Crime and Punishment Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov Quotes

[Raskolnikov] was crushed by poverty, but the anxieties of his position had of late ceased to weigh upon him. (1.1.3)

This shows layers of suffering. The suffering Raskolnikov is experiencing as a result of the bad idea that won't leave him alone is so great that he doesn't feel the suffering he's experiencing as a result of his poverty.

[Raskolnikov:] "I did not bow down to you [Sonia], I bowed down to all the suffering of humanity," he said wildly and walked away to the window. (4.4.99)

We say elsewhere that Raskolnikov isn't very romantic to Sonia. That's not entirely true. He throws himself at her feet an awful lot, though he usually follows it with this kind of comment. More importantly, this passage shows that Raskolnikov sees Sonia as a symbol of everybody's suffering.

[Raskolnikov:] "They say it is necessary for me to suffer! What's the object of these senseless sufferings? Shall I know any better what they are for, when I am crushed by hardships and idiocy, and weak as an old man after twenty years' penal servitude?" (6.8.75)

Here, Raskolnikov is questioning the high premium everybody places on suffering as he debates whether or not to turn himself in and submit to prison. Also notice that he thinks he'll get at least 20 years in prison, but he only gets eight.