Raskolnikov Rodion Romanovich is a poor and humiliated student, the main character of the novel Crime and Punishment. The author of the work is Dostoevsky Fedor Mikhailovich. For the psychological counterbalance of Rodion Romanovich’s theory, the writer created the image of Sonya Marmeladova. Both characters are at a young age. Raskolnikov and Sonya Marmeladova, faced with a difficult life situation, do not know what to do next.
The image of Raskolnikov
At the beginning of the story, the reader notices Raskolnikov’s inappropriate behavior. The hero is always nervous, his internal state is constant anxiety, and his behavior seems suspicious. In the course of events, one can understand that Rodion is a man who is obsessed with his idea. All his thoughts are that people are divided into two types. The first type is the "higher" society, and here he also relates his personality. And the second type is "trembling creatures." For the first time, he prints this theory in a newspaper article called "On Crime". From the article it becomes clear that the "higher" have the right to ignore moral laws and destroy the "trembling creatures" to achieve their personal goals. According to Raskolnikov's description, these poor people need biblical commandments and morals. The new legislators who will control the gray mass can be considered "higher", Bonaparte is an example for such legislators. But Raskolnikov himself on the way to the "higher" does things of a completely different level, without even noticing it.
The life story of Sonya Marmeladova
The reader learns about heroin from the story of her father, which was addressed to Rodion Romanovich. Marmeladov Semyon Zakharovich - an alcoholic, lives with his wife (Katerina Ivanovna), has three young children. The wife and children are starving, the father is drinking. Sonya is the daughter of Marmeladov from his first wife, renting an apartment "on a yellow ticket." Semyon Zakharovich tells Raskolnikov that her daughter went to such a life because of her stepmother, who reproached her for “drinking, eating and using heat,” that is, a parasite. This is how the Marmeladov family lives. The truth of Sonya Marmeladova is that she herself is an unrequited girl, does not hold evil, "climbs out of her way" to help the sick stepmother and hungry stepbrothers and sisters, not to mention her father, who is sick with alcoholism. Semyon Zakharovich shares his memories of how he found and lost his job, how he drank the uniform that his daughter bought with her earned money, and how he had the conscience to ask his daughter for a hangover. Sonya gave him the last, never reproaching him.
The tragedy of the heroine
The fate of Sonya Marmeladova is similar in many respects to the position of Rodion. They play the same role in society. Rodion Romanovich lives in the attic in a wretched little room. As the author sees this room: a small cell, about 6 steps away, has a beggarly look. A tall person feels uncomfortable in such a room. Raskolnikov is so poor that it is no longer possible, but to the surprise of the reader he feels good, his spirit has not fallen. The same poverty forced Sonya to go outside in order to earn money. The girl is unhappy. Her fate is cruel to her. But the morale of the heroine is not broken. On the contrary, in seemingly inhuman conditions, Sonia Marmeladova finds the only way out worthy of man. She chooses the path of religion and self-sacrifice. The author shows us the heroine as a person who can penetrate someone else's pain and suffering, while being unhappy. A girl can not only understand another, but also direct on the right path, forgive, accept someone else's suffering. So, we see how the heroine shows pity for Katerina Ivanovna, calls her “fair, child”, unhappy. Sonya saves her children, then she pities the dying father. This, like other scenes, inspire sympathy and respect for the girl. And it is not at all surprising that then Rodion will share his spiritual torment with Sophia.
Raskolnikov and Sonya Marmeladova
Rodion decided to tell his secret to Sophia, but not to Porfiry Petrovich. She, in his opinion, was, like no one else, able to judge him in good conscience. However, her opinion will differ significantly from the court of Porfiry. Raskolnikov, despite his atrocity, longed for human understanding, love, sensitivity. He wanted to see that "high light" that is able to lead him out of the darkness, to support. Raskolnikov’s hopes for understanding from Sophia were justified. Rodion Romanovich cannot make contact with people. He begins to think that everyone is mocking him and know that it was he who did it. The truth opposite Sonya Marmeladova is directly opposite to his vision. The girl stands for humanity, philanthropy, forgiveness. Upon learning of his crime, she does not reject him, but rather embraces, kisses and says unconsciously that "there is no one merciless in the world now."
Real life
Despite all this, Rodion Romanovich periodically returns to earth and notices everything that happens in the real world. On one of these days, he witnesses a drunken official Semen Marmeladov knocking a horse. During his last words, the author first describes Sophia Semenovna. Sonya was short, about eighteen. The girl was thin, but pretty, blonde, with attractive blue eyes. Sonya comes to the scene of the accident. Father died on her lap. She sends her younger sister to find out where Raskolnikov lives in order to return to him the money that he gave for his father’s funeral. After a while, Sophia goes to Rodion Romanovich to invite him to the commemoration. So she shows him her gratitude.
Father's wake
At the event, there is a scandal on the grounds that Sonya is accused of theft. Everything was decided peacefully, but Katerina Ivanovna and her children were evicted from the apartment. Now everyone is doomed to death. Raskolnikov is trying to find out from Sophia, if her will, she could have killed Luzhin, the man who unjustly slandered her, saying that she was a thief. Sophia gave a philosophical answer to this question. Rodion Romanovich finds something dear in Sonya, probably that they were both rejected.
He is trying to see understanding in her, because his theory is wrong. Now Rodion is ready for self-destruction, and Sonya - "daughter, that the stepmother is evil and consumptive, has betrayed herself to strangers and young children." Sophia Semenovna relies on her moral guideline, which is important and clear to her - this is wisdom, which is described in the Bible as purifying suffering. Raskolnikov, of course, shared with Marmeladova a story about his act, while listening to him, she did not turn away from him. The truth here is Sonya Marmeladova - in the manifestation of a feeling of pity, sympathy for Rodion. The heroine urged him to go and repent of what he had done, relying on the parable that was studied in the Bible about the resurrection of Lazarus. Sonya agrees to share with Rodion Romanovich the difficult everyday life of hard labor. This is not only the mercy of Sonya Marmeladova. She does this in order to purify herself, because she believes that she violates the biblical commandments.
What unites Sophia with Rodion
What can characterize Marmeladova and Raskolnikov at the same time? For example, convicts who are serving time in the same cell with Rodion Romanovich adore Sonia, who regularly visits him, but treat him with contempt. They want to kill Raskolnikov and constantly make fun of him that it’s not the tsar’s case “to wear an ax”. Sofya Semenovna from childhood has her own ideas about people and adheres to them throughout her life. She never looks down on people, has respect and regret for them.
Output
I would like to draw a conclusion based on the mutual relations of the main characters of the novel. What significance did Sonya Marmeladova’s truth have? If Sofya Semenovna did not appear on the path of Rodion Romanovich with her life values and ideals, then his life path would end very soon in the painful torment of self-destruction. That is the truth of Sonya Marmeladova. Due to such a tie in the middle of the novel, the author has the opportunity to logically complete the images of the main characters. Two different views and two analyzes of the same situation give the novel credibility. True, Sonya Marmeladova is opposed to Rodion's theory and his worldview. The famous Russian writer was able to breathe life into the main characters and safely resolve all the worst that happened in their life. Such completeness of the novel puts Crime and Punishment alongside the greatest works that are on the list of world literature. Every student, every student should read this novel.