Crime and Punishment

In a scene that exemplifies dramatic irony, the Man From Under the Ground appears at Raskolnikov’s apartment to apologize for accusing him of murder, a crime that Raskolnikov is in fact guilty of. Having previously arrived at the apartment in order to confirm his suspicions, the Man from Under the Ground feels deeply ashamed when another man confesses to the crime: 

“I am guilty,” the man said softly. 

“Of what?” 

“Of wicked thoughts.” 

The two stood looking at each other. 

“I felt bad. When you came that time, maybe under the influence, and told the caretakers to go to the precinct, and asked about blood, I felt bad because it all came to nothing, and you were taken for drunk. And I felt so bad that I lost my sleep. And, remembering the address, we came here yesterday and asked…” 

“Who came?” Raskolnikov interrupted, instantly beginning to recall. 

“Me, I came, I wronged you.”

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In a scene saturated with dramatic irony, Razumikhin reaches the false conclusion that Raskolnikov is a political agitator or revolutionary who has gotten into trouble and possibly implicated Dunya. After speaking with Raskolnikov in his apartment, Razumikhin reflects upon the source of his friend’s agitation: 

“He’s a political conspirator, he is, for sure, for sure!” Razumikhin decided to himself finally, as he slowly went down the stairs. “And he’s drawn his sister into it; that’s very, very likely, given Avdotya Romanovna’s character. They’ve started meeting together…And she, too, dropped me a hint. It all comes out precisely that way, from many of her words…and phrases…and hints! And how else can all this tangle be explained? Hm! And I almost thought [...] Pah! What a nasty, crude, mean thought on my part! Good boy, Mikolka, for confessing…And all the earlier things are explained now! 

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