e novel. The final significant character that is introduced in the first chapter is a suspected ‘retired civil servant’ who is also in ‘a state of some agitation’. The reader, although only given a brief glimpse of this figure in the drinking den, is able to sense his forthcoming importance and relevance in the remainder of the novel.The atmosphere of the initial chapter can be described in a single word; heat. The inaugural sentence makes clear the climate in which the novel is set;‘At the beginning of July, during a spell of exceptionally hot weather,…’This is not merely a weather report but an indication of the political, social climate of Russia and the mental climate of Raskolnikov. It refers to the social pressure-cooker that was overheating the country and eating away at the core of the people. The sun, which is causing this heat, is not favoured by Raskolnikov, but is sensed to be creating an almost sickly, languid and unrealistic light. References are made to the heat throughout this chapter;‘Outside the heat was terrible, with humidity to make it worse;’The humidity, in my opinion, is what is causing Raskolnikov so much distress. He finds it difficult to clear and sort his thoughts with the air so close, surrounding and compressing his brain. Images, it can be said, do not play a huge part in this chapter but the colour of yellow is very predominant and appears regularly during the chapter. At this of the novel, it is difficult to interpret the meaning of the extensive use of this colour but the suggestion that it reflects the draining of life from Russia as a culture that consists of people who adhere to moral law and guidance.In the first chapter of ‘Crime and Punishment’, by Dostoyevsky, the characters and themes are introduced and established with a strong and creative flair. It gives an indication of the urban social conditions in nineteenth century Russia,...
