How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph). We used Constance Garnett's translation.
Quote #1
[Marmeladov:] "I ought to be crucified, crucified on a cross, not pitied! Crucify me, oh judge, crucify me but pity me!" (1.2.36)
Like many of the characters in this novel, Marmeladov thinks that if he can suffer like Christ, he might be purified. At first, he says he doesn't want pity, just crucifixion. Then, he says he wants both. This strikes us as a very human emotion. If we have to suffer, we want others to feel a little bad for us while we are doing it.
Quote #2
Bitter is the ascent to Golgotha. (1.4.1)
Golgotha is where Christ is thought to have been crucified. In this snippet from Raskolnikov's brain, he's comparing Dounia to Christ. He thinks she's sacrificing herself to Luzhin to pay for Raskolnikov's "sins."
Quote #3
Raskolnikov thrust it in his pocket without looking at it, flung the crosses on the old woman's body and rushed back into the bedroom, this time taking the axe with him. (1.7.23)
Gothic moment! The pawnbroker is lying in a pool of her own blood. The symbols of Christianity juxtaposed with images of evil, as if in challenge. If you are into this, check out Flannery O'Connor's stories, such as "A Good Man is Hard to Find."