Fyodor Dostoevsky
Raskolnikov the genius and Raskolnikov the louse, Sonya the devout Christian and Sonya the yellow-ticket prostitute, Napoleon the idealized historical figure and Napoleon the man – Fyodor Dostoevsky carefully constructs the central figures in Crime and Punishment as multifaceted and a product of two conflicting halves. This leaves the reader with the problem of having to decipher how we ought to understand these characters and what Dostoevsky is trying to say through the presentation of doubled characters. Does Dostoevsky force us to choose to identify Raskolnikov as either a genius or a louse and Sonya as a pious women or a defiled prostitute? Why does Dostoevsky allow Sonya, a Christ-like figure that also happens to be a sex worker, to be
…show more content…
Marmeladov’s inability to provide for his family compromises their autonomy and forces him to rely on other units to survive – “It is necessary that every man have at least somewhere to go. For there are times when one absolutely must go at least somewhere!” (14). Marmeladov presents society as a solace to suffering. Stricken with poverty, he realizes that he must sacrifice his pride and accept the help of others – whether it be from his daughter, a humiliating act for the head of a household, or lending agencies – in order to relieve his burdens. Instead of turning inward upon himself like Raskolnikov, Marmeladov accepts that the individual cannot live alienated from other people, especially when under distress. Even if this path to salvation from economic duress is doomed to infelicity, he explains, “knowing beforehand that he will not give anything, you still set out on your way” (14). Immediately following a description of Sisyphean suffering, we are introduced to Sonya as he remembers the moment “when my only-begotten daughter went out for the first time with a yellow pass, and I went, too, then . . . (for my daughter lives on a yellow pass, sir)” (14). In this conversation, Dostoyevsky does two things with Sonya’s character: he links her to Christ-like suffering (and thus redemption) and a criticism of the “political economy.” Marmeladov calling Sonya his
Marmeladov’s inability to provide for his family compromises their autonomy and forces him to rely on other units to survive – “It is necessary that every man have at least somewhere to go. For there are times when one absolutely must go at least somewhere!” (14). Marmeladov presents society as a solace to suffering. Stricken with poverty, he realizes that he must sacrifice his pride and accept the help of others – whether it be from his daughter, a humiliating act for the head of a household, or lending agencies – in order to relieve his burdens. Instead of turning inward upon himself like Raskolnikov, Marmeladov accepts that the individual cannot live alienated from other people, especially when under distress. Even if this path to salvation from economic duress is doomed to infelicity, he explains, “knowing beforehand that he will not give anything, you still set out on your way” (14). Immediately following a description of Sisyphean suffering, we are introduced to Sonya as he remembers the moment “when my only-begotten daughter went out for the first time with a yellow pass, and I went, too, then . . . (for my daughter lives on a yellow pass, sir)” (14). In this conversation, Dostoyevsky does two things with Sonya’s character: he links her to Christ-like suffering (and thus redemption) and a criticism of the “political economy.” Marmeladov calling Sonya his