The image of the eternal Sonechka in Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment essay

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The image of the eternal Sonechka in the novel Crime and Punishment

Sonya Marmeladova is one of the main characters in the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment".

Seventeen-year-old Sonya suffered a difficult fate: her mother died prematurely, which is why her father married another woman, with his children. Meek, humble, sacrificial, she decides to take a terrible step for the sake of her family, to save her from death by starvation - sacrificing her innocence and honor, she goes to the panel. Her decision is a result of the conditions in which she had to live. At the same time, it is a lifeline for the dying members of her family. The only thing the girl has is her body, with the help of which she decides to save the Marmeladov family from starvation. But it was Sonechka’s choice, her decision; she did not feel resentment, evil, or hatred towards her stepmother. That is why the soul of the young girl did not harden, did not become bitter, was not filled with anger and hatred towards others, her soul was crystal clear.

Sonya is saved by her love for people; she devotes her whole life to selfless and endless sacrifice. This is the meaning of Sonechka Marmeladova’s life, her happiness, her joy. It’s as if she feeds herself, her soul, with love for people, this gives her the strength to move on, to humbly endure all the torment and suffering. But the shame pushed the girl to thoughts of suicide, because in this way, in her opinion, she could wash away dishonor, humiliation, and shame. However, thoughts about the hungry children she could feed forced the girl to accept her fate.

The young woman is distinguished by her ability to understand and accept the pain of other people, to empathize with them. So, for example, she accepted Raskolnikov’s confession about the murder he committed without condemnation, disgust or disgust. With her characteristic humility and meekness, Sonya convinces Rodion to confess and repent of his crime. The girl does not push Raskolnikov away from her, but, on the contrary, sympathizes with him and strives to cleanse his soul. This behavior and Sonechka’s love are resurrected into the life of a young man. It was this love that helped Sonya realize that, despite Raskolnikov’s pride, he was humiliated, dejected and needed help, support, warm words of consolation, as well as firm words of guidance on the true path. A young girl goes to hard labor for a young guy. This sacrifice, her immeasurable, selfless love helps to cleanse herself of the shameful imprint left by the past.

Dostoevsky’s ideal is a warm-hearted, open, loving person with high moral qualities, which is revealed in the image of Sonya Marmeladova. The girl, as commanded by Jesus Christ, in whom she believes, “brings light to the world,” brings hope, compassion, meekness. And, according to Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, every person should be like this.

Author: F. M. Dostoevsky
Work: Crime and Punishment
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In the novel “Crime and Punishment,” F. M. Dostoevsky showed the tragedy of an individual who sees many of the contradictions of his era and, completely confused in life, creates a theory that goes against the main human laws. Raskolnikov's idea that there are people - “trembling creatures” and “having the right”, finds many refutations in the novel. And, perhaps, the most striking revelation of this idea is the image of Sonechka Marmeladova.

It was this heroine who was destined to share the depth of all the mental anguish Raskolnikov experienced after the murder of the old money-lender and Lizaveta. It was Sonya who was constantly next to Raskolnikov, helping him understand himself and come to those eternal values that the poor and resigned girl personified in her character.

The meaning of Sonechka’s life is compassion for people, compassion for all living things. It does not divide people into good and evil. For her, any person is good. Sonya has a great power of compassion, and this power forces her to go through all the circles of hell, pushes her towards the same “humiliated and insulted” people as herself. Raskolnikov calls people like Sonya “poor and meek” who “give everything, look meekly and quietly.” But it is precisely this quality that makes Sonya capable of strong actions that require great moral courage from a person.

Sonya is not thinking about herself. All her thoughts are directed to her drunken father, sick stepmother and small children. Fear for them, for their future, pushes Sonya onto the path of a prostitute. If these unfortunate people had not existed, she would not have allowed herself to sink so low; most likely she would have committed suicide. But she always remembers her family.

If Raskolnikov’s suffering leads him to separation from people, then Sonya’s suffering leads him to unity with humanity. Therefore, for Raskolnikov, Sonya becomes a symbol of eternal sacrifice, a symbol of the soul trampled under foot by this cruel world. But Sonya believes in a certain deep meaning of life, the original meaning of human existence in general. By committing murder, Raskolnikov suppressed the feeling of fullness of life, suppressed the desire to live. And Sonya lives with this feeling constantly, although she herself is in the terrible abused position of a prostitute.

Raskolnikov goes on a rebellion against the merciless and cruel world, wants to get rid of violence by committing other violence, and this leads to the suppression of a person, his personality (it is no coincidence that, together with the old woman, he kills Lizaveta, the same unfortunate and downtrodden soul as Sonya). Sonya cannot always understand the great meaning of existence, but she feels it with her heart, bows before it and intuitively follows the eternal Christian and human laws. She denies the right of a person to commit lynching, so the very idea of dividing people into two categories seems blasphemous to her.

Raskolnikov often tries to identify Sonechka with himself. In his opinion, she also stepped over human laws by going outside. There is a significant difference between the desire for good by allowing evil in relation to other people and voluntary, natural self-sacrifice committed in the name of love for one's neighbor. In Sonya’s understanding, a person cannot step over another person, only through himself, through his suffering.

But Sonya’s dedication is far from humility; it is active in nature and aimed at helping loved ones. This is a very religious girl, but her religiosity is far from the ritual side of the Christian faith. She does not serve a prayer service, does not ask priests for advice, and does not turn to miraculous icons. She just believes. In the person of Sonya, Dostoevsky showed the people's version of the religious worldview, which is much more sincere and comes from the heart.

Sonina’s love for humanity is free from any theoretical justification; this is her natural state. She loves people because her heart tells her so. Sonya Marmeladova becomes the ideal of a woman, the ideal of a person. Therefore, she defeats Raskolnikov and finally debunks his theory. Sonya follows him to hard labor, where she helps Rodion to the end to take the path of repentance and purification, turns him to the true faith, to philanthropy without violence.

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