's like, but if you believed in the right things, you have the kind of temperament, you have the kind of personality that could have been a martyr. You could have been the person that was set alive, set on fire by the Romans, and asked the Lord to forgive them while you were burning. He's like, you could have been the kind of person that was a saint. You become such a wicked, terrible monster, or you have the potential to become a Wicked, terrible monster. But you also have the potential to become a saint, a martyr, a, like, champion for God. And Russ Kolinkov's is again, like, trying to be all cool. He's like, yeah, but I didn't do it. And Porphyry's like, just stop with that. We all know you did it. And he's like, choose life. Choose your life. And. And stop with this nonsense. Like, grow up. Choose your life. We can. We accept this suffering, and maybe you can come out of the end of this a new man. And Russ Kolinkov's like, I'm not saying I did it, but I'll think about it. And so he leaves. And. And then this whole thing with Sir Gaylov happens where he kills himself. And then Raskolnikov decides to. He goes to Sonja's. He gets the cross, he goes to the street. He goes to the four corners of the city of St. Petersburg. He lays down in the dust, and he's. He confesses out loud that he is a murderer. And everyone's like, look at that drunk weirdo. And they all laugh at him. Something he hates. He hates being mocked by people. He hates being mocked by the normies. The normies are making fun of him. He goes to the police station. He goes in, he, like, dings the little bell. Ding, ding, ding. And the. The police people are like, yeah, yeah, we'll be with you a minute. And he's, like, standing there in the police station, listening. He's like, what am I doing? And he, like, leaves, and he's not going to confess. And he goes outside, he sees Sonia in the crowd, and she basically does a. Like, you go back in there right now. So she basically does it like, you know, where she points at her eyes and points at him like, I see you. You go back in. He's like, fine. He turns around, he goes back to the police station, and then the cops like, can I help you? And he says, my name is Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov. I murdered Lizavetta. I murdered the pawn broker. And everyone's like. And the book ends and he gets arrested. Now there is an epilogue, and the epilogue is worth talking about. We don't have time to talk about the epilogue.
A.J. Hainberg
Hey, we gotta. We got it.
Graham Donaldson
We will talk about. I don't know if we're gonna do a part three or if we should do it in the. In between, but maybe we'll deliberate now that we're done. I think we should do a full. I actually think there could be a full blown Episode that we can do on the epilogue and talking about just a book in general and, and talking about the book in general. But that is the end of the main book. The epilogue talks about what happens to Raskolnikov, what happens to Sonia, his mom, Dunya, resume kin. And then Ras Kolnikov has like a vision and a dream about the future that Dostoevsky saw to be the vision and the dream about the future of Russia. And I think that's a worthwhile, its own episode. But that is the story of crime punishment right there in a two episode nutshell. The book is definitely well worth reading. It is very, it's obviously 19th century, but the problems are very modern. This idea of, of godlessness and of like that life is just about power balances and power struggles and the weak, you, you got to be strong. You got to go get yours, like secure the bag, go get some cash, you know, get rich, die trying. Screw everybody else. Like you're the main character. You're the. Your survival is most important. Everybody else are just, you know, it's a dog eat dog world out there. And that dark kind of philosophy that is in, in that. And Dostoevsky is saying like, that is the philosophy of the dead man. That is the philosophy of Lazarus, that is the philosophy of the damned. And there's only one way out of that, and that is to confess and accept the suffering. So yeah, that's Crown punishment.
A.J. Hainberg
Yay. Super fun.
Thomas Magbee
I like it. All right, this has been classical real fast.
A.J. Hainberg
What translation are you using? Because I think it really does matter what translation you pick for Crime Punishment.
Graham Donaldson
I'm reading the P. Var and Volohonsky translation. They are a married couple. They have done lots of translations of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky and they are a modern translation. And it is, it is great. It is the one that is sort of the most in vogue, the most up to date. P or P, I don't know how to pronounce her last name. And Volkonski.
A.J. Hainberg
Yeah, yeah, because we used one before that and then this one, it feels more alive. I don't know how else to express it, but the language is just more fun and vivid. The previous one just felt a little more stilted. So in this one translation matters.
Graham Donaldson
Volokovsky and Pevir or Pivar, they are a husband and wife team. It's a great translation.
Thomas Magbee
Okay, this has been classical stuff. You should know. You can find us online@classicalstuff.net you can find us on patreon patreon.com classicalstuff that's where we post in between episodes and AMAs every month. And we answer questions. It's like a text thing, basically. You can type in questions to us and we get those. You can find us on YouTube. Just search classical stuff. I think it's YouTube.com classicalstuff and you can email us theguyslassicalstuff.net so I think that is it for now. We will record an in between episode and then we will go from there. Thanks everyone for listening.
Graham Donaldson
Bye. It.
Date: May 12, 2026
Hosts: A.J. Hanenburg, Graeme Donaldson, Thomas Magbee
This episode continues the deep dive into Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, focusing on the latter half of the novel—Raskolnikov's psychological unraveling, crucial showdowns between major characters, and the tension between justice, suffering, and redemption in a godless world. The hosts bring their signature blend of enthusiasm, humor, and literary insight, aiming to make the classics accessible and enjoyable for educators and laypeople alike.
"I've gone to like the most beautiful place on earth... watched a sunrise and I was depressed. The most disgusting thing is that you're always so sad about something.” (Svidrigailov, paraphrased by Graeme, [06:28]).
"I have placed you on an equal footing in my heart with my mother and my brother and my family… you're saying I haven't valued you enough?" (Dunya, [10:49])
"But maybe there isn't any God," Raskolnikov replied, almost gloatingly as he looked at her and laughed. ([19:11])
“God, she repeated beside herself... What would I be without God? ...He does everything.” ([19:12–21:00])
"Buddy, I saw you put that note in her pocket... now I realize you're just trying to discredit this poor girl." (Lebezyatnikov, paraphrased by Graeme, [35:14])
“You are the most unhappy person in the world. What have you done to yourself?” ([40:26])
“Lay down in the dust. Confess your sins. Accept suffering, and find atonement.” ([41:03])
“If you believed in the right things… you could have been a martyr... but you have the potential to become a saint...” (Porfiry, [52:50])
"My name is Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov. I murdered Lizavetta. I murdered the pawnbroker." ([57:35])
"It feels more alive...the language is just more fun and vivid." (A.J., [58:20])
Throughout the episode, the hosts maintain a playful, slightly irreverent but deeply thoughtful tone. They draw modern analogies, lampoon the foibles of the characters, and inject energy into a dense novel, making even the most tragic scenes relatable and at times, darkly funny.
Part two of the Crime and Punishment exploration offers a rich, compassionate, and psychologically acute analysis of Dostoevsky’s masterpiece. The hosts blend close literary reading with humor and modern comparisons, culminating in a powerful reflection on guilt, redemption, and what it means to truly live.
Teaser: The epilogue—and the novel’s ultimate message—will be discussed in a future episode.