Petersburg is viewed as a microcosm of the grimmer aspects of Russian society’s past as well as the present. It is through this intertwinement of settings that Dostoyevsky is able to reveal the paradox of nature and challenge the readers’ views by illustrating the settings as both tragic and comic. When he says “Yes, the room made a big contribution, I’ve thought of that too” (222), he is well aware of the corrupting influence that his room inflicts, but realizes that it is too late to escape. With a view of how brutal his own life is, Rodya eventually questions the value of life in general. His miserable existence of his room must have led him to value his own life less. The physical conditions Raskolnikov experiences affect him greatly. His mother Pulkcheria claims “it is responsible for at least half of his depression” (Dostoyevsky). Beyond symbolism, the room is also a direct cause of Raskonikov’s condition and actions. Petersburg, and Petersburg is a symbol of the cruelties of the modernizing world. This oppressive physical environment of the room constrains him, depresses him and darkens his thoughts, but later, his surroundings embolden him. His eyes and his thoughts both craved more space” (33). Stuffy in the shabby little room, so like a box or cupboard. He acknowledges his own room’s deeper function as motivator “At last it began to seem close and It is likely that the room also creates the turmoil within Raskolnikov the desire to break free. However, the room demands more attention as a tragic/comic setting and as a manifestation of inner psychological turmoil. As he alters between loathings for his room and ironically feeling comfortable and depressed, his shifting relation with the room reveals the dual nature of his character. Just as Raskolnikov shifts between confidence and doubt, he ironically changes his feelings about his living conditions, which renders ambivalence for the reader. Although “a more slovenly and degraded manner of life could hardly have been imagined, it suited Raskolnikov’s present mood” (Dostoyevsky). From its first appearance, Raskolnikov’s room is quite horrible and oppressive, yet by the end of the passage, he seems to find it agreeable. The description of the room itself creates a feeling of claustrophobia, for it is a mare “six paces long” with a ceiling too low to stand. His disgust at his room mirrors readers’ revulsion at life in general in Petersburg. Raskolnikov’s first thought is loathing revulsion at his miserable existence.
“It was a tiny little cubby-hole of a place, no more than six paces long and so low that anybody of even a little more than average height felt uncomfortable in it” (25). It illustrates Raskolnikov’s mental turmoil, becomes an image of him to others, and reinforces his degenerate state. This room takes on a character of its own. Petersburg “It’s like a room without windows” (Dostoyevesky). It is small, grimy, and depressing, and is even blamed for his awful psychological state. Starting with Raskolnikov’s room, it symbolizes violence, abuse, and chaos as do the other homes in the novel, and is also metaphor for psychological confinement. Petersburg serves as a microcosm of Raskolnikov’s character while his character is ironically a microcosm of St.
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