Which is your favorite movie franchise?

Harry Potter
High School Musical
James Bond
Pirates of the Caribbean
Star Wars

View Results

Summary, Analysis, and Original Text by Chapter

Part 1: Chapter 1

On a hot and sultry day in July, Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov, a young student, slips past his landlady to whom he is heavily in debt, and roams aimlessly towards an old and despicable pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanovna. He has cut himself off from everyone and furthermore shrinks from any type of human conduct. His little cupboard of a room, his debts, and his crushing poverty depress him to the point of rendering him incapable of attending classes or tutoring his own students.

On the way to the pawnbroker's, he simply cannot believe that he is going to perform some loathsome action. He also realizes that his thoughts are confused, partly because he had eaten practically nothing for two days. Even though he was a strikingly handsome young man, he dresses so wretchedly in rags that no one would notice his secretive behavior.

It was not far to the pawnbroker's house — "exactly seven hundred and thirty" paces. Upon arriving, he seems to be disgusted with the entire proceedings and finds his plans to be loathsome and degrading. The old pawnbroker is cautious about opening the door, and when she does, she appears dried up and very old, with sharp, malicious eyes and nasty grease in her hair. Raskolnikov tells her he has something else to pawn, and they haggle over the price, but he has to accept her offer because "he had nowhere else to turn." As he leaves, he tells her that he has something more valuable to pawn and he will bring it later. He leaves in a state of extreme agitation.


Study Guides To-Go!
Get the complete text from CliffsNotes guides on your video iPod®.
Learn more!
cover
Learn the Words You Should Know
Vocabulary Puzzles is the fun way to ace the SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT & more!
The Ultimate Learning Experience!
WATCH the film and READ the lit note for a fast way to study!
Learn more!