Crime and Punishment Ch. 22: Breaking with Luzhin

Summary

Nearly eight o'clock, Raskolnikov and Razumihin hurry to Bakaleyev's lodgings before Luzhin. On the stairs Razumihin asks who passed them; Rodya names Svidrigailov and begs him to guard Dunya. He almost wonders if the visitor was an hallucination. Razumihin boasts of shaking his fist at Porfiry and deciding they should laugh at the police instead of tremble.

Luzhin arrives punctually, scented and offended, facing Dunya across the samovar while Rodya and Razumihin sit with Pulcheria Alexandrovna. He warns that Svidrigailov has come to Petersburg and tells a grim tale: a deaf girl's suicide, gossip of assault, a servant driven to death, charges hushed by Marfa Petrovna's money. Dunya refuses to hear more of him and cuts his lectures short. Rodya breaks silence: He has just been to see me; Marfa Petrovna left Dunya three thousand roubles. Luzhin bristles when Dunya insists Rodya stay for the reconciliation he demanded in his letter.

The engagement cracks open. Dunya says it must be either you or he and she will not be mistaken in her choice. She will judge whether Rodya is a brother to her and whether Luzhin is the husband she thought. Luzhin preaches that love for a husband must outweigh love for a brother, then attacks Pulcheria's letter about marrying a poor girl with trouble. Rodya accuses him of mean slander, writing that money went to the murdered man's daughter though Rodya gave it to the widow, and coarse lies about a girl Luzhin does not know. He demands one word of falsehood be pointed out; Luzhin cannot. He says Luzhin is not worth the little finger of that unfortunate girl and that he has already seated her with mother and sister.

Dounia, white with anger, orders him out at once forever. Luzhin protests expenses and reputation, sneering that he took her after gossip about her name and that he disregarded public opinion for her sake. Razumihin leaps up ready to smash his head; Rodya holds him back and tells Luzhin quietly: Kindly leave the room, and not a word more. Luzhin goes downstairs still imagining he might recover the ladies, but blames Rodya alone for everything. The chapter ends the Luzhin match and clears the room for Svidrigailov's secrets and the family's next ordeal. Dunya's choice is no longer theoretical; the man who wrote slander in the mail has shown who he is between the samovar and the door.

In this chapter: Terms Characters Key Quotes Modern Story

Why This Matters

Ending a Bad Match at the Table

Respectable suitors reveal themselves when the table forces a loyalty choice. At Bakaleyev's Luzhin smears Svidrigailov and demands reconciliation until Dunya reads his slander letter aloud and the engagement breaks in front of everyone.

If a partner needs public humiliation of your family to win, make them choose in the room instead of debating alone later.

Coming Up in Chapter 23

With Luzhin gone, Raskolnikov will have to tell Dunya what Svidrigailov proposed, and the family's relief will mix with new fear of what comes next The chapter opens inside Luzhin's head, not the family's joy. He never dreamed two poor, defenceless women could escape his control..

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Original text

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Chapter 22

Breaking with Luzhin

It was nearly eight o’clock. The two young men hurried to Bakaleyev’s, to arrive before Luzhin. “Why, who was that?” asked Razumihin, as soon as they were in the street. “It was Svidrigaïlov, that landowner in whose house my sister was insulted when she was their governess. Through his persecuting her with his attentions, she was turned out by his wife, Marfa Petrovna. This Marfa Petrovna begged Dounia’s forgiveness afterwards, and she’s just died suddenly. It was of her we were talking this morning. I don’t know why I’m afraid of that man. He came here at once after his…

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Critical Thinking Exercise

Audit the Dinner Power Plays

List three moves Luzhin makes to control the room before Dunya dismisses him. For each, note who counters and how. Then write one sentence you would use to force a loyalty test in a similar family conflict.

Consider:

•Watch letter-slander before the meeting
•Name who is publicly defended
•Prefer calm expulsion to brawl

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Breaking with Luzhin

Summary