If you like non-fiction or part fiction part drama or psychology or workings of human emotions , then you might like this novel , else please dont try. You wont even get past the first part. (I might be wrong on this and if you are in contradiction with me then please let me know why you liked this novel ;) . I would like to know )
The protagonist of this novel, is a man in his early twenties, in Russia, who is in this phase of life where he thinks too much and wants to make a difference in the world. He is smart, well informed, knows himself very well (atleast he thinks so ;)) and etc etc etc.. When I started reading the book, my first impression was that 'this guy needs a break, he cannot seriously go on like this'. But you know what, as I had said previously, first impression (almost) never is the correct impression. When you get to know a person a little deeper (particular the way they think and react to certain situations), you definitely undergo a change in your perception of that person. This guy draws you nearer to him and his thoughts (he did, atleast, to me...) I have this way of reading the novels, wherein for every line I read, I somehow imagine the whole picture and reading a good novel is like watching a movie for me. Any novel that doesnt give me that picture, the moment I start reading, well it wouldnt be in my fav list. And in this novel it was like, I was there watching him near me and following his train of thoughts... (Please dont think I am insane... it is just that I am impressed by this guy a lot.. but is he practical enough ? Well you should read the whole novel and see how he transforms slowly.... and only at the end we will know if the guy was really a practical person or not...)
If you ask me, what kind of movie was this novel? Well it was, this sort of darker, gloomier and grey shaded movie (just like the color tone of the movies like Sin City, Kill Bill etc.. This novel doesnt not fall under action genre for me.. but yes the tones of those movies and this novel matches well)
[Side note: This whole imagining thing is the main reason that I just couldnt accept Robert Pattinson as my version of Edward in Twilight series. He just didnt match my imaginary Edward even 1%]
The interesting part of the novel is that you already know Raskolnikov killed this old lady even almost at the beginning. So the 'Crime' part of the novel happens much earlier in the literary sense of the word. But slowly as and when the story progresses, other versions of 'Crime[s]' come to the fore and these 'Crime[s]' are not done by the protagonist at all. There in comes a whole lot of characters like Razumikhin, his Sister, the lawyer, etc etc... The way the characters are interwoven, and have their own place in his life journey... it is really interesting....In certain places, yeah, its true that your patience might be tried a little bit, but if you get over it, then again its a amazing journey. In Part 4 there is a place where Razumikhin explains the character of Raskolnikov, it was awesome. And that too to his(Raskolnikov's) own Sister :)
In the same part (Part 4), the character of Petrovich and his interactions with Raskolnikov and then with his fiance (Raskolnikov's Sister Avdotya) and the way Avdotya handles the situation in their lodging .... well what can I say. It was a leaf out of my lifebook. Well not very exactly, but yes there are some dialogues which I have used in real life :), so obviously it struck a chord with me. Reading that part made me a little nostalgic and how things could have gone different in my life. Well, knowing me, it did last only for a few seconds and again I was off to my reading :)
Sonia, a very simple yet powerful character, who has very simple beliefs in life, and a very kind heart. You dont see such people often in life (even though they do exists among us, it is just that we at times fail to recognize them). In the midway of this novel, even before Sonia arrived, I was wondering if this guy would ever , ever fall for someone. Is he capable of loving someone or atleast to be loved by someone. Well answer arrived in the form of Sonia :) and you know, I was very happy. Not because it emphasized my belief that love can turn people's life around, but because he emphasized on the fact that love is as powerful as hatred or even powerful than hatred. Its true that love can make you do crazy things in life, it can even bring more sadness than happiness, and to some lucky people more happiness which would shadow their sadness, but apart from all these it does brings out a different persona in you, which you would have never thought of. As usual, I was wondering, why Sonia ? and how did he slowly take a liking for her to an extent where he loved her more than anything else ? Was it really practical to do such a thing (to love someone whom you think you know them well but really know only little of them) ? Answer : Yes (dont ask my why.. because if you had experienced it, you will not ask, and if you havent, then you wont understand, so no point telling you !!! eppudi !!!)
In one of my earlier posts, I had said that the very same thing as the Raskolnikov says in Part 6 Chapter 2 .... Everything is relative...
There are two other quotes which I really really liked in the same chapter. Here are those
Part 6 Chapter 4:
Nothing in the world is harder than speaking the truth and nothing easier than flattery.
If there's the hundreth part of a false note in speaking the truth, it leads to a discord, and that leads to trouble.
Part 6 Chapter 5:
.....that a great many men of genius have not hesitated at wrongdoing, but have overstepped the law without thinking about it.
How very true.. isnt ? You know, this is the first novel where, after part 3 or so, I took a pencil and then, whenever I read a very beautiful line or paragraph I marked it, so that I can read it again later. Particularly, Raskolnikov's article on Crime, Interactions with Porfiry & Svidrigailov etc etc... .the only part I felt a little lengthy and which could have been , you know, shortened was the epilogue. But I guess he wanted a strong foundation to be laid on the changes that Raskolnikov undergoes and emphasize that well enough for the reader, so that it totally ends up on a positive note. Well, I can live with that..
This novel was written around 1866, and we have crossed a century , but you know what, there are many places in this novel which would still hold true even for this current age. Why ? Even though technology has advanced we , as humans, still have a long way to go as we are stuck,even now, with a few ideals/customs/beliefs and not ready to let it go ( I dont want to start on that right now... its already late..may be sometime later..)
The style of narration, (even though it is translated in English), is amazing and very captive. You will definitely end up learning quite a lot of words, because of the vocabulary used. When I did finish this novel, I felt as if I have completed my Ph.D degree.. God, it was so engrossing, and while reading, it had its own impact, that something or the other that was said in the novel kept my mind busy in the background. This novel totally drained the energy out of me. It required my fullest attention for each page. Earlier, I kept it very simple, by going through a single chapter per day. But once I started on the 4th Part, it gained momentum and never stopped until I completed it :)
OMG, I have written so much about this novel..(didnt realize it yaa...).... Got a SMS (looks interesting.. brb)
What a coincidence.....
Here is the SMS message:
"Read this and give answer... A woman, at the funeral of her mom, meets a guy whom she didnt know. She thought this guy was very much of her dream guy. She fell in love with him but never proposed or found him again. A few days later she killed her first sister.... Question: whats her motive in killing her sister"
I am not going to tell you what I replied..but what ever it was, it wasnt the correct answer :)
Here is the answer:
"She was hoping that the guy would appear at her sister's funeral again. "
"This was a test by a famous American Psychologist to test if one has the same mentality as a killer. Many arrested serial killers took part in the test and answered the question correctly. If you didnt answer the question correctly, good for you, if you had answered correctly, good knowing you ;)"
Psychology again!!!
I always encounter these kind of strange coincidences in my life ... Ok chalo, it is very late , so signing off for now..
Ciao.
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