Characteristics of Sophia: crime and punishment. The spiritual feat of Sonya Marmeladova
Key qualities
Sonya Marmeladova is one of the key characters in Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky's famous novel Crime and Punishment. Thanks to this image, readers think about the best human qualities: self-sacrifice, mercy, the ability of devoted love and sincere faith in God.
Ideas and image of Sonya
Sonya is a young girl about eighteen years old, thin, blue-eyed and fair-haired. She is the daughter of the former official Marmeladov. After losing his place in the service, he began to drink incessantly, which is why his wife Katerina and their children lead a miserable existence and starve. The girl sacrifices the purity of her body in order to provide food for her family, but she does not blame Katerina Ivanovna for this, who forced her to go to the panel, but simply resigns herself to her fate. Sonya commits sin for the sake of her family, but she is very ashamed of herself and of God, in whom she deeply believes. Due to the fact that she has transgressed moral laws, she is embarrassed to be around decent women - Raskolnikov’s mother and sister; Sonya cannot even sit down in their presence, fearing that it will offend them. Every act of a meek and modest girl is performed not for her own sake, but for the sake of someone; despite her occupation, Sonya appears before readers as a true Christian and righteous woman. All the girl’s actions are based on endless, Christian love for her neighbors: because of her love for her father, she gives him money for drinks, because of her love for Raskolnikov, she helps him cleanse his soul and goes with him to hard labor.
Sonya as a path to redemption
The image of Sonya Marmeladova and her ideas are a kind of opposite to the image of Rodion Raskolnikov and his theory. The girl is guided in everything by the law of God and therefore does not understand the ideas of the young man; for her, all people are equal, and no one can rise above everyone else, much less take someone’s life. It is Sonya Raskolnikov who tells about the crime he committed, and thanks to the girl, he was able to repent and confess to this and the investigation. Sonya is ready to go to hard labor with him, because she also transgressed the biblical commandments and believes that she must suffer for the sake of purification. “We are cursed together, we will go together,” Rodion Raskolnikov tells her. The young man’s fellow convicts felt the kindness and love for everything around him emanating from Sonya, who treated everyone with respect, and therefore fell in love with her. Thanks to Sonya, Raskolnikov was subsequently able to truly repent of his actions, turn to God and start a new life with new convictions.
Favorite hero of Dostoevsky
Sonya Marmeladova was one of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky’s favorite heroines. Through the image and beliefs of the girl, the writer reveals his own thoughts and ideas regarding faith in goodness and God, love for people and justice.
Sonya Marmeladova is the central female character in Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. Her difficult fate evokes in readers an involuntary feeling of pity and respect, because in order to save her family from hunger, the poor girl is forced to become a fallen woman.
And although she has to lead an immoral lifestyle, in her soul she remains pure and noble, making us think about real human values.
Characteristics of the main character
(Meet Sonya)
On the pages of the novel, Sonechka does not appear immediately, but after Radion Raskolnikov has committed two crimes. He meets her father, a minor official and bitter drunkard Semyon Marmeladov, and he, with gratitude and tears, talks about his only begotten daughter Sonya, who commits a terrible sin in order to feed her father, stepmother and children. Quiet and modest Sonya, unable to find another job, goes to work and gives all the money she earns to her father and his family. Having received a so-called “yellow ticket” instead of a passport, she has the legal opportunity to work as a prostitute, and is unlikely to ever be able to quit this terrible and humiliating profession.
Sonya became an orphan early, her father married and started another family. There was always a shortage of money, the children were starving, and the embittered stepmother started scandals and, in despair of such a life, sometimes reproached her stepdaughter with a piece of bread. Conscientious Sonya could not stand this and decided to take a desperate act in order to earn money for her family. The sacrifice of the poor girl struck Raskolnikov to the depths of his soul, and he was impressed by this story long before meeting Sonya.
(Soviet actress Tatyana Bedova in the image of Sonechka Marmeladova, film "Crime and Punishment" 1969)
We first meet her on the pages of the novel on the day when her father was crushed by a drunken cab driver. She is a thin blonde of short stature, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with gentle and remarkably beautiful blue eyes. She is dressed in a colorful and slightly ridiculous outfit, directly indicating her occupation. Timidly, like a ghost, she stands on the threshold of the closet and does not dare to go there, which is why her conscientious and naturally pure nature makes her feel dirty and vicious.
The meek and quiet Sonya, who considers herself a great sinner, unworthy to be near ordinary people, does not know how to behave among those present, does not dare to sit next to Raskolnikov’s mother and sister. She is humiliated and insulted by such low and vile people as the court councilor Luzhin and the landlady Amalia Fedorovna, but she endures everything patiently and meekly, because she cannot stand up for herself and is absolutely defenseless against arrogance and rudeness.
(Sonya listens to Raskolnikov, understanding, goes to help him, to his repentance)
And although outwardly she looks fragile and defenseless, behaves like a hunted animal, inside Sonya Marmeladova hides enormous spiritual strength, from which she draws strength to live on and help other pitiful and disadvantaged people. This power is called love: for her father, for his children, for whom she sold her body and destroyed her soul, for Raskolnikov, for whom she goes to hard labor and patiently endures his indifference. She doesn’t hold a grudge against anyone, doesn’t blame anyone for her crippled fate, understands and forgives everyone. In order not to judge people and forgive their vices and mistakes, you need to be a very integral, strong and generous person, which is a simple girl with a difficult fate, Sonya Marmeladova.
The image of the heroine in the work
Timid and driven, aware of all the horror and shame of her situation, Sonya ( Translated from Greek, her name means wisdom.) patiently and resignedly bears his cross, without complaining or blaming anyone for such a fate. Her exceptional love for people and ardent religiosity give her the strength to bear her heavy burden and help those in need with kind words, support and prayer.
For her, the life of any person is sacred, she lives according to the laws of Christ, and every criminal for her is an unhappy person demanding forgiveness and atonement for his sin. Her strong faith and a great sense of compassion forced Raskolnikov to confess to the murder he committed, then sincerely repent, come to God, and this became for him the beginning of a new life and his complete spiritual renewal.
The image of the heroine, which has become an immortal classic, teaches us all great love for our neighbors, dedication and self-sacrifice. Sonya Marmeladova, the favorite heroine of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, because she embodied his innermost thoughts and ideal ideas about the Christian religion on the pages of the novel. The life principles of Sonya and Dostoevsky are almost identical: this is faith in the power of goodness and justice, that we all need forgiveness and humility, and the most important thing is love for a person, no matter what sins he has committed.
Country Russia
Creator: Fedor Dostoevsky
Activity: a prostitute
Family status: Single
Sonya Marmeladova plays an important role in the novel Crime and Punishment. Initially, the heroine occupied a secondary place in the narrative, but F. M. Dostoevsky, with the help of the image of Sonya, expressed his Christian thoughts, which made the image of the heroine truly important in ideological content.
Appearance of Sonya Marmeladova
Dostoevsky mentions her ugly appearance and face, but emphasizes her eyes. Sonya's eyes, when animated, made her face more good-natured and sweeter. She was 18 years old, the author often calls Sonya “a thin and small creature.” She had a childish face that represented innocence and purity.
Sonechka wore shabby clothes, but they were distinguished by bright colors and ridiculous decorations. All her clothes were supposed to attract future “clients”. She often wore a funny straw hat.
Characteristics of the hero
The two main characters of the novel - Sonya Marmeladova and Rodion Raskolnikov - move through the plot like countercurrents. The ideological part of the work is presented to the reader through their worldview. Through Sonechka, Dostoevsky showed his moral ideal, which brings faith and love, hope and understanding, and warmth. According to the author, this is exactly how all people should be. Through Sonya, Fyodor Mikhailovich says that everyone, regardless of their position in society, has the right to live and be happy. The heroine is convinced that it is impossible to achieve happiness, both one’s own and that of others, through criminal means, and sin in any case remains a sin, in the name of whom or whatever it was committed.
If the image of Raskolnikov is rebellion, then Sonechka Marmeladova in the novel Crime and Punishment personifies humility. They are two opposite poles that cannot exist one without the other. However, literary scholars are still arguing about the deep meaning of this rebellion and humility.
Biography and plot of the novel
Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladova was born into the family of a minor official. The girl's father is an elderly man, earns little and likes to drink. Sonya's mother died long ago, the girl is being raised by her stepmother. The father's new wife has a mixture of feelings for her stepdaughter. Katerina Ivanovna takes out all her dissatisfaction with her failed life on an innocent girl. At the same time, the woman does not feel hatred towards the younger Marmeladova and tries not to deprive the girl of attention.
Sonya did not receive an education, because, according to her father, she is not distinguished by intelligence and intelligence. The trusting and good-natured heroine blindly believes in God and meekly serves the interests of the Marmeladov spouses and the stepmother’s children from her first marriage.
The girl is already 18 years old, although the heroine’s appearance would be more suitable for a child: blond hair, blue eyes, angular figure:
“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 family lives in the Russian outback, but after the father lost his permanent income, the Marmeladovs moved to St. Petersburg. In the capital, Semyon Zakharovich quickly finds a job and just as quickly loses it. The bosses are not ready to put up with employee drunkenness. Providing for the family falls entirely on Sonya.
Left without a livelihood, the girl sees one way out - to quit her job as a seamstress, which brought in too little money, and get a job as a prostitute. For the shameful earnings, the girl was kicked out of the apartment. Sonya lives separately from her family, rents a room from a tailor she knows:
“...my daughter, Sofya Semyonovna, was forced to receive a yellow ticket, and on this occasion she could not stay with us. Because the hostess, Amalia Fedorovna, didn’t want to allow that.”
A girl of easy virtue received from the government a “yellow ticket” - a document proving that the young lady was selling her body. Even shameful work does not save the Marmeladov family.
Semyon Zakharovich dies under the hooves of a carriage horse. In the bustle and commotion, the girl’s first acquaintance with Raskolnikov takes place. The man already knows the girl in absentia - the elder Marmeladov told Rodion about Sonya’s difficult fate in all its details.
Financial assistance from a stranger (Rodion Raskolnikov pays for his father’s funeral) touches the girl. Sonya goes to thank the man. This is how the difficult relationship between the main characters begins.
During the process of organizing a funeral, young people spend a lot of time talking. Both feel like outcasts from society, both are looking for consolation and support. The mask of a cold cynic, which covers the main character, falls, and the true Rodion appears before pure Sonya:
“He suddenly changed; his affectedly impudent and impotently defiant tone disappeared. Even my voice suddenly weakened..."
Marmeladov's death completely undermined the stepmother's health. Katerina Ivanovna dies of consumption, and Sonya falls on the shoulders of caring for the younger members of the family. Help for the girl comes unexpectedly - Mr. Svidrigailov places the little ones in an orphanage and provides the younger Marmeladovs with a comfortable future. This is how Sonya’s fate unfolded in a terrible way.
But the desire to make sacrifices pushes the girl to the other extreme. Now the heroine intends to devote herself to Raskolnikov and accompany the prisoner into exile. The girl is not afraid that her loved one killed the old woman to test a crazy theory. Marmeladova’s truth is that love, faith and selflessness will heal and guide Rodion on the right path.
In Siberia, where the main character is sent, Sonya gets a job as a seamstress. The shameful profession remains a thing of the past, and, despite the coldness of the young man, Sonya remains faithful to Rodion. The girl’s patience and faith bring results - Raskolnikov realizes how much he needs Marmeladova. The reward for the two wounded souls was the joint happiness that came after the atonement of sins.
Film adaptations
The first film dedicated to Raskolnikov's crime was filmed in 1909. The role of Rodion's faithful companion was played by actress Alexandra Goncharova. The film itself has long been lost; copies of the film do not exist. In 1935, American filmmakers filmed their version of the tragedy. The image of the immaculate sinner went to actress Marian Marsh.
In 1956, the French showed their own view of the drama of a confused man. The role of Sonya was played by Marina Vladi, but in the film adaptation the name of the main character was replaced by Lily Marcelin.
In the USSR, the first film about the fate of Raskolnikov was released in 1969. The director of the film is Lev Kulidzhanov. Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladova was played by Tatyana Bedova. The film was included in the program of the Venice Film Festival.
In 2007, the TV series “Crime and Punishment” was released, in which the main character was portrayed by Polina Filonenko.
The majority of film critics did not like the serial film. The main complaint is that Rodion Raskolnikov does not experience human feelings. The hero is obsessed with anger and hatred. Repentance never touches the hearts of the main characters.
- Dostoevsky's first child was named Sonya. The girl died a couple of months after birth.
- In St. Petersburg, the heroine lived in the building of the former state chamber. This is a real house. Sonya's exact address is Griboyedov Canal Embankment, 63.
- Rap artist Gnoyny uses the name of the main character from Crime and Punishment as a pseudonym.
- In the first version of the novel, Sonya's biography looks different: the heroine comes into conflict with Dunya Raskolnikova and becomes the object of Luzhin's crazy but immaculate love.
Quotes
“You walked away from God, and God struck you down and handed you over to the devil!”
“Accepting suffering and redeeming yourself through it, that’s what you need...”
“...And tell everyone, out loud: “I killed!” Then God will send you life again. Will you go? Will you go?..”
“What are you doing, why did you do this to yourself! No, there is no one more unhappy than you in the whole world now!”
Video
Sources
- https://24smi.org/person/1079-sonia-marmeladova.html
Sonya Marmeladova. Fallen soul or ideal person? Associations to the name: a bloody ax, sympathy for a young murderer and a Bible on a table lit by a candle. The most striking and memorable character from the famous work.
But who, after all, is Sonya herself? For me, she is the most incomprehensible and inexplicable hero of Crime and Punishment. After all, virtually all the characters in the book can be classified into two camps - “good” and “bad”. In the first camp are those who, having gone through mental and physical suffering, have changed and found themselves “new.” Its first settler will be the main character, the murderer of the old pawnbroker Rodion Raskolnikov. In the second camp there will be a model of tyranny and malice - Comrade Svidrigailov. But which camp should Sonechka Marmeladova belong to? The answer to this question is very, very difficult...
Sonya is the daughter of an official who drank himself and lost his job, tormented by poverty and the reproaches of his consumptive mother. “It was “...” a 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.” She is prone to self-sacrifice for the well-being of other people. The girl sees no other way than to go to work in order to support her father and his family. It would seem - a prostitute. What kind of saint is she? Where is the purity in her, she sells her body every day and without a twinge of conscience!
But no. Sonya is an example of purity and, no matter how strange it may be, innocence. The girl does not go to church because she is afraid of the condemnation of the congregation. But there is always a Bible on her table, the lines from which eighteen-year-old Sonya remembers by heart. The girl is fundamentally different from other girls of easy virtue - she only makes money through prostitution, she is not attracted to this by the sweetness of carnal pleasures. The panel for Sony is just work and nothing more. Just as someone paints walls while working as a painter, so Sonya gives herself to men - without feeling anything, simply working off a certain amount, which after all will go to the needs of hungry children, an alcoholic father and a sick mother.
Sonya becomes the last bastion of hope. Just imagine - a despised fallen woman reading the Gospel to a murderer! I would give anything to see such a contradictory and beautiful picture at the same time.
Sonechka Marmeladova, despite her own sin, is much purer than any of the characters in Crime and Punishment. Yes, her sinful body transgressed the commandment “thou shalt not commit adultery.” But the soul is pure! The main thing is the state of the soul, what is the body? After all, the soul is immortal...
The girl is so kind and gentle that, having learned about Rodion’s crime, she does not renounce him. Moreover, she is ready to follow him anywhere - to Siberia, to hard labor - just to help his lost soul. Sonya reads the parable about the resurrection of Lazarus, hoping that Raskolnikov's half-dead soul will be able to resurrect. And in fact, he is resurrected - the killer is ready for a new life. Sonya, like Jesus himself, revives the dead soul of Rodion to life.
The image of Sonechka Marmeladova is one of Dostoevsky’s most talented. After her, the writer tried to create images of ideal people: Prince Myshkin in “The Idiot”, Elder Tikhon in “Demons”. And each of the ideal characters was necessarily associated with the church, as with the stronghold of the good qualities of the human soul.
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.
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