Part Five, Chapters 2 & 3:
Katerina ridicules her landlady, Amalia Ivanovna, a German transplant who speaks Russian badly with a thick German accent. Katerina is expressing a prejudice that is anti-German and anti-immigrant (a prejudice that was widely shared at the time by many Russians who felt that the influx of Germans into the country was weakening the nation.)
Katerina is dying from consumption (tuberculosis) which was one of the most common causes of death among the poor in the 19th century. Her extreme poverty, her illness and the trauma of losing her husband have unhinged her mind. She has spent the money given to her by Raskolnikov on a lavish dinner (which she clearly cannot afford) for her husband's wake. Katerina is deeply offended by the failure of some of her invited guests to show up, understanding that it is a deep social slight aimed at Sonia, who is a prostitute. Katerina responds to this slight by using French phrases (all members of the Russian aristocracy spoke French), referring to her father's exalted position in the army, and passing around a certificate from a girl's boarding school she attended (proving that she is educated and above her present, fallen circumstances.) The "shawl dance" apparently was taught to young upper-class girls in boarding schools, and apparently it was a great honor to be asked to perform this dance before dignitaries. "En toutes lettres" means in large letters. The yellow ticket refers to the type of identification papers prostitutes are forced to carry, and when Amalia Ivanovna, the landlady, refers to a "yellow ticket", Katerina understands it as a vicious dig at Sonya, her stepdaughter.
Although this scene is heavy with tragedy and despair, and shows the despicable petty side of human nature (the neighbors coming to eat the impoverished widow's food while they laugh at her and egg each other on to provoke her) there is a certain amount of black humor in the terrible insults Katerina heaps on her guests. With Luzhin's entrance there is a noticeable shift in the scene.
Katerina ridicules her landlady, Amalia Ivanovna, a German transplant who speaks Russian badly with a thick German accent. Katerina is expressing a prejudice that is anti-German and anti-immigrant (a prejudice that was widely shared at the time by many Russians who felt that the influx of Germans into the country was weakening the nation.)
Katerina is dying from consumption (tuberculosis) which was one of the most common causes of death among the poor in the 19th century. Her extreme poverty, her illness and the trauma of losing her husband have unhinged her mind. She has spent the money given to her by Raskolnikov on a lavish dinner (which she clearly cannot afford) for her husband's wake. Katerina is deeply offended by the failure of some of her invited guests to show up, understanding that it is a deep social slight aimed at Sonia, who is a prostitute. Katerina responds to this slight by using French phrases (all members of the Russian aristocracy spoke French), referring to her father's exalted position in the army, and passing around a certificate from a girl's boarding school she attended (proving that she is educated and above her present, fallen circumstances.) The "shawl dance" apparently was taught to young upper-class girls in boarding schools, and apparently it was a great honor to be asked to perform this dance before dignitaries. "En toutes lettres" means in large letters. The yellow ticket refers to the type of identification papers prostitutes are forced to carry, and when Amalia Ivanovna, the landlady, refers to a "yellow ticket", Katerina understands it as a vicious dig at Sonya, her stepdaughter.
Although this scene is heavy with tragedy and despair, and shows the despicable petty side of human nature (the neighbors coming to eat the impoverished widow's food while they laugh at her and egg each other on to provoke her) there is a certain amount of black humor in the terrible insults Katerina heaps on her guests. With Luzhin's entrance there is a noticeable shift in the scene.
