Crime and Punishment: Part II, Chapter Six
In the beginning of this chapter, Raskolnikov puts on the clothes that were given to him by his friend, Razumikhin (although he continues to resent the fact that he was given new clothes -- recall that from the previous chapter: this also demonstrates that Raskolnikov, although poor and behind rent, does not want to accept anything from anyone), and goes out into the city. Wandering through the streets of the city, he selectively "interrogates" some of the pedestrians with whom he has casual contact, and then later enters The Crystal Palace, orders tea and a newspaper. Question: What is the item called into which they make their tea?
In the Crystal Palace, Razkolnikov meets up with one of the police inspectors, Zamyotov -- recall that this is the same inspector who visited with Razolnikov while he was in a stupor and unconscious for the period of three to four days, when he woke up, surrounded by all of his guests. At this point, the police inspector sees that Razkolnikov is apparently "ill-appearing," and begins to tease the police inspector about the two crimes that were recently committed in the city. He later claims to know a lot about both of the crimes and "edges the inspector on" during the teasing phase of the conversation. He actually (almost) confesses to the two crimes right in front of the inspector, in an attempt to arouse the police inspector's suspicion.
Question: Why do you suppose he did this? Is this a display of Raskolnikov's "guilt" that he is trying to shed from his own conscious?
Later, during the conversation, the police inspector realizes that Raskolnikov is merely teasing him with respect to the two crimes and does not give the conversation a second thought (well, at least not until later in the novel, apparently).
Raskolnikov then leaves the tavern and runs into his friend, Razumikhin on the stairway, who criticizes Razkolnikov for venturing out into the city alone (did they plan to go together at an earlier time?), and then he invites Razkolnikov to his own housewarming party, for which he declines and leaves Razumikhin by himself on the stairway, apparently dumb-founded over the entire conversation with his "best" friend. He is found walking alone in the city, and comes up upon the bridge in the city (over which water way is this bridge?), where there was recently a suicide attempt. The suicide attempt actually disgusts Raskolnikov, and he promptly leaves the bridge and wanders throughout the city some more.
He finds himself in the front of Alyona Ivanovna's home -- which is the apartment in which the murders were committed -- and, on an impulse, enters the building. In a daze of sorts, he questions two workers who are redecorating the apartment about all of the blood that was previously splashed upon the walls and the floor, which is now all gone. However, Raskolnikov then fails to respond to the workers' questions as to why he is there in the first place; he is then thrown out of the building by the porter. He is then found alone, walking in the middle of the street, where he apparently notices a crowd of people.
Question: Why does Raskolnikov decide to re-enter the building where the murders were committed? Is there any benefit in doing so? Does it provide the reader with an insight as to the main character's personality, or guilt?
