Comparing Dostoevsky's Crime And Punishment

The fact that all of these significant events take place in and around taverns suggests that taverns are a place where the truth can come to light because there are no inhibitors. Perhaps Dostoevsky simply holds the opinion that the loud noises and free, yet contained, atmosphere, combined with the liberating effects of alcohol can make one feel as though they are able to say and do whatever they please. They can have casual conversations about private information, or on a much more extreme end, beat a horse, and the consequences of those choices will never affect their real lives. As such, the most important conversations that perhaps would not otherwise occur, take place inside of a tavern. Rodya does, after all, refer to the tavern as “another world” (11), giving the impression that the tavern is, in his mind, separate from reality- an alternate dimension in which different rules apply. And yet, the tavern is not a

The times in which Rodya feels most at ease and secure are those in which he finds himself surrounded by the greenery of the various islands he walks to. In fact, in these instances, full of “pleasant sensations”, Rodya emphasizes that there is “no closeness, no stench, no taverns” (53). He outright states that the lack of taverns is part of what brings on his serenity. It is in these places where he feels the most calm, and connected with his reality. It is in these places where he is truly honest with himself. The only time Rodya admits to how ill he has fallen is when he is walking near Vasilievsky Island, where he concedes to having “tormented and tortured [himself], without knowing… what [he’s] doing” (110). Here he is acknowledging the fact that he is in a state of mental unrest and confusion, something that he does not ever acknowledge when he is in the city, raving in