The role of female images in literature has always been very great. They help many authors to reveal important character traits of the protagonist, their grace and beauty can cause admiration for the reader. It is enough to recall Tatyana Larina from the novel "Eugene Onegin" by A. S. Pushkin. This woman is close to Russian culture and nature. The image of Katerina from the drama "Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky also deserves attention. Katerina is compared to a ray of light that shines in the dark kingdom.
In this article, we will consider the main female images in the novel Crime and Punishment and their role in the work. These are Sonya Marmeladova, Pulkheria Alexandrovna, Dunya, Alena Ivanovna and Lizaveta Ivanovna.
Sonya Marmeladova
Of course, among all of the above heroines, Sonya stands out. Therefore, it is precisely with her that one should begin by characterizing the female images in the novel Crime and Punishment. The summary of the work you hopefully remember. From the novel, we can conclude that this girl has great spiritual strength, helping her to bring kindness to people. Fedor Mikhailovich calls Sonya a harlot. However, the girl did not become so of her own free will. She wanted to help her family. In fact, Sonia sacrifices herself for the sake of others. She is trying to come to terms with the pitiable, miserable position in which this heroine found herself. Surprisingly, Sonya manages, despite everything, to maintain the integrity and purity of her own soul. Of course, this suggests that we have a strong personality.
Forgiveness, humility, self-sacrifice - these are the main features inherent in this heroine. The girl lives according to the canons and customs of Christianity, which she later tries to instill in Rodion, who has lost his inner core. It should be noted that it is the influence of this girl that helps Raskolnikov to know himself, to find a way in life, to gain faith in the future. Sonya has a strong sense of love for this hero, so she did not leave him when Raskolnikov was captured by his anxieties and feelings.
Dostoevsky in the image of Sonya created the antipode to Rodion Raskolnikov and his theory. The life position of this heroine reflects the views of the writer, his faith in justice, goodness, humility, forgiveness, but above all in the fact that any person is worthy of love, whatever he may be.
Dunya
Rodion's mother and his sister are female images in the novel Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky, which also play a very important role in the fate of Raskolnikov, the protagonist. Dunya agrees to even marry an unloved person to help the protagonist rise from poverty. Dunya, like Sonya, sells herself to prevent her brother and mother from eking out a beggarly existence. However, unlike Sonya Marmeladova, she has the opportunity to choose a buyer.
Pulcheria Alexandrovna
F.M. Dostoevsky created immortal female images. In the novel Crime and Punishment, a brief summary of which formed the basis of many films and performances, a number of interesting characters are presented. One of them is Pulcheria Alexandrovna. This woman is still young by modern standards - she is 43 years old. However, Pulcheria Alexandrovna had to go through a lot, like the other heroes of the novel by Dostoevsky, humiliated and insulted. She tells Rodion: "You are our everything, all hope, our hope." In a letter to Raskolnikov, this woman expresses all her care and love. Pulcheria Alexandrovna is a loving mother who supports her son and believes in him, no matter what.
Lizaveta Ivanovna
A very large semantic load are female images in the novel "Crime and Punishment." An heroine such as Lizaveta Ivanovna is also interesting in this respect. The sister of the old interest-bearing woman, in essence, is the personification of the humiliated and offended. She was distinguished by kindness, meekness, modesty. This woman did not hurt anyone or hurt anyone. However, Rodion kills her to get rid of the witness. Thus, the heroine becomes a victim of circumstances. This moment is turning point for Raskolnikov. His theory is beginning to crumble.
Alena Ivanovna
When considering female images in the novel Crime and Punishment, a few words should also be said about Alena Ivanovna. The old woman-percussionist disgusts us from the very beginning. The author describes her as a dry, tiny old woman, about 60 years old, with angry and keen eyes, a fair-haired woman with a small oriental nose. Her slightly gray-haired, blond hair was greased oily. The long and thin neck of Alena Ivanovna is compared with a chicken leg. This woman personifies social evil. Raskolnikov, killing her, seeks to save humanity from grief and suffering. But it turns out that the deprivation of life of even the worst person will not open the road to a better future. Happiness cannot be built on spilled blood.
Finally
Female images in the novel "Crime and Punishment", of course, succeeded the author. Each heroine of the work is individual, unique, has its own characteristics of thinking and consciousness. Decades pass, and the feminine truth captured by Dostoevsky continues to exist. She excites the minds of more and more new generations of readers, invites us to either agree with the writer, or engage in polemics with him. Female images in the novel "Crime and Punishment" to this day leave no one indifferent.