The image of the “eternal Sonechka” in the novel by F. M
The novel “Crime and Punishment” was written by Dostoevsky after hard labor, when the writer’s beliefs took on a religious overtones. The search for truth, denunciation of the unjust structure of the world, the dream of “the happiness of mankind” during this period were combined in the writer’s character with disbelief in the violent remaking of the world. Convinced that it is impossible to avoid evil in any social structure, that evil comes from the human soul, Dostoevsky rejected the revolutionary path of transforming society. Raising the question only of the moral improvement of each person, the writer turned to religion.
Rodion Raskolnikov and Sonya Marmeladova- the two main characters of the novel, appearing as two counter-currents. Their worldview forms the ideological part of the work. Sonya Marmeladova is Dostoevsky's moral ideal. She brings with her the light of hope, faith, love and compassion, tenderness and understanding. This is exactly what the writer thinks a person should be. Sonya personifies Dostoevsky's truth. For Sonya, all people have the same right to life. She is firmly convinced that no one can achieve happiness, both their own and that of others, through crime. A sin remains a sin, no matter who commits it and for what purpose.
Sonya Marmeladova and Rodion Raskolnikov exist in completely different worlds. They are like two opposite poles, but cannot exist without each other. The image of Raskolnikov embodies the idea of rebellion, and the image of Sonya - the idea of humility. But what is the content of both rebellion and humility is a topic of numerous debates that continue to this day.
Sonya is a highly moral, deeply religious woman. She believes in the deep inner meaning of life, she does not understand Raskolnikov’s ideas about the meaninglessness of everything that exists. She sees the predestination of God in everything and believes that nothing depends on man. Its truth is God, love, humility. The meaning of life for her lies in the great power of compassion and empathy from person to person.
Raskolnikov passionately and mercilessly judges the world with the mind of a hot rebellious personality. He does not agree to put up with life's injustice, and hence his mental anguish and crime. Although Sonechka, like Raskolnikov, oversteps herself, she still oversteps in a different way than he does. She sacrifices herself to others, and does not destroy or kill other people. And this embodied the author’s thoughts that a person has no right to selfish happiness, he must endure and through suffering achieve true happiness.
According to Dostoevsky, a person should feel responsible not only for his own actions, but also for every evil that occurs in the world. This is why Sonya feels that she is also to blame for Raskolnikov’s crime, which is why she takes his action so close to her heart and shares his fate.
It is Sonya who reveals Raskolnikov his terrible secret. Her love revived Rodion, resurrected him to a new life. This resurrection is expressed symbolically in the novel: Raskolnikov asks Sonya to read the Gospel scene of the resurrection of Lazarus from the New Testament and relates the meaning of what she read to herself. Touched by Sonya's sympathy, Rodion goes to her for the second time as a close friend, he himself confesses to her the murder, tries, confused about the reasons, to explain to her why he did it, asks her not to leave him in misfortune and receives an order from her: to go to the square, kiss the ground and repent before all the people. This advice from Sonya reflects the thought of the author himself, who strives to lead his hero to suffering, and through suffering - to atonement.
In the image of Sonya, the author embodied the best qualities of a person: sacrifice, faith, love and chastity. Being surrounded by vice, forced to sacrifice her dignity, Sonya was able to maintain the purity of her soul and the belief that “there is no happiness in comfort, happiness is bought by suffering, a person is not born for happiness: a person deserves his happiness, and always through suffering.” Sonya, who “transgressed” and ruined her soul, a “man of high spirit”, of the same “class” as Raskolnikov, condemns him for his contempt for people and does not accept his “rebellion”, his “axe”, which, as it seemed to Raskolnikov, was raised and in her name. The heroine, according to Dostoevsky, embodies the national principle, the Russian element: patience and humility, immeasurable love for man and God. The clash between Raskolnikov and Sonya, whose worldviews are opposed to each other, reflects the internal contradictions that troubled the writer’s soul.
Sonya hopes for God, for a miracle. Raskolnikov is sure that there is no God and there will be no miracle. Rodion mercilessly reveals to Sonya the futility of her illusions. He tells Sonya about the uselessness of her compassion, about the futility of her sacrifices. It is not the shameful profession that makes Sonya a sinner, but the futility of her sacrifice and her feat. Raskolnikov judges Sonya with different scales in his hands than the prevailing morality; he judges her from a different point of view than she herself.
Driven by life into the last and already completely hopeless corner, Sonya tries to do something in the face of death. She, like Raskolnikov, acts according to the law of free choice. But, unlike Rodion, Sonya has not lost faith in people; she does not need examples to establish that people are naturally good and deserve a bright share. Only Sonya is able to sympathize with Raskolnikov, since she is not embarrassed by either physical deformity or the ugliness of social fate. She penetrates “through the scab” into the essence of human souls and is in no hurry to condemn; feels that behind the external evil there are hidden some unknown or incomprehensible reasons that led to the evil of Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov.
Sonya internally stands outside of money, outside the laws of the world tormenting her. Just as she, of her own free will, went to the panel, so herself, of her own firm and indestructible will, she did not commit suicide.
Sonya was faced with the question of suicide; she thought about it and chose an answer. Suicide, in her situation, would be too selfish a way out - it would save her from shame, from torment, it would rescue her from the fetid pit. “After all, it would be fairer,” exclaims Raskolnikov, “a thousand times fairer and wiser it would be to dive head first into the water and end it all at once!” - What will happen to them? - Sonya asked weakly, looking at him painfully, but at the same time, as if not at all surprised by his proposal.” Sonya's measure of will and determination was higher than Rodion could have imagined. To keep herself from committing suicide, she needed more stamina, more self-reliance than to throw herself “headfirst into the water.” What kept her from drinking water was not so much the thought of sin as “about them, our own.” For Sonya, debauchery was worse than death. Humility does not imply suicide. And this shows us the full strength of Sonya Marmeladova’s character.
Sonya's nature can be defined in one word - loving. Active love for one’s neighbor, the ability to respond to someone else’s pain (especially deeply manifested in the scene of Raskolnikov’s confession of murder) make the image of Sonya “ideal.” It is from the standpoint of this ideal that the verdict is pronounced in the novel. In the image of Sonya Marmeladova, the author presented an example of comprehensive, all-forgiving love contained in the character of the heroine. This love is not envious, does not require anything in return, it is even somehow unspoken, because Sonya never talks about it. It fills her entire being, but never comes out in the form of words, only in the form of actions. This is silent love and that makes it even more beautiful. Even the desperate Marmeladov bows to her, even the crazy Katerina Ivanovna prostrates herself before her, even the eternal libertine Svidrigailov respects Sonya for this. Not to mention Raskolnikov, whom this love saved and healed.
The heroes of the novel remain true to their beliefs, despite the fact that their faith is different. But both of them understand that God is one for everyone, and he will show the true path to everyone who feels his closeness. The author of the novel, through moral search and reflection, came to the idea that every person who comes to God begins to look at the world in a new way, rethinks it. Therefore, in the epilogue, when Raskolnikov’s moral resurrection occurs, Dostoevsky says that “a new history begins, the history of the gradual renewal of man, the history of his gradual rebirth, gradual transition from one world to another, acquaintance with a new, hitherto completely unknown reality.”
Having rightly condemned Raskolnikov’s “rebellion,” Dostoevsky leaves victory not for the strong, smart and proud Raskolnikov, but for Sonya, seeing in her the highest truth: suffering is better than violence - suffering purifies. Sonya professes moral ideals that, from the writer’s point of view, are closest to the broad masses of the people: the ideals of humility, forgiveness, silent submission. In our time, most likely, Sonya would become an outcast. And not every Raskolnikov today will suffer and suffer. But the human conscience, the human soul, have lived and will always live as long as “the world stands.” This is the great immortal meaning of the most complex novel created by a brilliant psychological writer.
Materials about the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment".
Roman F.M. Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" is dedicated to the history of Rodion Raskolnikov's gestation and commission of a crime. Remorse after the murder of the old pawnbroker becomes simply unbearable for the hero. This internal process is carefully described by the author of the novel. But it is not only the authenticity of the psychological state of the main character that makes this work remarkable. In the system of images of “Crime and Punishment” there is one more character, without whom the novel would have remained a detective story. Sonechka Marmeladova is the core of the work. The daughter of Marmeladov, whom he met by chance, entered Raskolnikov’s life and marked the beginning of his spiritual rebirth.
Sonechka's life is unremarkable. After the death of his mother, his father, out of pity, married a woman who was left a widow with three children. The marriage turned out to be unequal and a burden to both. Sonya was Ekaterina Ivanovna’s stepdaughter, so she got it the most. In a moment of emotional distress, the stepmother sent Sonya to the panel. Her “earnings” supported the whole family. The seventeen-year-old girl had no education, which is why everything turned out so badly. Although the father did not disdain the money earned by his daughter in this way, and always asked her for a hangover... I also suffered from this.
This, as already mentioned, is an ordinary everyday story, characteristic not only of the mid-19th century, but of any time. But what made the author of the novel “Crime and Punishment” focus on Sonechka Marmeladova and generally introduce this image into the plot? First of all, this is Sonya’s perfect purity, which the life she lives could not kill. Even her appearance testifies to her inner purity and greatness.
Raskolnikov first meets Sonya in the scene of Marmeladov’s death, when he sees her in the crowd of people who have come running to see a new spectacle. The girl was dressed according to her occupation (a colorful dress bought through third parties, a straw hat with a bright feather, the obligatory “umbrelka” in her hands with patched-up gloves), but then Sonya comes to Raskolnikov to thank him for saving her father. Now it looks different:
“Sonya was small, about eighteen years old, thin, but quite pretty blonde with wonderful blue eyes.” Now she looks like “a girl of modest and decent manner, with a clear, but somewhat intimidated face.”
The more Raskolnikov communicates with her, the more she opens up. Having chosen Sonya Marmeladova for a frank confession, he seems to be trying to test her strength, asking angry, cruel questions: is she afraid of getting sick in her “profession”, what will happen to the children if she gets sick, that Polechka will face the same fate - prostitution. Sonya answers him as if in a frenzy: “God will not allow this.” And he doesn’t hold a grudge against his stepmother at all, claiming that it’s much harder for her. A little later, Rodion notes in her a feature that clearly characterizes her:
“In her face, and in her entire figure, there was, in addition, one special feature: despite her eighteen years, she seemed almost still a girl, much younger than her years, almost like a child, and this sometimes even manifested itself comically in some of her movements "
This childishness is associated with purity and high morality!
Also interesting is Sonya’s characterization by her father: “She is unrequited, and her voice is so meek...” This meekness and meekness is a distinctive feature of the girl. She sacrificed everything to save her family, which, in essence, was not even her family. But her kindness and mercy are enough for everyone. After all, she immediately justifies Raskolnikov, saying that he was hungry, unhappy, and committed a crime, being driven to despair.
Sonya lives life not for herself, but for the sake of others. She helps the weak and needy, and this is her unshakable strength. Raskolnikov says this about her:
“Oh yes Sonya! What a well, however, they managed to dig! And they use it! That's why they use it. And we got used to it. We cried and got used to it.”
Raskolnikov finds this desperate dedication of hers completely incredible. He, as an egoistic individualist, always thinking only about himself, tries to comprehend her motives. And this faith in people, in goodness, in mercy seems insincere to him. Even in hard labor, when old, seasoned murderers-criminals call a young girl “merciful mother,” he had to lose sight of her in order to understand how important and dear she was to him. Only there does he accept all her views, and they penetrate his essence.
Sonechka Marmeladova is a wonderful example of humanism and high morality. She lives according to Christian laws. It is no coincidence that the author settles her in the apartment of the tailor Capernaumov - a direct association with Maria Magdalena, who lived in the city of Capernaum. Her strength is expressed in purity and inner greatness. Rodion Raskolnikov very aptly described such people: “They give everything... they look meek and quiet.”
There is a difficult internal struggle going on in Raskolnikov’s soul. And on his way just at this time Sonya Marmeladova comes across.
And so, Raskolnikov came to this Sonya to repent - he thought that she, who had also “overstepped” the conventions of life, was close to him in spirit, that she was his comrade in trouble. He flattered himself with the thought that she, too, was angry at people because she was their victim, and, like him, a sinner “most of all because she killed and betrayed herself in vain”... From these words it is clear that What, blinded by conceit, he could still look at himself as "vain sacrifice"
He knelt before Sonya and said: “I didn’t bow to you, I bowed to all human suffering.” His “pride” can still be heard in these words. After all, he considers himself equally worthy of admiration. He came to “outrage” Sonya against human injustice - and in this indignation of a “sister in spirit” to find relief for his rebellious soul.
But he met a strong person in her who led him. Sonya brought him closer to God, she read him the “Gospel” - she, a simple girl, told him, an educated person, that there is no standard by which a person can judge another person, and no one has the right to despise his neighbor. she told this proud man that he was “the most unfortunate” in the world, that he above oneself did great evil; She showed him the way to salvation:
“Go now, this very minute, stand at the crossroads, bow down, first kiss the ground that you have desecrated, and then bow to the whole world, in all four directions, and tell everyone, out loud: I killed.”
She brings Raskolnikov to the realization that the main motivation for murder was his pride. He didn’t care about people’s happiness: he only wanted to prove to himself that he was a strong man, that he was not “a louse like everyone else,” not a “trembling creature” - and “has the right to overstep.”
Raskolnikov gradually takes the path that Sonya showed him. And from the moment of his first sincere repentance in hard labor, he begins to return to that communication with people from which he broke away, obeying his pride.
What happened to him was that with Tolstoy’s heroes - Pierre Bezukhov, Andrei Bolkonsky, only he paid a greater price for his mistakes. His repentance itself is characteristic - it is purely in the “folk spirit” - this contains a high meaning: Dostoevsky, like Tolstoy, calls this criminal intellectual to simple - people's truth, to "
Immortal image
Some heroes of classical literature gain immortality and live next to us; this is exactly what the image of Sonya turned out to be in the novel “Crime and Punishment” by Dostoevsky. From her example, we learn the best human qualities: kindness, mercy, self-sacrifice. She teaches us to love devotedly and selflessly believe in God.
Meet the heroine
The author does not immediately introduce us to Sonechka Marmeladova. She appears on the pages of the novel when a terrible crime has already been committed, two people have died, and Rodion Raskolnikov has ruined his soul. It seems that nothing in his life can be improved. However, meeting a modest girl changed the hero’s fate and revived him to life.
The first time we hear about Sonya is from the story of the unfortunate drunken Marmeladov. In confession, he talks about his unhappy fate, about his starving family and gratefully pronounces the name of his eldest daughter.
Sonya is an orphan, Marmeladov’s only natural daughter. Until recently, she lived with her family. Her stepmother Katerina Ivanovna, a sick, unhappy woman, was exhausted so that the children would not die of starvation, Marmeladov himself drank away his last money, the family was in dire need. Out of despair, the sick woman often became irritated over trifles, made scandals, and reproached her stepdaughter with a piece of bread. Conscientious Sonya decided to take a desperate step. In order to somehow help her family, she began to engage in prostitution, sacrificing herself for the sake of her loved ones. The story of the poor girl left a deep mark on Raskolnikov’s wounded soul long before he personally met the heroine.
Portrait of Sonya Marmeladova
A description of the girl's appearance appears on the pages of the novel much later. She, like a wordless ghost, appears on the threshold of her home during the death of her father, crushed by a drunken cab driver. Timid by nature, she did not dare enter the room, feeling vicious and unworthy. An absurd, cheap, but bright outfit indicated her occupation. “Meek” eyes, “a pale, thin and irregular angular face” and the whole appearance betrayed a meek, timid nature that had reached the extreme degree of humiliation. “Sonya was small, about seventeen years old, thin, but quite pretty blonde, with wonderful blue eyes.” This is how she appeared before Raskolnikov’s eyes, this is how the reader sees her for the first time.
Character traits of Sofia Semyonovna Marmeladova
A person's appearance can often be deceiving. The image of Sonya in Crime and Punishment is full of inexplicable contradictions. A meek, weak girl considers herself a great sinner, unworthy to be in the same room with decent women. She is embarrassed to sit next to Raskolnikov’s mother, and cannot shake hands with his sister for fear of offending them. Sonya can easily be offended and humiliated by any scoundrel, like Luzhin or the landlady. Defenseless against the arrogance and rudeness of the people around her, she is unable to stand up for herself.
A complete description of Sonya Marmeladova in the novel “Crime and Punishment” consists of an analysis of her actions. Physical weakness and indecision are combined in her with enormous mental strength. At the core of her being is love. For the love of her father, she gives him her last money for a hangover. For the sake of love for children, he sells his body and soul. For the sake of love for Raskolnikov, she follows him to hard labor and patiently endures his indifference. Kindness and the ability to forgive distinguish the heroine from other characters in the story. Sonya does not hold a grudge against her stepmother for her crippled life, and does not dare condemn her father for his weak character and eternal drunkenness. She is able to forgive and regret Raskolnikov for the murder of Lizaveta, close to her. “There is no one more unhappy than you in the whole world,” she tells him. To treat the vices and mistakes of people around you this way, you have to be a very strong and integral person.
Where does a weak, fragile, humiliated girl have such patience, endurance and inexhaustible love for people? Faith in God helps Sonya Marmeladova to survive herself and lend a helping hand to others. “What would I be without God?” – the heroine is sincerely perplexed. It is no coincidence that the exhausted Raskolnikov goes to her for help and tells her about his crime. The faith of Sonya Marmeladova helps the criminal to first confess to the murder he has committed, then sincerely repent, believe in God and start a new happy life.
The role of the image of Sonya Marmeladova in the novel
The main character of F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” is considered to be Rodion Raskolnikov, since the plot is based on the story of the hero’s crime. But it is impossible to imagine the novel without the image of Sonya Marmeladova. Sonya's attitude, beliefs, and actions reflect the author's life position. The fallen woman is pure and innocent. She fully atones for her sin with all-encompassing love for people. She is “humiliated and insulted”, not a “trembling creature” according to Raskolnikov’s theory, but a person worthy of respect, who turned out to be much stronger than the main character. Having gone through all the trials and suffering, Sonya did not lose her basic human qualities, did not betray herself and suffered happiness.
Sonya's moral principles, faith, love turned out to be stronger than Raskolnikov's egoistic theory. After all, only by accepting the beliefs of his girlfriend does the hero gain the right to happiness. The favorite heroine of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is the embodiment of his most secret thoughts and ideals of the Christian religion.
Work test
the role of Sonya Marmeladova in Raskolnikov’s life and received the best answer
Answer from Dmitry Filyakov[guru]
Here in front of me lies F. M. Dostoevsky’s book “Crime and Punishment.” The author touches on many problems in this work, but the most important of them is the problem of morality. Dostoevsky touches on this problem in many of his works, but this problem received the greatest development in “Crime and Punishment.” Perhaps it is this work that makes many people think about their actions. Here, in this book, we will meet many different people, but perhaps the most open, honest and kind is Sonya Marmeladova.
This girl has a difficult fate. Sonya's mother passed away early, her father married another woman who has her own children. Need forced Sonya to earn money in a low way: she was forced to go to work. It would seem that after such an act Sonya should have become angry with her stepmother, because she practically forced Sonya to earn money in this way. But Sonya forgave her, moreover, every month she brings money to the house in which she no longer lives. Sonya has changed outwardly, but her soul remains the same: crystal clear. Sonya is ready to sacrifice herself for the sake of others, and not everyone can do this. She could live “in spirit and mind,” but she must feed her family. And this act proves her selflessness.
Sonya did not condemn people for their actions, did not condemn either her father or Raskolnikov. The death of her father left a deep mark on Sonya’s soul: “From under this... hat a thin, pale and frightened face with an open mouth and eyes motionless with horror looked out.” Sonya loved her father, despite all his shortcomings. Therefore, his unexpected death was a great loss in Sonya’s life.
She understands and experiences their pain with people. So, she did not condemn Raskolnikov when he confessed to her the crime he had committed: “She suddenly took him by both hands and bowed her head to his shoulder. This short gesture even struck Raskolnikov with bewilderment, it was even strange: how? not the slightest disgust, not the slightest disgust towards him, not the slightest shudder in her hand! “Sonya realized that by killing the old pawnbroker, Raskolnikov also killed himself. His theory has collapsed, and he is at a loss. Sonechka, who sincerely believes in God, advises him to pray, repent, and bow to the ground. Raskolnikov understands that Sonya is an exceptional person: “The holy fool, the holy fool! “To which Sonya answers him: “But I’m... dishonest... I’m a great sinner.” She has no one to rely on, no one to expect help from, so she believes in God. In prayer, Sonya finds the peace her soul so needs. She does not judge people, since only God has the right to do so. But she does not force faith. She wants Raskolnikov to come to this himself. Although Sonya instructs and asks him: “Cross yourself, pray at least once.” She loves this man and is ready to go with him even to hard labor, because she believes: Raskolnikov will understand his guilt, repent, and start a new life. Life with her, with Sonya. Love and faith give her strength in any trials and difficulties. And it was her endless patience, quiet love, faith and desire to help her loved one - all this together made it possible for Raskolnikov to start a new life. For Sonya and for Dostoevsky himself, human-to-human empathy is characteristic. Raskolnikov teaches Sonya courage and masculinity. Sonya teaches him mercy and love, forgiveness and empathy. She helps him find the path to the resurrection of his soul, but Raskolnikov himself strives for this. Only in hard labor does he understand and accept Sonya’s faith and love: “Can her convictions not now be my convictions? Her feelings, her aspirations at least...” Realizing this, Raskolnikov becomes happy and makes Sonya happy: “He knew with what endless love he would now atone for all her suffering.” Sonya is given happiness as a reward for her suffering. Sonya is Dostoevsky's ideal. Because only a highly moral person, sincere and loving, can be an ideal. Sonya brings with her the light of hope and faith, love and sympathy, tenderness and understanding - this is how a person should be, according to Dostoevsky.
