Crime and Punishment, Chapter 6 summary

What happens

1. Raskolnikov recalls hearing a student defend killing Alyona Ivanovna to use her money for good, while refusing to do it himself.
2. After returning from the Hay Market, Raskolnikov sleeps heavily and barely responds when Nastasya brings food.
3. Waking in alarm at the time, he sews an axe loop inside his coat and retrieves his prepared false pledge.
4. Nastasya's presence prevents him from taking the kitchen axe, but he finds another in the porter's room.
5. He walks toward Alyona Ivanovna's apartment, distracted by thoughts about gardens and anxious about attracting notice.
6. He climbs the deserted stairs, rings repeatedly, and hears someone listening inside before the latch opens.

In this chapter

What to notice

The officer tests abstract moral reasoning against personal action. His challenge exposes the student's distance from the violence he defends.

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