A Higher Love
In Crime and
Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Raskolnikov
instantly falls in love with pious Sonia, yet his behavior toward her
fluctuates from deferential to cruel; these shifts in behavior parallel his
wavering religious beliefs, such that his ultimate confession of his love for
her coincides with his religious enlightenment.
As Raskolnikov comes to love Sonia, he treats her with as
much respect as he does his own family. Raskolnikov first catches sight of
Sonia when she arrives at Marmeladov’s deathbed, and her charm instantly
intrigues him. Their initial interaction, however, occurs when she visits his
apartment to request his attendance at Marmeladov’s funeral luncheon the
following morning. Despite Sonia’s lifestyle as a prostitute and her inferior
social status, Raskolnikov seats her next to his sister and mother – a gesture
meant to show the high esteem in which he holds her. At this moment,
“Raskolnikov’s pale face took flame. A shudder passed through him. His eyes lit
up” (Dostoyevsky 228). Now, a drastically different Raskolnikov than the sullen,
morose one portrayed earlier emerges; only love is capable of transforming him
so greatly. “Flame” refers directly to Raskolnikov’s reddened face; he blushes
not only at the awkwardness of seating a prostitute alongside his family, but
also at the embarrassment of feeling affection for a person of her profession.
Moreover, “flame” connotes passion and desire, indicating the intensity of
Raskolnikov’s sudden infatuation, especially in contrast with his previously
“pale,” lackluster existence. The negative undertone of the word “shudder”
suggests Raskolnikov’s mild revulsion at this newfound love: namely, because he
deems himself, a murderer, unworthy of loving such a good, pious girl as Sonia.
Despite this shudder, the light in Raskolnikov’s eyes reflects the joy that
Sonia gives him. As the conversation continues, Raskolnikov does not declare
his love for Sonia outright, yet she “observed the sudden illumination of his
face with something close to amazement” (Dostoyevsky 231). The rapid change in
Raskolnikov’s facial expression reflects the suddenness of the onset of his
love for Sonia. Sonia’s response of “something close to amazement” is a weak
and diluted form of amazement itself; Raskolnikov has not yet made his love for
Sonia clear, as this would elicit a stronger reaction from her. Raskolnikov,
though entirely enamored of Sonia from the first time they meet, soon
encounters difficulty treating her with due respect as he begins to doubt his
religious faith.
Raskolnikov acts most hostilely to Sonia at the height of
his religious bereavement, questioning the legitimacy of her faith and negating
his previously kind and polite manner in seating Sonia next to his family. His
irreverence at these times also extends to Pulcheria, Dunia, and Razumikhin –
the people he holds dearest – though not to the degree that it exposes itself
in his interactions with Sonia. When Raskolnikov visits Sonia’s apartment after
disowning Pulcheria and Dunia, he asks her to read him the story of Lazarus, then
criticizes her choice of prostitution to support her family; he also rebukes
her for remaining faithful to the Bible despite her life of sin. In an example
of Raskolnikov’s hostility to Sonia, Dostoyevsky portrays the following
encounter at Sonia’s apartment:
‘Maybe there’s no God at all,’ Raskolnikov said with a
certain malevolence. Then he laughed and looked at her.
All of a sudden Sonia’s face became terribly transformed;
spasms and tremors passed rapidly across it. She looked on him with unutterable
reproach, wanting to say something, unable to get anything out. Suddenly she
burst into bitter tears and covered her face with her hands. (Dostoyevsky 307)
“Malevolence” denotes Raskolnikov’s ill-wishes for Sonia –
verbal contradictions of the love he truly feels for her. Raskolnikov’s
laughter at such a serious topic as the existence of God heightens Sonia’s
perception of his vileness. Dostoyevsky depicts Raskolnikov’s hostility to
Sonia through a description of her facial expression, in the same manner that
he previously uses Raskolnikov’s countenance to depict his love for Sonia.
Sonia’s “spasms” and “tremors” resemble a seizure by an evil force:
Raskolnikov’s heresy. Her “reproach[ful]” face indicates contempt, an emotion
that appears out of character for the generally loving girl. By introducing the
possibility that God does not exist, Raskolnikov purposely corrupts Sonia’s
religious purity and induces her convulsive reaction. Sonia’s childlike act of
covering her face with her hands reflects Raskolnikov’s heartlessness and
capacity for emotional destruction. Bereft of religion and unable to treat
Sonia respectfully despite his underlying love, Raskolnikov cruelly infects her
with his godlessness.
Raskolnikov’s eventual confession of his love to Sonia while
in prison occurs in conjunction with his acceptance of religion. Raskolnikov’s
fellow prisoners dislike him, in part because of his rude treatment of Sonia,
whom they all adore. When Raskolnikov finds himself alone with Sonia during one
of her visits, “suddenly something seemed to seize him and hurl him to her
feet. He wept, and embraced her knees … A boundless joy illuminated her eyes.
She understood. For her there was no longer any doubt he loved her. He loved
her infinitely” (Dostoyevsky 521). As Raskolnikov eliminates any doubt that he
loves Sonia, he also clears his personal doubt in the existence of God.
Prostrating oneself at another’s feet indicates a religious confession, and
Sonia previously commands Raskolnikov to reveal himself as a murderer in this
way. Raskolnikov’s act of “embrac[ing] her knees” demonstrates a feeling of
obeisance to Sonia that starkly contrasts his egocentric behavior until this
point in the novel. Furthermore, Raskolnikov illuminates Sonia’s face rather than
putting her out of countenance as he does earlier; this alteration in Sonia’s
expression points to the progression in Raskolnikov’s treatment of her from
cruelty to kindness. Dostoyevsky goes on to state that “love resurrected them;
the heart of one contained infinite sources of life for the heart of the other”
(Dostoyevsky 521). Raskolnikov’s love for Sonia not only brings forth an
optimistic vision for his life after prison, but also, in the religious sense
of the word “resurrected,” ensures that he has rediscovered his faith in God
and can once more achieve salvation. God is a “source of life” in all
Abrahamic religions; Raskolnikov and Sonia’s love therefore maintains their
spirituality, in addition to providing them with a reason to live. Dostoyevsky
describes both Raskolnikov’s love for Sonia and the life the two provide for
each other as “infinite;” with its vast and otherworldly connotation, the word
further hints at the spiritual aspect of the pair’s relationship. As
Raskolnikov reveals his love to Sonia, he recognizes his religious faith and
enables himself to treat her courteously.
Although Raskolnikov loves Sonia throughout Crime and Punishment, he behaves nastily
toward her while he lacks faith in God and courteously toward her following his
religious enlightenment; these fluctuations suggest the correlation between
religion and behavior. Sonia is an undeniably godlike character, and
Raskolnikov’s love for both Sonia and God establishes itself in the Epilogue. Through
Raskolnikov, Dostoyevsky stresses to readers the importance of religion and
love in producing positive behavior.
.JPG)
Lovely language and fluidity. Exceptional close reading throughout -- work on varying sentence structure, particularly in close reading analysis. Some consistency of specificity in topic sentences needed. Solid ideas but limited argument.
Revised Essay:
A Higher Love
In Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Raskolnikov instantly falls in love with pious Sonia, yet his behavior toward her fluctuates from deferential to cruel; these shifts in behavior parallel his wavering religious beliefs, such that his ultimate confession of his love for her coincides with his religious enlightenment.
Raskolnikov's face lights up the first time he meets Sonia, and he falls in love with her immediately, yet his reserved nature prevents him from divulging his true feelings. Raskolnikov first sees Sonia when she arrives at Marmeladov’s deathbed, and her charm instantly intrigues him. Their initial interaction, however, occurs when she visits his apartment to request his attendance at Marmeladov’s funeral luncheon the following morning. Despite Sonia’s lifestyle as a prostitute and her inferior social status, Raskolnikov seats her next to his sister and mother – a gesture meant to show the high esteem in which he holds her. At this moment, “Raskolnikov’s pale face took flame. A shudder passed through him. His eyes lit up” (Dostoyevsky 228). Now, a drastically different Raskolnikov than the sullen, morose one portrayed earlier emerges; only love is capable of transforming him so greatly. “Flame” refers directly to Raskolnikov’s reddened face; he blushes not only at the awkwardness of seating a prostitute alongside his family, but also at the embarrassment of feeling affection for another person. Moreover, “flame” connotes passion and desire, indicating the intensity of Raskolnikov’s sudden infatuation, especially in contrast with his previously “pale,” lackluster existence. Raskolnikov's "shudders" in mild revulsion at this newfound love because he deems himself, a murderer, unworthy of loving such a good, pious girl as Sonia. Despite this shudder, the light in Raskolnikov’s eyes reflects the joy Sonia gives him. As the conversation continues, Raskolnikov does not declare his love for Sonia outright, yet she “observed the sudden illumination of his face with something close to amazement” (Dostoyevsky 231). The rapid change in Raskolnikov’s facial expression reflects the suddenness of the onset of his love for Sonia. Because Raskolnikov has not yet made his love for Sonia clear, she reacts only with “something close to amazement” -- a weak and diluted form of amazement itself. Raskolnikov, though entirely enamored of Sonia from the first time he hears of her, soon encounters difficulty treating her with due respect as he begins to doubt his religious faith.
Raskolnikov acts most hostilely to Sonia at the height of his religious bereavement, questioning the legitimacy of her faith and negating his previously kind and polite manner in seating Sonia next to his family. His irreverence at these times also extends to Pulcheria, Dunia, and Razumikhin – the people he holds dearest – though not to the degree that it exposes itself in his interactions with Sonia. When Raskolnikov visits Sonia’s apartment after disowning Pulcheria and Dunia, he asks her to read him the story of Lazarus, then criticizes her choice of prostitution to support her family; he also rebukes her for remaining faithful to the Bible despite her life of sin. In an example of Raskolnikov’s hostility to Sonia, Dostoyevsky portrays the following encounter at Sonia’s apartment:
‘Maybe there’s no God at all,’ Raskolnikov said with a certain malevolence. Then he laughed and looked at her.
All of a sudden Sonia’s face became terribly transformed; spasms and tremors passed rapidly across it. She looked on him with unutterable reproach, wanting to say something, unable to get anything out. Suddenly she burst into bitter tears and covered her face with her hands. (Dostoyevsky 307)
“Malevolence” denotes Raskolnikov’s ill-wishes for Sonia – verbal contradictions of the love he truly feels for her. Raskolnikov’s laughter at such a serious topic as the existence of God heightens Sonia’s perception of his vileness. In the same way that Raskolnikov's countenance previously depicts his love for Sonia, Sonia's facial expression now reflects Raskolnikov's hostility to her. Sonia’s “spasms” and “tremors” resemble a seizure by an evil force: Raskolnikov’s heresy. Her “reproach[ful]” face indicates contempt, an emotion that appears out of character for the generally loving girl. By introducing the possibility that God does not exist, Raskolnikov attempts to corrupt Sonia’s religious purity and induces her convulsive reaction. Sonia’s childlike act of covering her face with her hands further emphasizes Raskolnikov’s heartlessness and capacity for emotional destruction. Raskolnikov's cruelty to Sonia occurs in conjunction with his thoughts of atheism, establishing a link between his behavior and the intensity of his religious beliefs. Bereft of religion and unable to treat Sonia respectfully despite his underlying love, Raskolnikov continues to treat her malevolently until his religious awakening.
Raskolnikov’s eventual confession of his love to Sonia while in prison and the commencement of his civil behavior toward her occur in conjunction with his acceptance of religion. Raskolnikov’s fellow prisoners dislike him, in part because of his rude treatment of Sonia, whom they all adore. When Raskolnikov finds himself alone with Sonia during one of her visits, “suddenly something seemed to seize him and hurl him to her feet. He wept, and embraced her knees … A boundless joy illuminated her eyes. She understood. For her there was no longer any doubt he loved her. He loved her infinitely” (Dostoyevsky 521). As Raskolnikov eliminates any doubt that he loves Sonia, he also clears his personal doubt in the existence of God. Prostrating oneself at another’s feet indicates a religious confession, and Sonia previously commands Raskolnikov to reveal himself as a murderer in this way. Raskolnikov’s act of “embrac[ing] her knees” demonstrates an obeisance to Sonia that starkly contrasts his previously egocentric behavior. Raskolnikov's "illuminated" face when he first witnesses Sonia parallels Sonia's illuminated eyes as she finally receives his unfettered love. Furthermore, Raskolnikov illuminates Sonia’s face rather than putting her out of countenance as he does earlier; this alteration in Sonia’s expression points to the progression in Raskolnikov’s treatment of her from cruelty to kindness. Dostoyevsky goes on to state that “love resurrected them; the heart of one contained infinite sources of life for the heart of the other” (Dostoyevsky 521). Raskolnikov’s love for Sonia not only brings forth an optimistic vision for his life after prison, but also, in the religious sense of the word “resurrected,” ensures that he has rediscovered his faith in God and can once more achieve salvation. God is a “source of life” in all Abrahamic religions; Raskolnikov and Sonia’s love therefore maintains their spirituality, as well as provides them with a reason to live. Dostoyevsky describes both Raskolnikov’s love for Sonia and the life the two provide for each other as “infinite;” with its vast and otherworldly connotation, the word further hints at the spiritual aspect of the pair’s relationship. As Raskolnikov reveals his love to Sonia, he recognizes his religious faith and enables himself to treat her courteously.
Although Raskolnikov loves Sonia throughout Crime and Punishment, he behaves nastily toward her while he lacks faith in God and courteously toward her following his religious enlightenment; these fluctuations suggest the correlation between religion and behavior. Raskolnikov's love for both Sonia, an undeniably godlike character, and God Himself establishes itself in the Epilogue. Through Raskolnikov, Dostoyevsky stresses to readers the importance of religion and love in producing positive behavior.
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