Crime and Punishment Education Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph). We used Constance Garnett's translation.

Quote #1

[Marmeladov:] "[…] but Katerina Ivanovna, my spouse, is a person of education and an officer's daughter." (1.2.18)

The narrator tells us later that Katerina's education is what allows her to maintain a certain "dignity" and pride through all of her trials and tribulations. The suggestion is that education has value beyond helping one get that dream job. It can also be a source of sustenance. We don't know if Katerina is the best character to demonstrate that point.

Quote #2

[..] a painted table in the corner on which lay a few manuscripts and books; the dust that lay thick upon them showed that they had been long untouched. (1.3.1)

Aha! Proof that Raskolnikov hasn't been doing his homework and evidence that he's dropped out of school. Dostoevsky belabors this point so we understand that education is a big issue here.

Quote #3

[Dounia:] "Pyotr Petrovitch [Luzhin] makes no secret of the fact that he had a cheap education, he is proud indeed of having made his own way." (3.3.124)

Did you find it odd that Dounia has a better education than Luzhin, yet she can't get a decent job and he can? This is because very few professional positions were open to women in Russia (and elsewhere) in the 1860s.