Self sacrifice is giving up one’s own desires in order to help another or a cause. In Crime and Punishment, Sonia and Raskolnikov are similar in the aspect that they both sacrifice for the benefit of others. Raskolnikov sacrifices his money several times throughout the novel and rather than feeling food, he instead feels regret. Raskolnikov constantly feels guilty when others sacrifice themselves for him and he does not understand that people can sacrifice out of kindness. Whereas, Sonia sacrifices her body by becoming a prostitute for the welfare of her family. Both characters are fated to constant suffering in the novel and the question of whether it is truly beneficial to sacrifice oneself for others is constantly highlighted. Throughout
…show more content…
Sonia is characterized as very shy, forgiving, and sometimes seen as weak. Raskolnikov, when he first encounters Sonia, he dislikes how weak and passive she seems and he questions her reasoning for being what she is, “isn’t it fearful that you are living in this filth which you loathe so, and at the same time you know yourself?” Raskolnikov doesn’t understand how Sonia can continuously sacrifice herself for family when she knows it is not really helping. He thinks that she is being used for the wrong reasons and that prostitution is not the only solution. Even Sonia has questioned why she continues to do so, when she can just end it all. However, Raskolnikov realizes, “what those poor little orphan children and that pitiful half-crazy Katerina, knocking her head against the wall, meant for Sonia. The motivation for Sonia is her endless faith and love for her family. She will suffer to the end of time for her family and that’s the way Dostoevsky illustrates her: resilient and loyal. He illustrates her shyness, nature to quickly forgive, and kindness as her strength. She symbolizes the suffering of mankind, just as Christ held the same stature. Therefore, Dostoevsky casts Sonia as the epitome of Christ. Sonia is a very basic and simple character, like Jesus, and it is through this that they attract the people around them. Even after she finds out Raskolnikov is a murderer,
Sonia is characterized as very shy, forgiving, and sometimes seen as weak. Raskolnikov, when he first encounters Sonia, he dislikes how weak and passive she seems and he questions her reasoning for being what she is, “isn’t it fearful that you are living in this filth which you loathe so, and at the same time you know yourself?” Raskolnikov doesn’t understand how Sonia can continuously sacrifice herself for family when she knows it is not really helping. He thinks that she is being used for the wrong reasons and that prostitution is not the only solution. Even Sonia has questioned why she continues to do so, when she can just end it all. However, Raskolnikov realizes, “what those poor little orphan children and that pitiful half-crazy Katerina, knocking her head against the wall, meant for Sonia. The motivation for Sonia is her endless faith and love for her family. She will suffer to the end of time for her family and that’s the way Dostoevsky illustrates her: resilient and loyal. He illustrates her shyness, nature to quickly forgive, and kindness as her strength. She symbolizes the suffering of mankind, just as Christ held the same stature. Therefore, Dostoevsky casts Sonia as the epitome of Christ. Sonia is a very basic and simple character, like Jesus, and it is through this that they attract the people around them. Even after she finds out Raskolnikov is a murderer,