What Sonya Marmeladova believes in. Mission of Sonechka Marmeladova (Dostoevsky F

After the murder he committed, the main female heroine of "Crime and Punishment" Sonya Marmeladova played.

Daughter poor official, she, in order to save her stepmother and children from hunger, leads the life of a fallen woman. Conscious of the horror of her situation, her shame, timid, driven, this girl kept her soul pure and was distinguished by her exceptional love for people and fiery religiosity. Resignedly, silently, without complaining, Sonya bears her cross, sacrificing her whole life, being subjected to grave shame for the sake of loved ones.

Sonya Marmeladova. The Image of Gospel Love

This uncomplaining suffering surprises Raskolnikov, he understands the soul of this girl, and she is for him, as it were, the personification of all human suffering. Shocked by everything he had experienced in the last days, he bows at her feet in a kind of enthusiastic impulse. “I bowed not to you,” he says, “I bowed to all human suffering.”

But Sonya's inner world is completely different from that of Raskolnikov; she categorically denies his theory of the right of the strong; for her, every human life is valuable in itself, to which she has a religious attitude, and she cannot allow the life of one person to serve as a means for another. She confesses the law of Christ's love, pity Raskolnikov, for the criminal for her, as well as for the common people, is an unfortunate one. She weeps over him and sends him to accept suffering and atone for sin, for this is required by the higher laws of spiritual life.

“Go now, this very minute,” she says to him, “stand at the crossroads, bow down, kiss first the earth that you have defiled, and then bow to the whole world, on all four sides, and tell everyone out loud: I have killed! Then God will send you life again ”.

However, despite all the attempts and emotional struggle, Raskolnikov cannot understand her attitude to the crime and even leaves for hard labor, unrepentant and unrepentant. The isolation and pride of Raskolnikov evoke a hostile attitude among the convicts towards him, while they are imbued with love for Sonya, feeling her spiritual attitude towards people, and call her: "You are our tender, sick mother."

But the influence of Sonya still prevailed over the soul of Raskolnikov, who experienced a complete turning point in life, which is only hinted at in the epilogue of the novel. "Here begins a new history," says Dostoevsky, "the history of the gradual renewal of man, - the history of his gradual transformation - a gradual transition from one world to another, acquaintance with a new, hitherto completely unknown reality."

From the lips of Marmeladov in the "drinking room" in the scene of their acquaintance: "And in the meantime my daughter, from her first marriage, has also grown, and what she, my daughter, only endured from her stepmother, growing, I keep silent about that. For although Katerina Ivanovna is full of magnanimous feelings, the lady is hot and irritated, and she will cut off ... Yes! Well, there is nothing to remember about that! As you can imagine, Sonya did not receive education. I tried with her, about four years ago, to go through geography and world history; but as I myself was not strong in this knowledge, and there were no decent manuals, for what books were available ... hm! .. well, they are no longer there, these books, that was the end of all the training. They stopped at Cyrus the Persian. Then, having already reached adulthood, she read several books of romance, and more recently, through Mr. Lebezyatnikov, one book - "Physiology" by Lewis, if you please know? - read it with great interest and even to us fragmentarily aloud told us: that's all her enlightenment. Now I will turn to you, my dear sir, on my own behalf with a private question: how much can, in your opinion, a poor but honest girl earn by honest labor? .. Fifteen kopecks a day, sir, will not work if she is honest and not has special talents, and even then worked tirelessly! And even then the State Councilor Klopstock, Ivan Ivanovich - did you deign to hear? - not only has he still not given money for sewing half a dozen Dutch shirts, but he even chased her with resentment, stamping his feet and calling it indecent, under the guise of a shirt collar sewn out of size and a jamb. And here the children are hungry ... And here Katerina Ivanovna, wringing her hands, walks around the room, but red spots on her cheeks appear, - which in this illness always happens: "You live, they say, you, parasite, eat and you drink and you use the warmth ", but what do you drink and eat here when the kids don't see the crust for three days! I was lying then ... well, yes, really! I was lying drunk, sir, and I heard my Sonya say (she is unrequited, and her voice is so mild ... fair, her face is always pale, thin), says: “Well, Katerina Ivanovna, can I really go to such a thing? " And Daria Frantsevna, a malicious woman who was known to the police many times, visited her through the mistress three times. "Well," replies Katerina Ivanovna, in a mocking laugh, "what should we take care of? Eco treasure!"<...> And I see, at about six o'clock, Sonechka got up, put on a handkerchief, put on a burnusik and left the apartment, and at nine o'clock and came back. She came straight to Katerina Ivanovna and silently laid thirty rubles on the table in front of her. At the same time, she did not utter a word, at least glance, but took only our big green handkerchief from Dgradedam (we have such a common handkerchief, the old one), completely covered her head and face with it, and lay down on the bed, facing the wall, only her shoulders and the whole body shudder ... And I, as before, lay in the same form, sir ... And then I saw, young man, I saw how then Katerina Ivanovna, also without saying a word, went up to Sonechka's bed and all evening I stood on her knees at her feet, kissed her feet, did not want to get up, and then both fell asleep together, embracing ... both ... both ... yes ... and I ... lay drunk- from.<...> since then my daughter, Sofya Semyonovna, was forced to receive a yellow ticket, and on this occasion she could not stay with us.<...> And now Sonechka comes to us more at dusk, and Katerina Ivanovna relieves her, and delivers feasible means. He lives in an apartment with the tailor Kapernaumov, he rents an apartment from them ... "
The portrait of Sonya (like the portraits of the other main characters of the novel - Raskolnikov and) is given several times. At first, Sonya appears (in the scene of Marmeladov's death) in her “professional” guise - a street prostitute: “A girl squeezed out of the crowd, silently and timidly, and her sudden appearance in this room, amid poverty, rags, death and despair, was strange. She was also in rags; her attire was penny, but decorated in a street style, to the taste and rules prevailing in her own special world, with a bright and shamefully outstanding purpose. Sonya stopped in the vestibule at the very threshold, but did not cross the threshold and looked like a lost one, apparently unaware of anything, forgetting about her second-hand, silk, indecent here, colored dress with a long and funny tail, and an immense crinoline , blocking the whole door, and about light boots, and about an ombrelle, unnecessary at night, but which she took with her, and about a funny round straw hat with a bright fiery feather. From under this hat, which was worn on one side as a boy, peeped out a thin, pale and frightened face with an open mouth and eyes fixed with horror. Sonya was short, about eighteen years old, thin, but rather pretty blonde, with wonderful blue eyes. She gazed intently at the bed, at the priest; she, too, was suffocating from the rapid walk ... "
Then Sonya appears, so to speak, in her true form in Raskolnikov's room just at the moment when his mother and sister are with him: “Raskolnikov did not recognize her at first sight.<...> Now she was a modest and even poorly dressed girl, very young, almost like a girl, with a modest and decent manner, with a clear, but as if somewhat intimidated face. She was wearing a very simple home dress, and on her head was an old hat of the same style; only in the hands was, as of yesterday, an umbrella. Seeing an unexpectedly full room of people, she was not only embarrassed, but completely lost, shy like a small child, and even made a move to go back ... "
And finally, another portrait of Sonya in front of the reading scene and, practically, again through the eyes of Raskolnikov: “With a new, strange, almost painful feeling, he peered into this pale, thin and irregular angular face, into these gentle blue eyes that could sparkle with such fire, with such a harsh energetic feeling, into this little body, still trembling with indignation and anger, and all this seemed to him more and more strange, almost impossible. "Foolish fool! Foolish fool!" - he kept repeating to himself ... "
Fate brought Raskolnikov and Sonya together not by chance: he seemed to have committed suicide by overstepping the Gospel commandment "Thou shalt not kill", she likewise ruined herself by violating the commandment "Do not commit adultery." However, the difference is that Sonya sacrificed herself for the sake of others, for the salvation of loved ones, while Rodion still had the “idea of \u200b\u200bNapoleonism” in the first place, a test-overcoming oneself. Faith in God never left Sonya. Much for Raskolnikov's repentance, for his “confession” meant his confession to Sonya in his crime, and then the scene of joint reading of the gospel parable of the resurrection of Lazarus with Sonya is one of the key scenes in the novel: in this beggarly room a murderer and a harlot, strangely gathered together while reading the eternal book ... "
Already in Siberia, having arrived there after Raskolnikov, Sonya, with her selfless love, meekness, affection, thaws his heart, revives Raskolnikov to life: “How it happened, he himself did not know, but suddenly something seemed to pick him up and, as it were threw at her feet. He cried and hugged her knees. In the first instant she was terribly frightened, and her whole face was dead. She jumped up and, trembling, looked at him. But immediately, in the same instant, she understood everything. Infinite happiness shone in her eyes; she understood, and there was no longer any doubt for her that he loved, infinitely loved her, and that this moment had finally come ...<...> Tears stood in their eyes. They were both pale and thin; but in these sick and pale faces the dawn of a renewed future, a complete resurrection into a new life, was already shining. They were resurrected by love, the heart of one contained endless sources of life for the heart of the other. They put in wait and endure. They still had seven years to go; and until then, so much unbearable torment and so much endless happiness! But he was resurrected, and he knew this, he felt it with his whole being renewed, and she - she, after all, lived only his life! .. "
The "forerunner" of Sonya Marmeladova was

Sonya Marmeladova is one of the key characters in the famous novel by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky "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, slender, blue-eyed and blonde. She is the daughter of the former official Marmeladov. After losing his place in the service, he began to drink incessantly, because of which his wife Katerina and her children lead a miserable existence and starve. The girl sacrifices the purity of her body in order to provide food for the family, but she does not blame Katerina Ivanovna for this, who made her go to the panel, but simply resigns herself to her fate. Sonia goes to sin for the sake of her family, but she is very ashamed in front of herself and before God, in whom she deeply believes. Due to the fact that she has transgressed moral laws, she is ashamed to be near decent women - with 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 done not for her own sake, but for the sake of someone; Despite her occupation, Sonya appears before readers as a true Christian and a righteous woman. At the heart of all the actions a girl does is an endless, Christian love for her neighbors: because of her love for her father, she gives him money for a drink, because of her love for Raskolnikov, she helps him to 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 with 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 and even more so take someone's life. It was Sonia Raskolnikov who talks about the crime he had committed, and thanks to the girl, he was able to repent and confess this and the investigation. Sonya is ready to go to hard labor with him, because she, too, has violated the biblical commandments and believes that she must suffer for the sake of purification. “We are cursed together, together we will go,” Rodion Raskolnikov tells her. The young man's fellow prisoners felt the kindness and love for everything around, coming from Sonya, who treats everyone with respect, and therefore fell in love with her. Thanks to Sonya, Raskolnikov was later able to truly repent of his act, turn to God and start a new life with new convictions.

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Dostoevsky's work is distinguished by a mass of characters who took their place in the ranks of the immortal heroes of 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 experience, lessons that readers must learn.

Meeting with Sonya Marmeladova

Sonya is a heroine who does not appear in the novel immediately. The reader gets to know the girl gradually, slowly: the heroine imperceptibly 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 story at the moment when the murder has already happened, and Raskolnikov has fallen into the trap of sophistic delusions. Rodion took the lives of two people and it seems that the hero is 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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For the first time, the reader learns about Sonya from the story of the girl's father. On this day, Semyon Marmeladov drank too much and in a drunken conversation he mentioned his eldest daughter. Sonechka was Marmeladov's only natural daughter, while the other three children were Marmeladov's foster pupils, who arrived together with the second wife of a former official, Katerina Ivanovna. The father married a second time when Sonechka was 14 years old. Katerina worked hard to feed her family, children, constantly malnourished and suffering from alcoholism of the head of the family.

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

But the unfortunate girl understands the pain and the nature of her stepmother's irritation, holding no grudge against Katerina. Despair and the desperate situation of the family pushed the woman to scandalous behavior and miserliness. Then Sonechka decided that she had to help the family.

Prostitution is the only business for which there was a demand and which Sonya could do.

Sonya has always been distinguished by her hard work. The girl worked as a seamstress, however, this occupation brought too little income to affect the well-being of the family and improve the plight of the Marmeladovs. Sonechka's credulity led to the fact that sometimes the girl was not paid for the work done.

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

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

However, the story still ends badly, despite Sonechka's victims. The girl's father is killed by a cabman's horse in 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 consolation in a glass of alcohol. Sonya is Semyon's daughter. The writer tells the girl's age: Sonechka is 18 years old. The girl's mother died, and her father married a second time. Soon, Semyon Marmeladov dies, and Sonya's stepmother, Katerina, convinces her stepdaughter to contribute to the survival of the family. Therefore, Sonya sacrifices herself and goes out into the street to help out some funds by selling her body.

The appearance of the heroine

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

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

Sonya's lesson gives out the outfit: Dostoevsky calls such clothes "street". This dress is cheap and old, but bright, colorful, made in the colors of the street and the fashion of this circle. Sonya's clothes tell 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 attire where Sonya appears: for example, at her father's house. The dress is too bright, it is clear that these clothes are overbought from hundreds of hands. The crinoline blocks 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, like the girl herself: at first, Sonechka Marmeladova exists on the pages of a book, like a ghost, a contour, a sketch. Over time and with the development of events, the image of Sonechka gradually acquires clear features. The appearance of the girl is first described by the author under tragic circumstances: the heroine's father, Semyon Marmeladov, fell under the coachman's carriage. Sonya appears at the house of her deceased father. The heroine is embarrassed to enter the house, dressed up in a vulgar and vulgar dress. Conscience is a constant character trait of a girl. Conscience pushed Marmeladova into prostitution, conscience makes the heroine consider herself a vicious and fallen woman. A reader familiar with biblical stories involuntarily arises in the imagination of the image of Mary Magdalene.

Mental 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 indecent work did not spoil Sonya, did not bring blackness to the soul of the heroine. In a sense, Sonya turned out to be more persistent in nature than Rodion, because life's difficulties did not break the girl.

Sonya does not create illusions: the girl understands that honest work will not bring much profit. Meekness, timidity, patience help Sonya to withstand difficult times. Irresponsibility is also characteristic of the heroine: Sonya sacrifices herself to feed the children of her stepmother, who suffers from tuberculosis, but does not receive a return. Also, Marmeladova 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 the rock of Sonya Marmeladova.

Sonya does not know how to stand up for herself, so it is easy to offend a girl. Resignation, selflessness, kindness remain the integral characteristic features of the image of Sonya Marmeladova, in spite of offenses, kicks and vicissitudes of fate. Sonya does not mind giving her last dress and last money to help someone who needs help or is in trouble. The specifics of the girl's life style did not take away credulity from Sonya: 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 devoid of education, there is a lack of knowledge in the girl. Life difficulties did not allow the girl to master any science or profession. Sonia did not receive upbringing - just like education. However, Sonya has a tendency to quickly assimilate 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 of her own life, Sonya believes that God sees everything that happens and will not allow a bad end. Raskolnikov opens up to Sonya, confessing to the crime. Expecting condemnation, the hero is surprised that his friend feels pity and pain. Sonya believes that Rodion was tempted by the devil's temptation, but a return to God, to Christian ideals and values, to 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 condemnation towards her father or towards Katerina Ivanovna, who use their eldest daughter for food. Sonechka even gives her father money, which he spends on a drink at the inn.

Literary critics have repeatedly noted that Crime and Punishment is a mine of controversy. The reader becomes a witness that the world is turned upside down. Social conventions lead to the fact that a small, thin girl who is forced to use the “yellow ticket” for survival considers herself dirty and unworthy to be in the company of other women. Sonechka Marmeladova, head down, enters the house of her own father when he dies under the hooves of a horse, but does not dare to give a hand to those who are there. The girl is also embarrassed to sit near Pulcheria - Rodion's mother, to greet Dunya - Raskolnikov's sister, shaking that 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, naivety. On the other hand, the girl is endowed with tremendous mental strength, will, and the ability to maintain inner purity. Sonya's appearance is eloquent, but the actions of the heroine are no less meaningful.

Relationship between Sonya and Raskolnikov

Dostoevsky undoubtedly 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 \u200b\u200bjustify that happiness is not achieved through the commission of a crime. Sonia adheres to these guidelines in her own life and convinces Raskolnikov that the only way of redemption, getting rid of the torment of conscience is repentance.

Sonechka Marmeladova's love marks Raskolnikov's spiritual renaissance. 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, belief in a miracle. Sonya is going through no less difficult time than Raskolnikov. Perhaps Rodion saw in Sonya the same suffering soul as he did. But the girl did not lose her faith - in God and people, and Rodion - withdrew into himself, angry with the world.

Suicide: the views of Sonya and Raskolnikov

A careful reading of Dostoevsky's novel will reveal that the characters are haunted by similar events, trials and thoughts. One such test is the thought of suicide. Suicide is an easy way out of difficult life situations. Poverty, hopelessness and despair make one think about such a solution.

Raskolnikov and Sonya refuse to commit suicide. The logic of thinking is this: suicide is the way out that selfish natures choose. Death saves one from the pangs of conscience, from the bottom, in which it is easy to find yourself in conditions of want and poverty. But shame and torment continue in those for whom we are responsible. Therefore, the heroes rejected suicide 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 readers and Raskolnikov the willpower, determination, fortitude of the fragile Sonya Marmeladova.

Hard labor

Sonya persuaded Raskolnikov to confess to the murder of the old women and surrender. Raskolnikov was sentenced to hard labor. The girl did not leave her lover, having gone with Rodion to serve the sentence. In Siberia, Marmeladova forgets about her life, living only with Raskolnikov and a desire to help her lover get out of the moral pit into which he fell through murder.

Raskolnikov does not immediately accept Sonya. At first, the girl annoys 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 in order to feed herself. Life smiles at the girl and soon Marmeladova is already a popular milliner.

A separate topic is the attitude of 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 questions why Sonya aroused the love of those around him. The girl did not expect sympathy for herself, did not curry favor with the prisoners, did not provide them with services. But kindness, disinterestedness, understanding and compassion played their part.

At the end of the novel, Raskolnikov finally accepts Sonya: the heroes decide to build a new, joint life from scratch. Sonechka Marmeladova is an integral, obligatory image in the work of Dostoevsky. The main character is, of course, Rodion Raskolnikov, but the image of Sonya helps the reader to understand what the logic of punishment and crime is. The novel is latently autobiographical. The author shows that socio-philosophical concepts are perishable and stupid 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 to recover.

The image of the immaculate and at the same time sinful angel in the novel "Crime and Punishment" became a real sensation for the public. opened up another side of life for readers. The personality of Sonya Marmeladova was different from the usual literary heroes. Her crime, humility and desire to atone for guilt became moral guidelines for all confused.

Crime and Punishment

Dostoevsky put together the basis for the novel during his own hard labor. In Siberia, the writer did not have the opportunity to write, but there was enough time for interviews with exiles and their loved ones. Therefore, the images of the main characters of the novel are collective.

Initially, the novel was conceived by the author as a confession story. The narration was conducted in the first person, and the main task for Dostoevsky was to show the inner psychological truth of a confused person. The writer was carried away by the idea, and a serious story grew into a novel.


Initially, her role in the novel "Crime and Punishment" was secondary, but after several edits, the image of the main character took an important place in the narrative. With the help of Sonya, Dostoevsky brings to the readers an important idea of \u200b\u200bthe novel:

“The Orthodox view, what is Orthodoxy. There is no happiness in comfort; happiness is bought by suffering. Man is not born to be happy. A person deserves his happiness, and always suffering. "

Analysis of the work proves that the author has done an excellent job with the task. Sonya is the personification of suffering and redemption. The characterization of the heroine is revealed to the reader gradually. All quotes about the former prostitute are filled with love and care. Dostoevsky is equally worried about the girl's fate:

“... Oh yes Sonya! What a well, however, they managed to dig! And enjoy! They are using it! And they got used to it. We cried and got used to it. A scoundrel man gets used to everything! "

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 loves to drink. Sonya's mother died long ago, the girl is brought up by her stepmother. The new wife of the father has a mixture of feelings for the stepdaughter. All dissatisfaction with the failed life Katerina Ivanovna rips off on an innocent girl. At the same time, the woman does not feel hatred for the younger Marmalade and tries not to deprive the girl of attention.


Sonya did not receive an education, since, according to her father, she is not distinguished by intelligence and ingenuity. The trusting and good-natured heroine blindly believes in God and meekly serves the interests of the Marmeladov spouses and the children of her stepmother from her first marriage.

The girl is already 18 years old, although the appearance of the heroine would be more suitable for a child: blond hair, blue eyes, an angular figure:

"She could not even be called pretty, but her blue eyes were so clear, and when they became animated, her expression became so kind and simple-minded that it involuntarily attracted her."

The family lives in the Russian outback, but after the loss of their father's permanent earnings, the Marmeladovs move to St. Petersburg. In the capital, Semyon Zakharovich quickly finds work and just as quickly loses it. The bosses are not ready to put up with the drunkenness of the employee. The support of 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 too little money, and get a job as a prostitute. For shameful earnings, the girl was kicked out of the apartment. Sonya lives separately from her family, rents a room from a familiar tailor:

“... my daughter, Sofya Semyonovna, was forced to receive a yellow ticket, and on this occasion could not stay with us. For the owner, Amalia Fyodorovna, did not want to let that happen. "

The girl of easy virtue received from the government a "yellow ticket" - a document proving that the young lady was selling the 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 first meets Raskolnikov. The man is already familiar with the girl in absentia - the elder Marmeladov told Rodion the difficult fate of Sonya in all the details.

Material assistance from a stranger (Rodion Raskolnikov pays for his father's funeral) touches the girl. Sonya goes off to thank the man. This is how the difficult relationship of the main characters is struck.

In the process of organizing a funeral, young people spend a lot of time talking. Both feel like outcasts of society, both are looking for comfort and support. The mask of the cold cynic, which the main character hides behind, falls, and the true Rodion appears before pure Sonya:

“He suddenly changed; his cheeky and impotently defiant tone disappeared. Even my voice suddenly weakened ... "

The death of Marmeladov finally undermined the health of his stepmother. Katerina Ivanovna dies of consumption, and Sonya takes care of the younger members of the family. Help for the girl comes unexpectedly - Mr. Svidrigailov arranges the babies in an orphanage and provides the younger Marmeladov with a comfortable future. The fate of Sonya was arranged in such 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 a loved one killed an old woman in order to test a crazy theory. The truth of Marmeladova 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 in the past, and, despite the coldness of the young man, Sonya remains loyal 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.

Screen 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, there are no copies of the film. In 1935, American filmmakers filmed their own version of the tragedy. The image of the virgin sinner went to the actress Marian Marsh.


In 1956, the French showed their own view of the drama of a confused man. She played the role of Sonya, but in the film adaptation the name of the main character was changed to Lily Marcelen.


In the USSR, the first picture about the fate of Raskolnikov was released in 1969. The film was directed by Lev Kulidzhanov. Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladova was played by Tatiana Bedova. The film was included in the program of the Venice Film Festival.


In 2007, the series "Crime and Punishment" was released, in which she embodied the image of the main character.


Most film critics did not like the serial film. The main complaint is that Rodion Raskolnikov has no human feelings. The hero is possessed by anger and hatred. Remorse never touches the hearts of the main characters.

  • Dostoevsky's first child was called Sonya. The girl died a couple of months after birth.
  • In St. Petersburg, the heroine lived in the building of the former treasury chamber. This is a real house. Sonya's exact address is 63 Griboyedov Canal Embankment.
  • The rap artist 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 insane but immaculate love.

Quotes

"You departed from God, and God defeated you, betrayed the devil!"
"Suffering to accept and redeem yourself with 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? .. "
“Why are you, that you have done this on yourself! No, you are no more miserable than anyone in the whole world now! "