Summary
Fever and Flight
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Raskolnikov wakes up in a strange apartment, disoriented and feverish. He's been unconscious for days, tended by his friend Razumikhin and a doctor named Zossimov. As he drifts in and out of consciousness, fragments of conversation reach him - people discussing his illness, his behavior, and strangely, the murders that have been consuming his thoughts. The physical collapse mirrors his psychological breakdown. His body is finally catching up to what his mind has been enduring since the murders. Razumikhin, loyal and concerned, has been caring for him like a brother, even bringing him new clothes to replace his tattered ones. The doctor discusses Raskolnikov's condition with clinical detachment, but there's an undercurrent of suspicion in some of the conversations Raskolnikov half-hears. This chapter shows us how guilt and psychological pressure manifest physically. When we carry enormous secrets, especially ones involving harm to others, our bodies often rebel before our minds fully break. Raskolnikov's fever isn't just illness - it's his psyche's way of trying to process the enormity of what he's done. The care from Razumikhin highlights the human connections Raskolnikov is losing through his isolation and guilt. Here's someone genuinely concerned about his welfare, yet Raskolnikov can barely receive this kindness because he's trapped in his own psychological prison. The chapter also builds tension around discovery - how much do others suspect? The conversations swirling around his sickbed feel loaded with double meaning, making both Raskolnikov and readers wonder if his secret is as hidden as he believes.
Coming Up in Chapter 9
As Raskolnikov's strength returns, he'll face visitors who bring news from the outside world - and some of these conversations will push him closer to a breaking point he's been trying to avoid.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
So he lay a very long while. Now and then he seemed to wake up, and at such moments he noticed that it was far into the night, but it did not occur to him to get up. At last he noticed that it was beginning to get light. He was lying on his back, still dazed from his recent oblivion. Fearful, despairing cries rose shrilly from the street, sounds which he heard every night, indeed, under his window after two o’clock. They woke him up now. “Ah! the drunken men are coming out of the taverns,” he thought, “it’s past two o’clock,” and at once he leaped up, as though someone had pulled him from the sofa. “What! Past two o’clock!” He sat down on the sofa--and instantly recollected everything! All at once, in one flash, he recollected everything. For the first moment he thought he was going mad. A dreadful chill came over him; but the chill was from the fever that had begun long before in his sleep. Now he was suddenly taken with violent shivering, so that his teeth chattered and all his limbs were shaking. He opened the door and began listening--everything in the house was asleep. With amazement he gazed at himself and everything in the room around him, wondering how he could have come in the night before without fastening the door, and have flung himself on the sofa without undressing, without even taking his hat off. It had fallen off and was lying on the floor near his pillow. “If anyone had come in, what would he have thought? That I’m drunk but...” He rushed to the window. There was light enough, and he began hurriedly looking himself all over from head to foot, all his clothes; were there no traces? But there was no doing it like that; shivering with cold, he began taking off everything and looking over again. He turned everything over to the last threads and rags, and mistrusting himself, went through his search three times. But there seemed to be nothing, no trace, except in one place, where some thick drops of congealed blood were clinging to the frayed edge of his trousers. He picked up a big claspknife and cut off the frayed threads. There seemed to be nothing more. Suddenly he remembered that the purse and the things he had taken out of the old woman’s box were still in his pockets! He had not thought till then of taking them out and hiding them! He had not even thought of them while he was examining his clothes! What next? Instantly he rushed to take them out and fling them on the table. When he had pulled out everything, and turned the pocket inside out to be sure there was nothing left, he carried the whole heap to the corner. The paper had come off the bottom of the wall and hung there in tatters. He began stuffing all the things into the hole under...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when physical symptoms are your body's way of processing psychological burdens you haven't consciously acknowledged.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Delirium
A state of mental confusion often caused by fever or extreme stress where reality becomes blurred. In this chapter, Raskolnikov's delirium represents how psychological guilt can manifest as physical illness, making it hard to distinguish between what's real and what's in his troubled mind.
Psychosomatic illness
When emotional or mental stress causes real physical symptoms. Raskolnikov's fever and collapse aren't just random sickness - they're his body's way of responding to the enormous psychological pressure of carrying his secret guilt.
Russian intelligentsia
The educated middle class in 19th-century Russia who often lived in poverty despite their education. Raskolnikov represents this group - he's university-educated but lives in a tiny, cramped room and struggles financially.
Guilt manifestation
The way hidden guilt shows up in our behavior, health, and relationships. This chapter demonstrates how carrying a terrible secret doesn't just affect our minds - it can make us physically sick and change how we interact with people who care about us.
Social isolation
Cutting yourself off from friends and family, often as a response to shame or guilt. Raskolnikov's illness represents his psychological withdrawal from human connection, even when people like Razumikhin are trying to help him.
Paranoia
The feeling that others are watching, judging, or suspecting you, often based more on your own guilt than reality. Raskolnikov interprets every conversation around his sickbed as potentially threatening because he's carrying such a heavy secret.
Characters in This Chapter
Raskolnikov
Protagonist
Lies unconscious and feverish for days, his body finally breaking down under the psychological pressure of his crimes. His physical collapse mirrors his mental state - he can barely function while carrying such enormous guilt.
Razumikhin
Loyal friend
Acts as Raskolnikov's caretaker, bringing him food, new clothes, and medical attention. His genuine concern and devotion highlight how Raskolnikov is pushing away the very people who could help him heal.
Zossimov
Doctor
Treats Raskolnikov's illness with clinical detachment, discussing his condition as both physical and potentially psychological. His presence adds tension as readers wonder if he suspects the true cause of Raskolnikov's breakdown.
Nastasya
Servant
The landlady's servant who helps care for Raskolnikov during his illness. Her practical, no-nonsense presence provides a contrast to the psychological drama swirling around the sickbed.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Am I still dreaming, or what is this?"
Context: When he first wakes up disoriented in the strange room
This quote captures how guilt and psychological breakdown can make reality feel unreal. Raskolnikov can't trust his own perceptions anymore because the weight of his secret has disconnected him from normal life.
"He's been unconscious for three days."
Context: Explaining Raskolnikov's condition to the doctor
This reveals how completely Raskolnikov's body has shut down under psychological pressure. Three days of unconsciousness shows this isn't ordinary illness - it's a complete system breakdown from carrying unbearable guilt.
"His pulse is regular now, but his mind... that's another matter."
Context: Discussing Raskolnikov's recovery with Razumikhin
The doctor recognizes that while Raskolnikov's body is healing, his psychological state remains fragile. This hints that others may be starting to suspect his breakdown has deeper causes than simple illness.
Thematic Threads
Guilt
In This Chapter
Raskolnikov's psychological guilt manifests as physical fever and delirium, showing how secrets poison the body
Development
Evolved from earlier internal torment to visible physical breakdown
Isolation
In This Chapter
Despite Razumikhin's genuine care, Raskolnikov struggles to receive help, trapped by his secret
Development
Deepened from social awkwardness to active rejection of human connection
Vulnerability
In This Chapter
Physical illness forces Raskolnikov into a dependent state he cannot control or hide from
Development
First time he's been truly exposed and unable to maintain his careful facades
Suspicion
In This Chapter
Conversations around his sickbed carry double meanings about the murders, building paranoia
Development
Introduced here as external pressure joining his internal guilt
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What physical symptoms is Raskolnikov experiencing, and how long has he been unconscious?
- 2
Why do you think Raskolnikov's body is breaking down now, after the murders rather than during them?
- 3
Think about times when you've seen someone get physically sick during stressful situations - what patterns do you notice?
- 4
If you were Razumikhin, how would you balance being a supportive friend with growing suspicions about your friend's behavior?
- 5
What does this chapter suggest about the relationship between our mental state and physical health?
Critical Thinking Exercise
Track Your Body's Warning System
For the next week, notice when your body reacts to stress, conflict, or things you're avoiding. Keep a simple log: What was happening emotionally or mentally when you got a headache, stomach ache, couldn't sleep, or felt exhausted? Look for patterns between what you're carrying mentally and how your body responds.
Consider:
- •Don't dismiss symptoms as 'just stress' - they're data about what you're processing
- •Notice if physical symptoms get worse when you're keeping secrets or avoiding difficult conversations
- •Pay attention to whether you isolate yourself when feeling guilty or overwhelmed, and how that affects your physical state
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 9: The Summons
Moving forward, we'll examine paranoia distorts perception, and understand the impossibility of acting normal after crisis. These insights bridge the gap between classic literature and modern experience.