Crime and Punishment, Part 5, Chapter 2 summary
Part 5, Chapter 2 of 40 · 20 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 2, Katerina Ivanovna holds a memorial dinner for Marmeladov, hoping to defend her family’s dignity, but absent guests, drunken mockery, and her worsening illness undermine the occasion. Her quarrel with Amalia Ivanovna becomes a threat of eviction and physical violence just as Pyotr Petrovitch Luzhin arrives.
What happens
- Katerina Ivanovna spends nearly half Raskolnikov’s funeral gift on a dinner, but most guests she considers respectable stay away.
- She welcomes Raskolnikov, mocks Amalia Ivanovna, and repeatedly interrupts her conversation with fits of coughing that bring up blood.
- Sonia delivers Luzhin’s apologies, while drunken guests mock Marmeladov and insult Sonia.
- Katerina describes plans for a boarding school and warmly defends Sonia’s ability to help her.
- An argument about the school becomes a quarrel over rent, family origins, and social rank.
- Amalia orders Katerina out; Katerina charges toward her after an insult concerning Sonia, and Luzhin appears.

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In this chapter
What to notice
The sentence identifies Katerina’s resistance to humiliation. Her determination sustains her defense of the family but also feeds the escalating conflict.
Quick check
What does Katerina plan to do in T——?

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