The Gospel in Action with Themes of Suffering and Love
Abby Harris
Rejecting the water offered to him, Raskolnikov calmly and deliberately says: “It was I who killed the official’s old widow and her sister Lizaveta with an axe and robbed them.” (Dostoevsky 531). In this moment and after long agony, Raskolnikov chooses redemption and begins to accept his suffering. Fyodor Dostoevsky uses Christian symbolism such as the Cross and themes of redemption and resurrection in the novel, Crime and Punishment, to deepen its levels of meaning, because the novel adapts biblical themes to modern life by following the ancient practice of allegorical interpretation of the Bible but in the more “realistic” characterizations of Rodion Raskolnikov and Sonya Marmeladov. Throughout the novel and especially in the precursor to Raskolnikov’s confession, Raskolnikov experiences extreme suffering as a result of his isolation from society and crimes until, with the help of Sonya, accepts his suffering and chooses a life path of redemption. Dostoevsky, a devout Christian, uses biblical symbolism and references in his novels which not only reflect his own views on religion, but also his own life experiences and ruin. Pain and suffering are major themes in the novel and with Dostoevsky’s expertise in the understanding of human pain, readers of Crime and Punishment are able to sympathize with a murderer and a prostitute as representing the plight of modern people haunted by meaningless lives.
Raskolnikov
Quickly and with brute force with the light shining through the closed windows emphasizing the stuffiness felt in the room by Raskolnikov, he swung the blunt-end axe with both hands down onto the pawnbroker’s head. Throughout the novel, Raskolnikov battles between his notion of himself as a “superman” which in his mind justifies his selfish actions that include him doing whatever he wants with others and his conscience telling him that he should not be doing horrible things to people when it hurts others, therefore causing great conflict for himself as well as others. A major conflict represented throughout the novel and especially in the escalation to the confession is Raskolnikov’s underlying battle between the side of reason, selfishness, and pride and that of the biblical acceptance of suffering and love. This conflict extends itself to the battle between Raskolnikov’s former self in which he was able to understand the beauty of earthly elements to the new, rationalistic self who is responsible for the murder and for his inner degradation. As part of his inner desiccation, Raskolnikov has placed himself outside of society and declared himself as a superior man, thus destroying his soul. This isolation is further explained by the “superman theory” in which Raskolnikov sees himself as extraordinary and therefore above all moral rules that govern humanity. His murders are, in part, a consequence of his belief that he is a “superman” and above the law. This theory can also be used to reason with why Raskolnikov assumed the power of life and death that properly belongs to God. Raskolnikov is only able to escape this conception of himself and his terrible isolation after a long period of suffering that eventually leads to his confession. This rationalistic self, however, also causes him to lose his ability to appreciate and enjoy beauty and the humane influences of life that are symbolized by water, which is a biblical symbol for rebirth and regeneration. For positive characters in the novel, water is an indication of the life-giving forces in the world. On the contrary, for the negative characters, such as Raskolnikov, water may indicate the opposite (Gibian). For example, after the murders, Raskolnikov considers discarding the stolen property in the river, but decides against it as the river seems to him as an “improper or impossible place for obliterating the consequences of his crime” (Gibian). He is not ready at that point to accept the healing power of water. His deep suffering additionally made him degrade himself so much that he considered death by water: “I wanted to make my mind up finally and walked many times by the Neva; that I remember. I wanted to end it there” (Dostoevsky 517). Even right before his confession and his acceptance of suffering, he was still questioning the purpose of life and his reason to live. Moments before his confession at the police station, Raskolnikov is offered a glass of water in which he rejects therefore representing that his true revival and redemption is not yet complete, and he cannot yet experience the holiness of the redeeming water (Dostoevsky 531).
Along with Raskolnikov’s displeasure with the earthly and biblical symbol of water, the use of other earth and biblical elements, such as air and sun, were also representative for Raskolnikov’s journey to confession. In an interrogation with the magistrate in charge of the murder investigation, Porfiry Petrovich attempts to convince Raskolnikov to confess to the murder and relieve his own suffering, “So, go and do what justice demands. I know you don’t believe it but, by God, life will carry you. And then you’ll like it. All you need is air now- air, air!” (Dostoevsky112). Not only is Porfiry telling Raskolnikov that life can be better, but the reference to “air” represents its ability to rejuvenate and to “carry you” to a better life. The lack of air in Raskolnikov’s life is also evident in his apartment which is hidden from the sun and any source of light or air. Darkness and lack of air encapsulates Raskolnikov’s life. Not only is light representative of Jesus, but is also associated with beauty, calm, and religion in general. Sun and light in general is a force that can combat deadly theory, which could be the reason as to why Raskolnikov despises it at this point in his life. Prior to the murder, Raskolnikov is able to face the sun with a sense of calm. After, however, the sun becomes unbearable for the “feverish creature of the dark” that Raskolnikov has transformed into (Gibian): “Again it was unbearably hot out; not a drop of rain had fallen for all those days…The sun flashed brightly in his eyes, so that it hurt him to look, and he became quite dizzy- the usual sensation of a man in a fever who suddenly steps outside on a bright, sunny day.” (Dostoevsky 94). Water and light are representative of positive aspects in Crime and Punishment that are devoid in Raskolnikov’s life.
Days before Raskolnikov’s confession, he is visited by Porfiry where Porfiry declares that Raskolnikov is in fact the murderer, but he will not make an arrest, instead he will let Raskolnikov confess himself, for “suffering is a good thing, after all.” (Dostoevsky 460). This scene is a parallel of the interrogation in the Gospel of Matthew in which Jesus is interrogated by Pilate. Unlike Pilate with Jesus, though, Porfiry finds Raskolnikov guilty. Pilate nonetheless however still sentences Jesus to be crucified despite Pilate’s faith in Jesus’s innocence. Author, Dostoevsky, contrasts the legal aspect of Raskolnikov’s trial and sentencing to divine judgement and mercy for Raskolnikov. While Jesus is condemned to death that is a necessary precursor for his resurrection, Porfiry persuades Raskolnikov to take steps that will allow him a spiritual rebirth. Dostoevsky uses Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection as he views it as the best example for human resurrection into a new life for a man who has lost his life and found it again, or in the case of Raskolnikov, attempting to find it again.
The lead-up to Raskolnikov’s confession is filled with tension and time and can be paralleled to the same expectation of Jesus’s arrest. Repeated multiple times in the Gospel of John was the line “No man laid hands on him, for his hour was not yet come” (St. John 8:20) until eventually Jesus spoke “Father, the hour is come” (St. John 17:1). This same expectation of an arrest, or in the case of Crime and Punishment, a confession, is paralleled by Raskolnikov’s mother, Pulcheria Raskolnikov, when he comes to visit her for the final time before his confession: “As I opened the door to you, I looked and thought, well, the fatal hour must be here.” (Dostoevsky 516).
Another visit that Raskolnikov makes is to Sonya, a prostitute and the only character that Raskolnikov shares a meaningful relationship with. After Raskolnikov confesses to her, her response is “What, what have you done to yourself!” (Dostoevsky 411). Sonya understands that while he is still alive, a part of him is just as dead as the two women that he murdered. While she herself lives a life of suffering, Dostoevsky uses this scene to emphasize that no amount of poverty or physical suffering can compare to the suffering of the soul. Raskolnikov’s confession to Sonya is the first time in the novel that he is able to see himself clearly, which can be noted as the first step of his revival. Also, for the first time, when he speaks aloud all of his rationalizations for his crime, he acknowledges them as trite and awful. In acknowledging and sharing in his suffering, Sonya helps Raskolnikov to regain his soul. Sonya also is the one to successfully persuade Raskolnikov to not only confess and wear the cross, but to kiss the earth at the crossroads: “Go at once, this very minute, and stand at the crossroads, bow down, first kiss the earth which you have defiled, and then bow down to the whole world, to all four sides- and then say to all men aloud, I am a murderer! Then God will send you life again.” (Dostoevsky 433). By bowing down and kissing the earth, Raskolnikov is accepting his suffering which is symbolic and a non-rationalist act, thus leading readers to further believe in his path to redemption. This moment marks the beginning of his change into a complete and organic human being who is rejoining other men in the community. As his crime further separated him from his friends, family, and Mother Earth, kissing the Earth re-established his broken ties. This scene also represents the beginning of his search seeking personal regeneration in order to replace his earlier rationalistic ideal. This turning point additionally represents a “fuse of the Christian symbolism of taking up the cross and New Jerusalem with the primeval symbolism of Mother Earth.” (Gibian).
Raskolnikov’s official confession at the police station and acceptance of his punishment and suffering shows his implied resolve to seek a new life- “This is the symbol of my taking up the cross.” (Dostoevsky 534). Raskolnikov finally escapes his conception of himself as a “superman” and his isolation after his final surrender to his love for Sonya and his realizations of the joys of such a surrender to love and to suffering.
Sonya
Sonya is ultimately the primary initiator and reason for Raskolnikov’s confessions, therefore subsequently enabling his rebirth and redemption. However, her expert characterization by Dostoevsky makes the biblical references in Crime and Punishment all the more relevant. Sonya Marmeladov’s character can be noted as a conversion of three different biblical representations: Sonya as Christ, Sonya as Mary Magdalene, and Sonya as St. John the Evangelist (Maddison). Sonya’s formal name, Sofya, means wisdom. Sonya’s first personification as Christ can be mirrored to the personification of wisdom in Proverbs 8 as the wisdom woman who was with God from the beginning of creation: “The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.” (Proverbs 8:22). Sonya stood as Raskolnikov’s “daily delight” just as the “wisdom women” was for God: “Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him” (Proverbs 8:30). Like Christ, Sonya is innocent, yet she only became sinful after sacrificing her chastity for the good of her family. Whereas Christ was made by God to be sin for his people even though he himself possessed no sin: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21). In terms of Sonya’s role in Raskolnikov’s revival, she manifested God’s own power of creation and recreation, like God did with Jesus. Similar to Jesus and his sacrifice, Sonya, out of loyalty and love for her family and as a result of her family’s destitution, chose prostitution. “She came in, went straight to Katerina Ivanovna, and silently laid thirty roubles on the table in front of her.” (Dostoevsky 18). The “thirty roubles” can be seen as a parallel to Judas’ price of thirty pieces of silver for betraying the son of God (Matthew 26:15). In this case Sonya, as the sacrificial victim, hands over her money that was earned by public degradation of her body which is representative of a different bodily humiliation endured by Jesus in his public crucifixion. In response to Sonya’s gift of thirty roubles, her stepmother, Katerina, “without saying a word, and for the whole evening she stayed kneeling at her feet, kissing her feet” (Page 18-19). Katerina’s kneeling and kissing at Sonya’s feet mirrors when biblical figure, Luke, sits and kisses at the feet of Jesus as a demonstration of reverence (Luke 7:38-46). Sonya’s selfless, voluntary suffering and her self-sacrificial love and fearless compassion for others allow her to be forgiven for her sins by God. Even though she too has committed crime by prostitution, her crime is sacrificial, and she trusts in God whereas Raskolnikov’s is selfish, and he opposes God. And even despite her misery, she trusts unswervingly in God and her faith.
Sonya as representative of Mary Magdalene is most evident in her unyielding devotion and love for Raskolnikov just as Mary Magdalene held such the same admiration, loyalty, and love for Jesus. Mary Magdalene, a prostitute of tradition, is the first to witness the resurrected Jesus in the Gospel of John. Sonya, also, is the first to witness Raskolnikov’s multiple declarations of confession and his ultimate revival.
Sonya as a figure of St. John the Evangelist is most apparent in her uttering of the rising of Lazarus in the Gospel of John. Though faltering while reading, Sonya accepts Raskolnikov’s pleas. Another notable parallel between St. John the Evangelist and Sonya is the color green. St. John sometimes wears a green mantle with green being representative of “the color of vegetation and of spring, and therefore symbolizing a triumph of spring over winter, or life over death” (Maddison). Often in critical moments Sonya is described as wearing the Marmeladov family shawl which is green. The symbol of green being representative of life over death again mirrors Sonya’s dedication in saving Raskolnikov. Another notable parallel from green being the color of vegetation is the symbolic meaning of vegetation and nature for Raskolnikov as detailed in earlier paragraphs.
In the Epilogue of Crime and Punishment when Raskolnikov is working on the riverbank in prison, Sonya joins him. In this scene, the three biblical figures representative in Sonya’s character converge. At the riverbank, Raskolnikov finally surrenders himself to God who is made present in Sonya. The chill of the early springtime morning and Sonya’s unyielding devotion and love for Raskolnikov on that day represents the adoring Mary Magdalene who waited and watched long by the tomb of Jesus. As for Sonya as St. John the Evangelist, Sonya is described as wearing her green shawl also on this day: “Suddenly Sonya was beside him. She came up almost inaudibly and sat down next to him. It was still very early: the morning chill has not softened yet. She was wearing her poor old wrap and the green shawl.” (Dostoevsky 549). This particular scene is moments before Raskolnikov falls before Sonya and fully accepts his suffering. In this scene, readers are able to fully see how Sonya’s patience, loyalty, and unobtrusive love for Raskolnikov is largely to reward for his redemption. Even though these themes of love, patience, and loyalty are not exclusively biblical themes, because of Dostoevsky’s characterization of Sonya, they are the Gospel in action.
In Crime and Punishment, Sonya must endure many tribulations for the men of the novel, especially Raskolnikov, before she can abandon her self-sacrifice. Additionally, Sonya can be noted as the most overt biblical reference and character. For example, she acts in the name of a higher power and trusts in God. In particular the story of the rising of Lazarus, she maintains faith that one day she will experience her own miraculous intervention either for herself or for her love, Raskolnikov. She is later affirmed in her belief in divine providence when she is rewarded with a new life provided financially by Svidrigailov and spiritually by Raskolnikov. Sonya ultimately embodies the notion that “the laws of nature can be reversed, corruption can be overcome, and the flesh can be regenerated” (Maddison).
Bibliography
Carroll, Robert P, and Stephen Prickett. The Bible: Authorized King James Version. Oxford University Press, 1998.
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, Vintage Books, 1992.
Gibian, George. “Traditional Symbolism in Crime and Punishment.” PMLA, vol. 70, no. 5, 1955, pp. 979–996. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/459881. Accessed 12 May 2021.
Maddison, Bula. “A Bakhtinian Reading of Biblical Allusion in Dostoevsky’s Novel Crime and Punishment.” Perspectives in Religious Studies, vol. 32, no. 3, Fall 2005, pp. 267–279. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001510206&site=ehost-live.