“Crime and Punishment,” is a profound exploration of the human psyche, morality, and the consequences of transgressive actions. Set in 19th-century St. Petersburg, Crime And Punishment Chapter Summary revolves around the life of Rodion Raskolnikov, a destitute and intellectually gifted student who is compelled to commit a gruesome murder.
Crime and Punishment (Short story) About The Author
R.K. Narayan (1906-2001) is a famous Indian writer in English. He was born in Chennai and educated at Mysore. His novels and stories are set in the imaginary town of Malgudi. His stories are noted for their irony, humour, romance, energy of life and freshness of themes from everyday life. He writes with simplicity. He has written many books. One of his famous books ‘The Guide’ was made into a famous movie with Dev Anand and Wahida Rahman in the lead roles. It ran to full houses for months.
Crime and Punishment Summary
Page 150: The teacher asked the boy to tell the result of 16 multiplied by 3. The boy blinked. The teacher repeated the question. The boy promptly answered ’24’. The teacher felt that there was a wicked smile on the lips of the boy when he gave the answer. The boy, he felt, was trying to fool him. He had corrected this mistake many times. Then why is the boy persisting in saying 24? How could this fellow get 50 in the class test? The boy’s parents wanted him to have a double promotion and go to the first Form. To get double promotion he should get 50 in the class test.
The teacher felt very angry with the boy for giving the wrong answer. He repeated the question, as a last chance. The boy repeated the same answer. The teacher slapped the boy on the cheek. The boy looked at the teacher and burst into tears. The teacher was surprised by his own action and asked the boy not to cry. But the boy said he would tell his parents. The teacher appealed to him not to inform his parents. He was worried. Fortunately this nursery was a little away from the main building.
The boy said that he would tell his mother. His parents had once said that the boy was a small angel all dimples, smiles and sweetness. He lacked only the wings. He was their only child.
Page 151: They had a lot of love and also money. They built a nursery, bought him expensive toys, fitted up miniature furniture sets, gave him a small pedal motor car to move about in the garden. His cupboard was filled with chocolates and biscuits which he could – eat as he wanted.
The parents thought that no prohibition or repression – should affect the boy’s mind. If you make restrictions and repressions, you will damage him for life. It will need a lot of discipline on the part of the parents. But it is worth it. They wanted to bring up a healthy citizen.
The teacher agreed outwardly. He felt more and more convinced that what the boy needs was not cajoling but beating. The teacher had a very hard life. The only relief for him was the 30 rupees they paid him every month. It took him 3 hours every evening. The first 72 hour he had to listen to the parents who would talk to him on child psychology. The father had written a thesis on infant psychology for his M.A. The mother had studied a good deal of it for her B.A. Both of them lectured to the teacher. It seemed they wanted him to treat the boy as if he was made of thin glass. The teacher had to agree with them although he knew he was managing a little gorilla.
The teacher did not know how to quieten the boy who was still sobbing. He told the boy that he should not cry for small things, but should behave like a soldier. The boy said that a soldier would shoot with a gun if he was hit. The teacher took it as a joke and laughed. The boy also laughed. The teacher then asked the boy to go and wash his face. There was a fine blue porcelain closet attached to the nursery. The boy disobeyed and commanded the teacher to close the lessons for the day. The teacher said no.
Page 152: The boy then threatened to tell his mother. He got up from the chair. The teacher held him down saying that he was to be there for another hour. Then the boy said that he should watch him put the engine on its rails. The teacher was worried if the boy’s father came in there would be problems. The boy gave a suggestion: the teacher should say it is an engine lesson. He then went to the cupboard and took out a train set. He started assembling the track. He wound the engine and put it on the track and it went round and round. He wanted the teacher to be the station master. The teacher refused telling him that the boy had his tests after two days. The boy again asked him to be a station master.
The teacher got angry. He said he did not want to be a station master. The boy touched his cheek and said it was still paining him and he wanted to see his mother. He moved towards the door. The boy’s cheek was still red. So the teacher asked what he should do as a station master.
The boy told him that when the train reached his station he must blow the whistle and ask the train driver to stop the train as there are many people who have bought tickets. The teacher obeyed. He grew tired of the game in 30 minutes. He got up. The boy was unhappy. Luckily for the teacher, the train refused to move. The boy handed it to the teacher and told him to repair it. The teacher turned it around in his hand and said he did not know anything about it.
The boy insisted that the train must go. The teacher did not know what to do as he was not a mechanical minded man. He did not know even to turn a screw even it was to save his life. The boy stamped his foot and was waiting like a tyrant. The teacher put it away saying he could not do it. The boy then wanted the teacher to tell him a story.
The teacher told the boy that it was 8.30 and he still had not done the sum.
Page 153 : The boy insisted on hearing a story. When the teacher said no, he boy started calling his father. When the teacher asked him why he was calling his father, he said he had something important to tell him. The teacher began the story of a bison and a tiger. Then he moved on to Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves. Then he proceeded to Aladdin’s Lamp. The boy was listening intently. He said he wanted to hear the story of the bison again. The teacher was out of breath. He had done 6 hours of teaching at school during the day. He told the boy that he would say that story the next day as he had lost all his breath.
The boy then threatens to tell his parents about the slapping. He starts running towards the house, the teacher following him. The boy was too fast for him and made the teacher run round the garden three times. The teacher looked beaten. The boy took pity on him and stopped near the rose bush. The moment the teacher reached near him, the boy again ran off. The boy enjoyed the ‘game’ immensely. The teacher was out of breath. He felt a darkness swelling up around him. He sank down on the portico step.
At this time the Father and Mother came out of the house. They asked him what happened. The teacher got up, still panting. He could not talk. He had already decided to tell everything and suffer the consequences. He did not want to stand the blackmail by the boy. They asked the boy why he was running round the garden at this time. The boy looked mischievously at the teacher.
The teacher was fumbling for words to start his explanation. Suddenly the father asked how the boy was preparing for the test in arithmetic. On hearing the word ‘test’ the boy’s face fell. He went behind his parents and by look and gestures appealed to the teacher not to betray him. The teacher said that the boy was alright; he had only to study the 16th table a bit more. The boy looked relieved. The teacher saw the boy was grateful for his support. He knew he would not tell his parents about the slapping. After wishing the father Good Night, he told him that they had finished the lessons early and they were just playing to keep up the spirits of the boy.
Conclusion:
However, Raskolnikov eventually turns into a brave person, which is displayed through his actions at the ending of crime and punishment short summary . He starts accepting his sins and confesses it to the police. He chooses to compensate for the wrongs or sins that he has committed in the past.