Sonya Marmeladova when she appears in the novel. Characteristics and image of Sonya Marmeladova in the novel Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. Characteristics of the main character

Immortal image

Some heroes classical literature gain immortality, 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, which 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 the basic human qualities, did not change 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.

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The image of Sonya Marmeladova in the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment"

Sonya is a girl of about eighteen, small in stature, with blond hair and wonderful blue eyes. Her mother died early, and her father married another woman who has children of her own. Need forced Sonya to earn money in a low way: selling her body. But she is distinguished from all other girls engaged in the same craft by her deep faith and religiosity. She chose the path of sin not because she was attracted to carnal pleasures; she sacrificed herself for the sake of her younger brothers and sisters, her drunken father and her half-crazed stepmother. In many scenes, Sonya appears to us completely pure and innocent, be it the scene of her father’s death, where he repents of his actions that doomed his daughter to such an existence, or the scene when Ekaterina Ivanovna asks for forgiveness for her cruel words and treatment of her stepdaughter. literary Sonya Marmeladova Dostoevsky

I justify the fragile Sonya, who chose this difficult path. After all, the girl does not plunge headlong into the pool of passion, she is still spiritually pure before God. She may not go to church, fearing accusatory words, but in her small room there is always a Bible on the table, the verses of which she knows by heart. In addition, Sonya saves not only the lives of her relatives, in the novel she plays another important role: Sonechka Marmeladova saves the lost soul of Rodion Raskolnikov, who killed the old pawnbroker and her sister Lizaveta.

Rodion Raskolnikov, who had been looking for a long time for a person to whom he could tell about what he had done, and who already wanted to commit suicide, comes to Sonya. It was to her, and not to Porfiry Petrovich, that he decided to tell his secret, because he felt that only Sonya could judge him according to his conscience, and her judgment would be different from Porfiry’s. This girl, whom Raskolnikov called a “holy fool” upon learning about committed crime, kisses and hugs Rodion, not remembering himself. She alone is able to understand and experience their pain with people. Recognizing no one's judgment except God's,

Sonya is in no hurry to accuse Raskolnikov. on the contrary, she becomes for him guiding star, helping you find your place in life.

Sonya helps Raskolnikov “resurrect” thanks to the power of her love and ability to endure any torment for the sake of others. Immediately after she learned the whole truth, she decided that now she would be inseparable from Raskolnikov, would follow him to Siberia and, with the power of her faith, would force him to believe too. She knew that sooner or later he himself would come and ask her for the Gospel, as if a sign that things were beginning for him. new life... And Raskolnikov, after rejecting his theory, saw before him not a “trembling creature”, not a humble victim of circumstances, but a man whose self-sacrifice is far from humility and is aimed at saving the perishing, at effectively caring for his neighbors.

All that can be used to characterize Sonya is her love and faith, quiet patience and endless desire to help. Throughout the entire work, she carries with her the light of hope and sympathy, tenderness and understanding. And at the end of the novel, as a reward for all the difficulties she endured, Sonya is given happiness. And for me she is a saint; saint, whose light illuminated the paths of others...

From Marmeladov's story we learn about the unfortunate fate of her daughter, her sacrifice for the sake of her father, stepmother and her children. She committed a sin, dared to sell herself. But at the same time, she does not require or expect any gratitude. She does not blame Katerina Ivanovna for anything, she simply resigns herself to her fate. “...And she just took our large green draded shawl (we have a common shawl, draded damask), covered her head and face completely with it and lay down on the bed, facing the wall, only her shoulders and body were all shuddering...” Sonya closes face, because she is ashamed, ashamed of herself and God. Therefore, she rarely comes home, only to give money, she is embarrassed when meeting Raskolnikov’s sister and mother, she feels awkward even at her own father’s wake, where she was so shamelessly insulted. Sonya is lost under Luzhin's pressure; her meekness and quiet disposition make it difficult to stand up for herself.

All the heroine’s actions surprise with their sincerity and openness. She does nothing for herself, everything is for the sake of someone: her stepmother, stepbrothers and sister, Raskolnikov. The image of Sonya is the image of a true Christian and righteous woman. He is revealed most fully in the scene of Raskolnikov’s confession. Here we see Sonechka’s theory - “the theory of God.” The girl cannot understand and accept Raskolnikov’s ideas; she denies his elevation above everyone, his disdain for people. The very concept of an “extraordinary person” is alien to her, just as the possibility of breaking the “law of God” is unacceptable. For her, everyone is equal, everyone will appear before the court of the Almighty. In her opinion, there is no person on Earth who would have the right to condemn his own kind and decide their fate. "Kill? Do you have the right to kill? “- exclaimed the indignant Sonya. For her, all people are equal before God.

Yes, Sonya is also a criminal, like Raskolnikov, she also transgressed the moral law: “We are cursed together, together we will go,” Raskolnikov tells her, only he transgressed through the life of another person, and she transgressed through hers. Sonya calls Raskolnikov to repentance, she agrees to bear his cross, to help him come to the truth through suffering. We have no doubt about her words; the reader is sure that Sonya will follow Raskolnikov everywhere, everywhere and will always be with him. Why, why does she need this? Go to Siberia, live in poverty, suffer for the sake of a person who is dry, cold with you, and rejects you. Only she could do this,” eternal Sonechka", With kind hearted and selfless love for people. A prostitute who evokes respect and love from everyone around her is purely Dostoevsky; the idea of ​​humanism and Christianity permeates this image. Everyone loves and honors her: Katerina Ivanovna, her children, neighbors, and convicts whom Sonya helped for free. Reading the Gospel to Raskolnikov, the legend of the resurrection of Lazarus, Sonya awakens faith, love and repentance in his soul. “They were resurrected by love, the heart of one contained endless sources of life for the heart of the other.” Rodion came to what Sonya called him to, he overestimated life and its essence, as evidenced by his words: “Can her beliefs now not be my beliefs? Her feelings, her aspirations at least...”

By creating the image of Sonya Marmeladova, Dostoevsky created the antithesis of Raskolnikov and his theories (goodness, mercy, opposing evil) . Life position The girl reflects the views of the writer himself, his belief in goodness, justice, forgiveness and humility, but, above all, love for a person, no matter what he may be.

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Dostoevsky's work is distinguished by the mass of characters who took their place in the ranks immortal heroes literature. Among such figures is the image of Sonya Marmeladova. The writer uses characters as outlines that he fills with abstract, deep meaning: moral qualities, life experiences, lessons for readers to learn.

Meeting with Sonya Marmeladova

Sonya is a heroine who does not appear in the novel right away. The reader gets to know the girl gradually, slowly: unnoticed, the heroine enters the work and remains in the book, as well as in the reader’s memory, forever. The girl is the fire of hope. Sonechka Marmeladova enters the narrative at a moment when the murder has already been accomplished, and Raskolnikov has fallen into the trap of sophistical delusions. Rodion took the lives of two people and it seems that the hero found himself at the bottom from which he cannot get out. However, Sonya is a bridge, a saving rope or ladder, with the help of which Rodion regains his integrity.

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The reader first learns about Sonya from the story of the girl’s father. On this day, Semyon Marmeladov drank too much and in a drunken conversation mentioned his eldest daughter. Sonechka was Marmeladov’s only natural daughter, while the other three children were Marmeladov’s adopted pupils, who arrived with the former official’s second wife, Katerina Ivanovna. My father married for the second time when Sonechka was 14 years old. Katerina worked hard to feed her family, children, who were constantly malnourished and suffering from alcoholism of the head of the family.

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At some point, the woman with consumption could no longer work. Sonya had to save the family. Katerina Ivanovna seemed to show Sonya nothing but ingratitude.

But the unfortunate girl understands the pain and nature of her stepmother’s irritation, without holding any grudge against Katerina. On scandalous behavior, the woman’s hoarding was driven by despair and the hopeless situation of her family. Then Sonechka decided that she had to help the family.

Prostitution was the only business for which there was demand and which Sonya could engage in.

Sonya has always been hardworking. The girl worked part-time as a seamstress, however, this occupation brought in too little income to affect the well-being of the family and improve the plight of the Marmeladovs. Sonechka’s gullibility led to the fact that sometimes the girl was not paid for the work done.

Having received a “yellow ticket,” that is, having taken up the craft of corrupt women, Sonechka, out of shame and public condemnation, lived separately so as not to discredit the family’s reputation. Living in a rented room with a “partition” with a certain Mr. Kapernaumov, Sonya supports her father, stepmother, and three children of Katerina Ivanovna. Raskolnikov, having learned that apart from the eldest daughter of the former official, the Marmeladov family has no sources of income, condemns the position of Sonya’s relatives. Rodion believes that they are using the girl as a “well.”

Raskolnikov heard Sonya's story from Marmeladov. This story cut deep into the young man’s soul.

However, the story still ends badly, despite Sonechka’s sacrifices. The girl's father dies, hit by a cab driver's horse on the street. Marmeladov's widow, Katerina, will soon die of tuberculosis. The deceased's three children will be taken to an orphanage.

Details of Sonya's biography

Semyon Marmeladov is a former official who, having lost his position, found solace in a glass of alcohol. Sonya is Semyon's daughter. The writer reports the girl’s age: Sonechka is 18 years old. The girl's mother died, and her father remarried. Soon Semyon Marmeladov dies, and Sonya’s stepmother, Katerina, convinces her stepdaughter to contribute to the family’s survival. Therefore, Sonya sacrifices herself and goes out into the street to raise some money by selling her body.

The heroine's appearance

Dostoevsky pays considerable attention to describing Sonya's appearance. The appearance of a girl is an expression spiritual qualities And inner world. The writer gives Marmeladova blond curls, sophisticated facial features and white skin. The girl's height is small. The author says that Sonya always has a frightened mask on her face, and her bluish eyes are filled with horror. The mouth is slightly open in surprise and fear. Despite the thinness and sophistication of the face, it is asymmetrical and sharp. The first thing that attracts attention to the girl’s face is the immeasurable kindness, the good nature that emanates from Sonya’s appearance.

Sonya looks like an angel. White hair, blue eyes - this is an image that is stereotypically associated with chastity and naivety. The writer emphasizes that the heroine is pure and innocent, which is paradoxical, given the girl’s type of activity. Dostoevsky says that Sonechka’s diminutiveness made her think that the girl was just a child.

Sonya’s occupation gives away her outfit: Dostoevsky calls such clothes “street.” This dress is cheap and old, but bright, colorful, made in the colors of the street and fashion of this circle. Sonya's clothes speak about the purpose for which the girl is here, on a dirty St. Petersburg street. The writer often emphasizes the inappropriateness of the girl’s outfit where Sonya appears: for example, in her father’s house. The dress is too bright, it is clear that these clothes were bought from hundreds of hands. The crinoline blocks out the entire space, and in her hand the girl holds a ridiculous straw headdress decorated with bright feathers.


It is surprising that the reader does not immediately learn about the appearance of the heroine, as well as the girl herself: at first, Sonechka Marmeladova exists on the pages of the book, like a ghost, an outline, a sketch. Over time and with the development of events, the image of Sonechka gradually acquires clear features. The girl's appearance is first described by the author under tragic circumstances: the heroine's father, Semyon Marmeladov, was run over by a cab driver. Sonya appears at the house of her deceased father. The heroine is embarrassed to enter the house, dressed in a vulgar and vulgar dress. Conscience is a constant character trait of a girl. Conscience pushed Marmeladova into prostitution; conscience forces the heroine to consider herself a vicious and fallen woman. A reader familiar with biblical stories involuntarily brings to mind the image of Mary Magdalene.

Spiritual and moral qualities of the heroine

Sonya does not have any expressive talents, like Raskolnikov. Meanwhile, the heroine is distinguished by hard work, simplicity, and sincerity. Hard and obscene work did not spoil Sonya, did not bring blackness into the heroine’s soul. In a sense, Sonya turned out to be more resilient than Rodion, because life’s difficulties did not break the girl.

Sonya has no illusions: the girl understands that honest work will not bring much profit. Meekness, timidity, and patience help Sonya to withstand difficult times. The heroine is also characterized by irresponsibility: Sonya sacrifices herself to feed the children of her stepmother, who suffers from tuberculosis, but does not receive any return. Marmeladova also does not receive an answer from Raskolnikov, because the young man remains cold to the girl’s feelings and only over time begins to realize that Sonya is spiritually close to him. Sonya loves Raskolnikov, but the hero’s feelings for the girl cannot be called love. This is gratitude, tenderness, care. Here the reader sees that, indeed, irresponsibility is Sonya Marmeladova’s fate.

Sonya does not know how to stand up for herself, so it is easy to offend the girl. Resignation, selflessness, kindness remain integral characteristic features the image of Sonya Marmeladova, despite the insults, kicks and vicissitudes of fate. Sonya doesn’t mind giving away her last dress and her last money to help someone who needs help or is in trouble. The specifics of the girl’s way of life did not take away Sonya’s gullibility: for example, the heroine sincerely believes that Luzhin is pure in his intentions to help with money.

Gullibility is sometimes combined with stupidity. This is partly due to the fact that Sonya is deprived of education; a lack of knowledge is felt in the girl. Life's difficulties did not allow the girl to master any science or profession. Sonya did not receive any upbringing, nor any education. However, Sonya has a tendency to quickly absorb information. Dostoevsky reports that the heroine reads books with interest if she has the opportunity: for example, she read Lewis’s “Physiology.”

The role of religion and faith in the life of Sonya Marmeladova

The girl has a deep faith in God. Despite the circumstances own life, Sonya believes that God sees everything that is happening and will not allow a bad ending. Raskolnikov opens up to Sonya, confessing to the crime he committed. Expecting condemnation, the hero is surprised that his girlfriend feels pity and pain. Sonya believes that Rodion was tempted by the temptation of the devil, but a return to God, to Christian ideals and values ​​will restore integrity to the soul of his beloved.


Sonya is the embodiment of true Christian ideas. Sacrifice, mercy, the absence of the slightest grain of evil in a girl’s soul make her a saint. Sonya does not feel condemned towards her father or Katerina Ivanovna, who use eldest daughter for food. Sonechka even gives her father money, which he spends on drinking at the tavern.

Literary critics have repeatedly noted that Crime and Punishment is a storehouse of contradictions. The reader witnesses that the world is turned upside down. Social conventions lead to the fact that a small, thin girl, forced to use the “yellow ticket” for survival, considers herself dirty and unworthy to be in the company of other women. Sonechka Marmeladova, with her head down, enters her father’s house when he dies under the hooves of a horse, but does not dare to give a hand to those there. The girl is also embarrassed to sit down near Pulcheria, Rodion’s mother, and say hello to Dunya, Raskolnikov’s sister, by shaking her hand. Sonya believes that such actions will offend these decent women, because Sonya is a prostitute.

The image of the heroine is also full of contradictions. On the one hand, Sonya is characterized by fragility, defenselessness, and naivety. On the other hand, the girl is endowed with enormous mental strength, will, and the ability to maintain inner purity. Sonya's appearance is eloquent, but the heroine's actions are no less meaningful.

Relationship between Sonya and Raskolnikov

Dostoevsky, of course, distinguishes Sonya from the host of other characters. The reader will notice that Sonya Marmeladova is the favorite of the writer, who admires the girl as a moral ideal, an image of her own truth.

Christian values prove that happiness is not achieved through committing a crime. Sonya adheres to these guidelines in her own life and convinces Raskolnikov that the only way to atonement, to get rid of the pangs of conscience, is repentance.

Sonechka Marmeladova's love marks Raskolnikov's spiritual renaissance. The heroes are very different. Rodion is an educated, intelligent, well-read young man who is characterized by cynicism and nihilism. Raskolnikov does not believe in God, having his own views on social justice, the world and people. Sonya is a source of hope, faith in miracles. Sonya is going through no less difficult times than Raskolnikov. Perhaps Rodion saw in Sonya the same suffering soul as he. But the girl did not lose faith - in God and people, and Rodion closed in on himself, angry at the world.

Suicide: views of Sonya and Raskolnikov

A careful reading of Dostoevsky's novel will allow you to notice that the heroes are haunted by similar events, trials and thoughts. One such challenge is the idea of ​​suicide. Suicide is an easy way out of difficult life situations. Poverty, hopelessness and despair make one think about such a decision.

Raskolnikov and Sonya refuse suicide. The logic of thinking is this: suicide is a way out that selfish natures choose. Death relieves you from the pangs of conscience, from the bottom, in which it is easy to find yourself in conditions of need and poverty. But the shame and torment continue in those for whom we are responsible. Therefore, suicide was rejected by the heroes as an unworthy way out of the situation.

Christian humility kept the girl from committing suicide, despite the fact that death for Sonya is a more acceptable option than sin and adultery. Sonya's decision to stay alive demonstrates to the readers and Raskolnikov the willpower, determination, and fortitude of the fragile Sonechka Marmeladova.

Hard labor

Sonya convinced Raskolnikov to admit to killing the old women and surrender. Raskolnikov was sentenced to hard labor. The girl did not leave her lover, going with Rodion to serve his sentence. In Siberia, Marmeladova forgets about her life, living only with Raskolnikov and the desire to help her lover get out of the moral hole into which he fell through murder.

Raskolnikov does not immediately accept Sonya. At first, the girl irritates Rodion, but the girl’s perseverance, humility and patience overcome the coldness of Raskolnikov’s soul. As a result, Rodion admits that he misses when Sonya, due to illness, could not visit him. While Raskolnikov is in exile, Sonechka gets a job as a seamstress to support herself. Life smiles on the girl and soon Marmeladova is already a popular milliner.

A separate topic is the attitude of the convicts towards Sonya. Dostoevsky writes that the prisoners did not express much sympathy for Raskolnikov, while Sonya aroused respect and love among the convicts. For Raskolnikov, such an attitude towards a girl is a mystery. The young man asks why Sonya aroused the love of those around her. The girl did not expect sympathy, did not curry favor with the prisoners, did not provide them with services. But kind attitude, selflessness, understanding and mercy played their role.

At the end of the novel, Raskolnikov finally accepts Sonya: the heroes decide to build a new life together from scratch. Sonechka Marmeladova is an integral, obligatory image in Dostoevsky’s work. The main character is, of course, Rodion Raskolnikov, but the image of Sonya helps the reader understand what the logic of punishment and crime is. The novel is latently autobiographical. The author shows that socio-philosophical concepts are a perishable and stupid thing against the background of the eternity of religious ideals. The image of Sonya is a simple but deep girl, highly moral, firm, principled, thanks to the presence of a spiritual, inner core - faith. Raskolnikov does not have this core, which leads the young man to a fall, to a moral illness, from which Sonechka helps the hero recover.

Essay on literature on the topic “Crime and Punishment”: Sonya Marmeladova (with quotes). The truth and spiritual feat of Sonya Marmeladova. My attitude towards the heroine

"Crime and Punishment" is the most famous novel Fyodor Dostoevsky, both in Russia and abroad. The writer managed to capture the subtle organization human soul, reveal it and see the reasons that prompt a person to perform certain actions.

The image of Sonechka Marmeladova in the novel is the embodiment of spiritual purity and kindness. The reader learns about her from the words of her father Semyon Marmeladov, who has long lost faith in improving his situation and in his own correction. He is a former titular councilor who has deprived himself of benefits and human respect, and has descended into poverty and daily drinking. He has children and a wife who is stricken with a terrible disease - consumption. Marmeladov speaks of Sonechka with all his father’s warmth, gratitude and simple human pity. Sonya is his only natural daughter, who meekly endures oppression from her stepmother, and in the end decides to take a desperate step - she becomes a public woman in order to somehow provide for the needs of the family.

This is how the author draws Sonya Marmeladova: “It was a thin, very thin and pale face, rather irregular, somehow pointy, with a pointy small nose and chin. She couldn’t even be called pretty, but her blue eyes were so clear, and when they came to life, the expression on her face became so kind and simple-minded that you involuntarily attracted people to her.” The difficult fate of Sonya Marmeladova was reflected in her sad appearance.

At the beginning of the story, the reader has sincere sympathy for the girl, whose fate consisted of suffering and humiliation. Sonya put her body up for sale, this act covered her with shame in the eyes of noble and prosperous people who saw her only as a street woman. But only relatives and friends knew the real Sonya Marmeladova, and after that Rodion Raskolnikov recognizes her, main character novel. And now not only a humiliated and poor girl appears before the readers, but a strong and persistent soul. A soul that, under the pressure of circumstances, has not lost faith in people and in life. The role of Sonya Marmeladova in Raskolnikov’s fate is very important: it was she who pushed him to repentance and awareness of his guilt. Together with her he comes to God.

Sonya loves and pities her father, and does not hold a grudge against her sick stepmother, because she understands that they are all unhappy, just like herself. The girl does not condemn Raskolnikov for his crime, but asks him to turn to God and repent. Small and timid Sonya did not instill in her heart hatred for the world that treated her so cruelly. She may be offended, insulted, because the heroine of the novel is a modest and unrequited girl, it is difficult for her to stand up for herself. But she finds the strength to live on, sympathize and help others, without demanding anything in return, without losing humanity and kindness.

The source of Sonya's spiritual fortitude lies in her ardent and sincere faith in God. Faith did not leave the heroine throughout the entire novel; she instilled strength in the unfortunate soul to meet a new day. The spiritual feat of Sonya Marmeladova lies in self-denial for the sake of her family. It is very symbolic that for the first time she sells herself for 30 rubles, the same number of pieces of silver that Judas received when he sold Christ. Like the Son of God, the heroine sacrificed herself for the sake of people. The motive of Sonya's self-sacrifice permeates the entire novel.

Instead of challenging and entering into a struggle with her miserable existence, responding to all those who trampled and humiliated, collecting all the grievances that had been concealed in her heart for so long, Sonya Marmeladova chose a different path. The path that God himself laid out is honesty, kindness, compassion and love. That is why Raskolnikov chose her to pour out his mental anguish, imbued with true respect for her. After all, a small and seemingly weak person is capable of great and noble deeds. The significance of the image of Sonya Marmeladova is that by her example she showed Rodion how to save humanity without ritual murders: with strong and devoted love to the point of self-denial.

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Raskolnikov Rodion Romanovich - a poor and humiliated student, main character novel "Crime and Punishment". The author of the work is Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich. To provide a psychological counterbalance to the theory of Rodion Romanovich, 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, don't 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 nervous all the time, he is constantly anxious, 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 about the fact that people are divided into two types. The first type is the “higher” society, and this is where he also includes his personality. And the second type is “trembling creatures.” He first published this theory in a newspaper article called “On Crime.” From the article it becomes clear that the “higher ones” have the right to ignore moral laws and destroy “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 govern can be considered “supreme”; Bonaparte is an example for such legislators. But Raskolnikov himself, on the way to the “highest”, commits actions on a completely different level, without even noticing it.

The life story of Sonya Marmeladova

The reader learns about the heroine from the story of her father, which was addressed to Rodion Romanovich. Semyon Zakharovich Marmeladov is an alcoholic, lives with his wife (Katerina Ivanovna), and has three small children. The wife and children are starving, Sonya is Marmeladov’s daughter from his first wife, she rents an apartment “after Semyon Zakharovich tells Raskolnikov that her daughter went to such a life because of her stepmother, who reproached her for “drinking, eating and using warmth ", 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 a grudge, “bends every effort” to help her sick stepmother and hungry stepbrothers and sisters, not to mention already about my own father who is sick with alcoholism. Semyon Zakharovich shares his memories of how he found and lost his job, how he drank away the uniform that his daughter bought with her earned money, and how he has the conscience to ask his daughter for money “for a hangover.” Sonya gave him the last, never reproaching him for it.

The tragedy of the heroine

Fate is in many ways similar to Rodion’s situation. They play the same role in society. Rodion Romanovich lives in the attic in a squalid little room. How the author sees this room: the cell is small, about 6 steps, and has a poor appearance. Tall man 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 well, his spirit has not fallen. The same poverty forced Sonya to go out into the streets in order to earn money. The girl is unhappy. Her fate is cruel to her. But the heroine’s moral spirit is not broken. On the contrary, in seemingly inhuman conditions, Sonya Marmeladova finds the only way out worthy of a person. She chooses the path of religion and self-sacrifice. The author shows us the heroine as a person who is capable of empathizing with the pain and suffering of others, while being unhappy. A girl can not only understand another, but also guide him on the right path, forgive, and accept someone else’s suffering. So, we see how the heroine shows pity for Katerina Ivanovna, calls her “fair, child,” and unhappy. Sonya saves her children, then takes pity on her dying father. This, like other scenes, inspires both sympathy and respect for the girl. And it is not at all surprising that then their mental anguish Rodion will share it 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, capable of judging him according to her conscience. Moreover, her opinion will differ significantly from Porfiry’s court. Raskolnikov, despite his crime, longed for human understanding, love, and sensitivity. He wanted to see that one" high society", who is able to bring him out of darkness and support him. Raskolnikov's hopes for understanding from Sophia were justified. Rodion Romanovich cannot make contact with people. It begins to seem to him that everyone is mocking him and knows that it was he who did it. The exact opposite His vision is true to Sonya Marmeladova. The girl stands for humanity, philanthropy, and forgiveness. Having learned about his crime, she does not reject him, but, on the contrary, hugs, kisses and says in unconsciousness that “there is no one more merciless in the world now.”

Real life

Despite all this, periodically Rodion Romanovich returns to earth and notices everything that is happening in real world. On one of these days, he witnesses a drunken official Semyon Marmeladov being run over by a horse. During his last words, the author describes Sofya Semyonovna for the first time. Sonya was short, she was about eighteen. The girl was thin, but pretty, blonde, with attractive blue eyes. Sonya comes to the scene of the accident. on her lap. She sends younger sister find out where Raskolnikov lives in order to return him the money he gave for his father’s funeral. After a while, Sophia goes to Rodion Romanovich to invite him to the wake. This is how she shows her gratitude to him.

Father's wake

At the event, a scandal arises due to the fact that Sonya is accused of theft. Everything was resolved peacefully, but Katerina Ivanovna and her children were evicted from the apartment. Now everyone is doomed to death. Raskolnikov tries to find out from Sophia, if it were her will, she could kill Luzhin, the man who unfairly slandered her, saying that she was a thief. Sophia gave a philosophical answer to this question. Rodion Romanovich finds something familiar in Sonya, probably the fact that they were both rejected.

He tries to see understanding in her, because his theory is wrong. Now Rodion is ready for self-destruction, and Sonya is “a daughter who was evil and consumptive to her stepmother, who betrayed herself to strangers and minors.” Sofya Semyonovna relies on her moral guideline, which is important and clear for her - this is wisdom, which is described in the Bible as cleansing suffering. Raskolnikov, of course, shared with Marmeladova a story about his action, listening to him, she did not turn away from him. Here the truth of Sonya Marmeladova is in the manifestation of feelings of pity and sympathy for Rodion. The heroine urged him to go and repent of what he had done, based on the parable that she studied in the Bible about the resurrection of Lazarus. Sonya agrees to share the hard everyday life of hard labor with Rodion Romanovich. This is not only how Sonya Marmeladova’s mercy is manifested. She does this in order to cleanse herself, because she believes that she is violating the biblical commandments.

What unites Sophia and Rodion

How can you characterize Marmeladova and Raskolnikov at the same time? For example, the convicts who serve time in the same cell with Rodion Romanovich adore Sonya, who regularly visits him, but treat him with contempt. They want to kill Raskolnikov and constantly make fun of him that it is not the king’s business to “carry an ax in his bosom.” Sofya Semyonovna has had her own ideas about people since childhood and adheres to them throughout her life. She never looks down on people and has respect and regret for them.

Conclusion

I would like to draw a conclusion based on mutual relations main characters of the novel. What was the significance of Sonya Marmeladova’s truth? If Sofya Semyonovna had not appeared on the way of Rodion Romanovich with her life values and ideals, then it would end very soon in the painful agony of self-destruction. This is the truth of Sonya Marmeladova. Due to such a plot 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. The truth of Sonya Marmeladova is contrasted with the theory of Rodion and his worldview. The famous Russian writer was able to breathe life into the main characters and safely resolve all the worst things that happened in their lives. Such completeness of the novel puts “Crime and Punishment” next to the greatest works that are on the list of world literature. Every schoolchild, every student should read this novel.