rsburg streets, houses, and courts move the story and deepen the psychology.
Raskolnikov overhears Lizaveta’s plan: Raskolnikov walks through Hay Market and hears Lizaveta Ivanovna talking with a huckster’s family. He learns she will be away at seven. Dostoevsky writes,
“The next day at seven o’clock Lizaveta… would be away from home.”
This chance fixes the time of the murder. Without this coincidence, Alyona Ivanovna would not be alone, and his crime would be impossible.
The talk in the tavern: Another accident occurs in a tavern. Raskolnikov hears a student joking with an officer about killing the pawnbroker. The student says he could kill that old woman. He could take her money and feel no guilt. He says,
“I could kill that damned old woman and make off with her money.”
This coincidence surprises Raskolnikov. It pushes him further to test his own theory about extraordinary men. The setting of the Petersburg tavern becomes the stage for fate.
Svidrigailov meets Sonia as a neighbor: Later, Sonia Semyonovna lodges at Kapernaumov’s house. Svidrigailov follows her. He said, "Bah." He was surprised by the odd coincidence. He went next door and rang the bell at No. 8. This coincidence links Sonia and Svidrigailov. It also brings danger to Dounia and Raskolnikov, since Svidrigailov overhears secrets and uses them. Such chance meetings increase tension and reveal fate’s power.
Thus, coincidences guide the whole story. In Petersburg streets, taverns, and houses, Raskolnikov’s life changes suddenly. Lizaveta’s absence, the tavern joke, and Sonia’s neighbor all prove Dostoevsky’s idea. Human plans are weak, but accidents lead to sin, suffering, and final redemption.
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