Femininity in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment is widely regarded as what Dostovesky himself described as a “psychological account of a crime” where the protagonist, Raskolnikov, is consistently shown to be on the path of redemption. The diverse set of female characters in the novel, the most prominent being Sonya Marmeladova, the holy prostitute, Dunya Raskolnikov, the self-sacrificing sister, and Katerina Ivanonovna, the poor widow, function as a catalyst for this redemption all throughout the novel, playing a pivotal role in Raskolnikov’s transformative journey.
Sonya is, perhaps, the main feminine force that leads Raskolnikov to redemption. When Raskolnikov first sees her he describes her as a “kindred spirit”. Sonya, out of all the characters in the novel, is the one in the novel with the most emphasis on her eyes, mentioned in different lines like: “..marvelous blue eyes…”, “..her light-blue eyes were so clear..”, “…these meek, pale-blue eyes..”. The motif and imagery given to her eyes seems to be suggesting a significance to them. In Christianity, the religion Dostoevsky was so devoted to, blue is arguably the color most associated with purity. And despite being a prostitute (which she felt great shame for and did for the sake of her family), she has never lost touch with her Christian faith. We can see the significance this had on Raskolnikov when Sonya welcomed him into her room and started reading the story of Lazarus found in the Gospel of John to Raskolnikov where Christian parallels of death, rebirth, and the power of God are emphasized. Through this, similar to Jesus in the story of Lazarus, Sonya revives Raskolnikov following the figurative death he experienced after murdering the old pawnbroker and her sister that isolated him from society and family. As noted in Profane Challenge and Orthodox Response in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment by Janet Tucker, Raskolnikov’s “revival” is initiated by Sonya after he has been symbolically dead to Orthodoxy for four days following the murder. Lazarus also, “had already been in the tomb four days” (John 11:17).
Dostoevsky develops the narrative toward Raskolnikov’s final salvation when he accepts responsibility for his transgressions and embraces the faith that Sonya offers. This is, of course, excluding the lines where Sonya directly encouraged Raskolnikov to redeem himself and turn to God in with great compassion like when she tells him that she sees the weight of his guilt and how it torments him and tells him she will be by his side, supporting him every step of the way; this all contributed to Raskolnikov turning confessing for his crime and seeking atonement.
Throughout the story, we can see Katerina Ivanonva’s own appreciation for the pure and sacrificial nature Sonya possesses, that she also evidently has. This is first shown to Raskolnikov when Marmeladov explains to him how after Sonya went into prostitution, he “saw Katerina Ivanovna walk over to Sonechka’s little bed, also without saying a word, and kneel at the foot of the bed for the rest of the evening, kissing Sonechka’s feet, not wanting to get up”. This begins to emotionally justify Sonya’s actions to him and garners his sympathy for her as well as his appreciation for the compassion that Katerina possesses which can further motivate him to seek redemption for his own actions. She is consistently associated with the recurring theme of self-sacrifice after this point, like the public humiliation she faced at the funeral banquet she hosted for Marlemadov. She withstood this humiliation if it meant the possibility of someone coming to help her children. The pity that Raskolnikov feels for her causes him to abandon his rational way of thought, in instances where he would give her things like basically the money he was carrying as he was leaving her lodging. Raskolnikov recognises the shared humanity that binds him to others by donating money to Katerina. He sees Katerina and her family’s struggles, viewing them as fellow human beings deserving of sympathy and care. This realization calls into question his earlier detached and nihilistic worldview, allowing him to consider the possibility of redemption.
Later in the conversation with Rasokolnikov, Marmeldov begins to talk about how he “should be crucified” for leaving his family and drinking through the last of their funds. He tells Raskolnikov he “cannot live without’’ Katerina Ivanovna’s beatings. Katerina Ivanovna appears to personify both punishment and redemption simultaneously. She beats him then lets him back into their home.
In 19th century Russia, the debate over women’s freedom was polarized, with some advocating for change and others passionately opposing feminist initiatives. Reference to this is even mentioned in the Crime and Punishment itself, as the “woman question” which was source of debate in Russia at the time and mentioned as such in the novel itself too. Dostovesky gave his female characters complexity, the right to make their own choices, the ability to demonstrate feminine strength through his nuanced female characters, including Sonya and Katerina, challenging the simplistic stereotypes typically attributed to women in his time and ultimately contributing to Raskolnikov’s moral transformation.
