Crime and Punishment, Part 4, Chapter 1 summary
Part 4, Chapter 1 of 40 · 20 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 1, Raskolnikov receives Svidrigaïlov, who defends his conduct, describes seeing his dead wife, and offers money to help Avdotya Romanovna avoid marrying Luzhin. Raskolnikov distrusts his intentions and resists arranging a meeting, but Svidrigaïlov also announces that Marfa Petrovna leaves his sister three thousand roubles.
What happens
- Svidrigaïlov asks Raskolnikov to help him meet Avdotya Romanovna, but Raskolnikov rejects his excuses for pursuing her.
- Svidrigaïlov denies responsibility for Marfa Petrovna’s death while admitting that he strikes her and describing their marriage.
- He reports visits from Marfa Petrovna’s ghost and debates illness, spirits, and eternity with an increasingly disturbed Raskolnikov.
- He offers Avdotya Romanovna ten thousand roubles to help her break with Luzhin, claiming no romantic motive.
- Raskolnikov rejects the offer and refuses to promise access to his sister.
- Svidrigaïlov announces Marfa Petrovna’s three-thousand-rouble bequest to Avdotya Romanovna, then encounters Razumihin while leaving.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Crime and Punishment, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
In this chapter
What to notice
Svidrigaïlov separates the experience of a vision from the question of its reality. This distinction drives their argument about illness and another world.
Quick check
How much does Svidrigaïlov say Marfa Petrovna leaves Avdotya Romanovna?
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Crime and Punishment, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months free
