"Crime and Punishment"

“Crime and Punishment” is one of F. Dostoevsky’s ideological novels, permeated with the ideas of Christianity. Biblical motifs give the novel a universal meaning. Images and motifs from the Bible are subordinated to a single idea and are grouped and semicircle of specific problems. One of them is the problem of the fate of humanity. According to the modern writer, society is correlated in the novel with apocalyptic forecasts. The image of the Bible is transferred to the vision of the heroes. Thus, in the epilogue, the novel painted a terrible picture: “... I dreamed in my illness that the whole world was doomed to fall victim to some terrible unheard of and unprecedented ulcer...” If you compare this description with the Apocalypse, you can notice the obvious similarity of the description of the end of times and Raskolnikov's vision in hard labor. This description helps to understand the author’s warning about the terrible abyss of spirituality to which humanity can fall by ignoring morality.

Therefore, the theme of spiritual rebirth in the novel is connected with the idea of ​​Christ. It is no coincidence that Sonya Marmeladova, during her first visit to Raskolnikov, reads to him the story of the resurrection of Lazarus: “Jesus said to her: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, although he dies, will live. And everyone who lives and who believes in Me will never die.” Sonya hoped that this would encourage Rodion, blinded and disappointed, to believe and repent. She thought like a deeply religious Christian. After all, the path to forgiveness and to spiritual resurrection lies through repentance and suffering. That is why she advises Raskolnikov to surrender to the authorities, just to accept suffering in hard labor for the sake of purification. The hero does not immediately understand everything; at first he even fears that Sonya will annoyingly preach to him. She was wiser. They were both resurrected by love. Raskolnikov himself turns to the Gospel, trying to find answers to his questions there. The most painful thing about them is the question of justice in the world. In the novel, Marmeladov tells the then completely different Raskolnikov that “the one who took pity on us all and who understood everyone, he is the only one, he is the judge,” will take pity on us. It was he who spoke about the second coming of Christ, because he believed that after lawlessness and injustice the Kingdom of God would come, since otherwise there would be no justice.

So, Dostoevsky’s philosophical concept is the spiritual rebirth of man through love and compassion for man and the whole society, through the preaching of Christian morality. And in order to present this concept as best as possible, the writer wrote the most famous plots and motifs of the main book of Christianity - the Bible - to his work.

problems of a literary work, they are embodied in general types or are extraordinary personalities, minor characters create the social background against which the action of the work develops, etc. But F. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” is a truly unique phenomenon in the Russian world literature. Importantly, this novel contains the image of St. Petersburg - in which events take place.

The attentive reader had the opportunity to notice that the image of St. Petersburg stands out in one way or another in many works of Russian literature. Let us recall Pushkin’s poem “The Horseman,” in which the city of St. Petersburg is actually a separate character. There would be no St. Petersburg and Gogol’s “Petersburg Tales” known to us. Why does this city attract writers? Why exactly does he help them reveal the themes and ideas of the works? What themes and ideas are revealed through the image of St. Petersburg?

How does a new city arise? People begin to settle in a certain place, the village is completed, enlarged... But this was not the case with St. Petersburg. It is known to us as a man-made city, built in the swamps by order of Peter I. During his treatment from diseases contributed to by the climate, and from hard work, many people died, in fact, this city is on bones. Straight streets created artificially, majestic and small buildings... All this leaves no living space for the existence of the common man. That’s why the heroes of Pushkin’s “The Bronze Horseman” and Gogol’s “The Overcoat” are dying in St. Petersburg. This city with its own, cruel and chimerical soul... Phantom City... Monster City...

In the novel “Crime and Punishment” the realities of St. Petersburg are reproduced with topographical accuracy, however, they often acquire symbolic meaning, becoming part of it. In the novel we see a different Petersburg (not those majestic fashionable buildings) - the city reveals its terrible bottom, the place of existence of morally devastated people. They became like this not only through their own shortcomings, but because the phantom city, the monster city, made them like this.

“through and through” full of cruelty, injustice, non-existent morality.

In hell). The symbolism in the depiction of the city is important - the sickly yellow colors recreate the current state of the heroes, their moral illness, imbalance, and intense internal conflicts.

“scenery” is a realistically and symbolically loaded place of action. St. Petersburg is precisely such a city-symbol in the novel “Crime and Punishment.” Analyzing the meaning of this image helps to better understand the deep content of this novel.

Nesterov A.K. Christian motives and images in the novel Crime and Punishment // Nesterov Encyclopedia

Features of the presentation of Christian motifs in the novel "Crime and Punishment".

You can judge who Raskolnikov is only by learning the language the author speaks.

To do this, we must always remember that before us is the work of a man who, during four years spent in hard labor, read only the Gospel - the only book allowed there.

His further thoughts develop at this depth.

Therefore, “Crime and Punishment” cannot be considered a psychological work, and Dostoevsky himself once said: “They call me a psychologist, but I am only a realist in the highest sense.” With this phrase, he emphasized that psychology in his novels is an outer layer, a rough form, and the content and meaning are contained in spiritual values, in the highest sphere.

The foundation of the novel stands on a powerful gospel layer; almost every scene carries something symbolic, some kind of comparison, some kind of interpretation of various Christian parables and tales. Every little thing has its own meaning, the author’s speech is thoroughly imbued with specific words indicating the religious overtones of the novel. The names Dostoevsky chose for the heroes of his novels are always significant, but in Crime and Punishment they are an important key to understanding the main idea. In his workbook, Dostoevsky defined the idea of ​​the novel as follows: “There is no happiness in comfort, happiness is bought by suffering. Man is not born for happiness. Man deserves his happiness, and always through suffering. In his image (Raskolnikov) the idea of ​​exorbitant pride, arrogance and contempt is expressed in the novel to this society (in no case of individualism). His idea: to take power over this society." The author does not focus on whether the main character is a criminal or not - this is already clear. The main thing in the novel is suffering for the sake of happiness, and this is the very essence of Christianity.

Raskolnikov is a criminal who violated God’s law and defied the Father. That's why Dostoevsky gave him exactly that last name. It points to schismatics who did not submit to the decisions of church councils and deviated from the path of the Orthodox Church, that is, who opposed their opinion and their will to the opinion of the church. It reflects the split in the soul of the hero, who rebelled against society and God, but did not find the strength to reject the values ​​​​associated with them. In the draft version of the novel, Raskolnikov says this to Duna: “Well, if you reach such a line that if you stop before it, you will be unhappy, but if you step over it, then perhaps you will be even more unhappy. There is such a line.”

But with such a surname, his name is very strange: Rodion Romanovich. Rodion is pink, Roman is strong. In this regard, one can recall the naming of Christ from the prayer to the Trinity: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.” Rodion Romanovich - pink Strong. Pink – embryo, bud. So, Rodion Romanovich is a bud of Christ. Rodion in the novel is constantly compared to Christ: the pawnbroker calls him “father,” which does not correspond to Raskolnikov’s age or position, but this is how they address the clergyman, who is for the believer a visible image of Christ; Dunya “loves him infinitely, more than himself,” and this is one of Christ’s commandments: “Love your God more than yourself.” And if you remember how the novel ended, it becomes clear that everyone, from the author to the man in the repentance scene, knows about the crime committed. They call on the “bud of Christ” to bloom and take precedence over the rest of the hero’s being, who has renounced God. The latter can be concluded from Rodion’s words: “Damn him!”; “Damn it all!”; "...to hell with her and with her new life!" - this no longer looks just like a curse, but like a formula for renunciation in favor of the devil.

But Raskolnikov “finally settled on the ax” not as a result of reasons printed on paper: it was not the theory about “extraordinary” people, not the troubles and sorrows of the Marmeladovs and the girl he accidentally met, and not even the lack of money that pushed him to commit a crime. The real reason is hidden between the lines, and it lies in the spiritual split of the hero. Dostoevsky described it in Rodion’s “horrible dream,” but the dream is difficult to understand without a small but very significant detail. First, let's turn to the hero's father. In the novel he is called only “father,” but in a letter to his mother Afanasy Ivanovich Vakhrushin, who was his father’s friend, is mentioned. Athanasius is immortal, John is the grace of God. This means that Raskolnikov’s mother receives the money he needs from the “immortal grace of God.” The Father appears before us as God, which is supported by his name: Roman. And faith in God is strong in Rus'. Now let's return to the dream, in which the hero loses his faith and gains confidence in the need to change the world himself. Seeing the sin of people, he rushes to his father for help, but, realizing that he cannot or does not want to do anything, he himself rushes to the aid of the “horse”. This is the moment at which faith in the power of the father is lost, in his ability to arrange so that there is no suffering. This is the moment of losing trust in God. Father - God “died” in Raskolnikov’s heart, but he constantly remembers him. “Death,” the absence of God, allow a person to punish someone else’s sin, rather than sympathize with it, and allow him to become above the laws of conscience and the laws of God. Such a “rebellion” separates a person from people, allows him to walk like a “pale angel,” and deprives him of the consciousness of his own sinfulness. Raskolnikov composed his theory long before sleep, but he hesitated to test it in his own practice, since faith in God still lived in him, but after sleep it was gone. Raskolnikov immediately becomes extremely superstitious; superstition and faith are incompatible things.

In the first pages of the novel, Dostoevsky contrasts this dream with a scene with a drunk being transported in a cart, and since this happens in reality, this episode is the truth, and not a dream. In a dream, everything is different from reality, except for the size of the cart, which means that only this is perceived adequately by Raskolnikov. Rodion rushed to defend the poor horse because she was given an excessive cart and forced to carry it. But in reality, the horse handles its load. Here lies the idea that Raskolnikov is challenging God on the basis of non-existent injustices, for “everyone is given a burden within their strength and no one is given more than he can bear. A horse in a dream is an analogue of Katerina Ivanovna, who herself invented unrealistic troubles for herself, which are difficult, but bearable, because, having reached the edge, there is always a defender: Sonya, Raskolnikov, Svidrigailov. It turns out that our hero is a lost soul who has lost faith in God and rebelled against him due to an incorrect perception of the world.

And every person, starting with the pawnbroker, must return this lost soul to the true path. Alena Ivanovna, calling him “father,” reminds Raskolnikov that he, being Christ, should not challenge God. Then Rodion meets Marmeladov.

The sharp contrast of the surnames immediately catches the eye: on the one hand, something “splitting”, on the other, a viscous mass that blinds Rodion’s “split” existence. But the meaning of Marmeladov does not end with the surname. The meeting of the characters begins with the words: “There are other meetings, even with people completely unfamiliar to us, in whom we begin to be interested at first sight...” - the scene of the Presentation is depicted here, when the prophet Simeon recognizes Christ and prophesies about him. In addition, Marmeladov’s name is Semyon Zakharovich, which means “He who hears God, the memory of God.” In his confession-prophecy, Marmeladov seems to say: “Look, we have bigger troubles than you, but we are not going to cut and rob people.” Having taken Marmeladov home, Raskolnikov leaves “how much copper money he needed” on the windowsill. Then, after thinking, “I wanted to go back,” “but, judging that it was already impossible to take it... I went to the apartment.” Here the hero’s dual nature is clearly manifested: impulsively, at the first impulse of his heart, he acts like a god, after thinking and judging, he acts cynically and selfishly. He experiences real satisfaction from an action by acting impulsively.

Having decided to kill, Raskolnikov became a criminal, but he “killed himself, not the old woman.” He “lowered the ax on the head of the old woman with its butt,” while the blade was pointed at him. He killed his sister with a blade, but here is Lizaveta’s gesture: “outstretched hand,” as if she had forgiven him his sin against her. Raskolnikov did not kill anyone but himself, which means he is not a murderer. After the crime, he must choose either Sonya or Svidrigailov. They are the two paths offered to the hero.

Marmeladov showed Rodion the right choice by talking about his daughter. In Dostoevsky’s drafts there is the following entry: “Svidrigailov is despair, the most cynical. Sonya is hope, the most impracticable.” Svidrigailov tries to “save” Raskolnikov, inviting him to act as he would act himself. But only Sonya can bring true salvation. Her name means "wisdom that listens to God." This name absolutely corresponds to her behavior with Raskolnikov: she listened to him and gave him the wisest advice so that he would repent and not just confess. When describing her room, Dostoevsky compares it to a barn. The barn is the same barn where the baby Christ was born. In Raskolnikov, in Sonya’s room, the “bud of Christ” began to open, it began to be reborn. It is difficult for him to communicate with Sonya: she tries to show him the right path, but he cannot stand her words because he cannot believe her due to his lack of faith in God. By giving Rodion an example of strong faith, she makes him suffer, suffer for the sake of happiness. Sonya thereby saves him, gives him hope for happiness, which Svidrigailov would never have given him. Here lies another important idea of ​​the novel: man is saved by man and cannot be saved in any other way. Raskolnikov saved the girl from new abuse, Sonya saved him from despair, loneliness and final collapse, he saved Sonya from sin and shame, his sister Razumikhin, Razumikhin his sister. The one who does not find the person dies - Svidrigailov.

Porfiry, which means “crimson,” also played his role. The name is highly not accidental for the person who will torture Raskolnikov “And having undressed Him, they put a purple robe on Him; and having woven a crown of thorns, they placed it on His head...” this is associated with the scene when Porfiry tried to extort a confession from Raskolnikov: Rodion blushes While talking, his head starts to hurt. Dostoevsky also repeatedly uses the verb “to cluck” in relation to Porfiry. This word is very strange when used to refer to an investigator, but this verb indicates that Porfiry rushes around with Raskolnikov like a chicken with an egg. The egg is an ancient symbol of resurrection to a new life, which the investigator prophesies for the hero. He also compares the criminal to the sun: “Become the sun, and they will see you...” The sun personifies Christ.

The people constantly laugh at Raskolnikov, and ridicule is the only possible “forgiveness,” the inclusion back into the people’s body of a particle that escaped from it and wickedly rose above it, imagining itself as something supernatural. But the laughter of forgiveness seems to the hero to be an insult to his idea and makes him suffer.

But suffering is “fertilizer”, after receiving which the “bud of Christ” can open. The flower will finally bloom in the epilogue, but already in the scene of repentance, when Raskolnikov “knelt down in the middle of the square, bowed to the ground and kissed this dirty earth with pleasure and happiness,” laughter does not irritate him, it helps him.

“The exiled convict of the second category, Rodion Raskolnikov, has been imprisoned in prison for nine months now.” This is exactly how much time is needed for the development of the fetus in the womb. In prison, Raskolnikov suffers for nine months, that is, he is reborn. “Suddenly Sonya appeared next to him. She came up barely audibly and sat down next to him.” Here Sonya plays the role of the Mother of God, and Rodion himself appears as Jesus. This is a description of the icon of the Mother of God “Helper of Sinners.” Raskolnikov’s sudden surge of feelings following these words is a moment of resurrection, a moment of “birth from the Spirit.” The Gospel of John says: “Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you...”

After the end of his term, Raskolnikov will find his happiness, for he will finally suffer for it. Having rebelled against God, he committed a crime, after which he began to suffer, and then repented, therefore, he is both a sufferer and a repentant criminal at the same time.

Essay plan

1. Introduction. The writer's appeal to biblical themes and plots.

2. Main part. Biblical motives in the novel “Crime and Punishment.”

Cain's motive in the novel.

The motif of Egypt and its development in the novel.

The motive of death and resurrection in the novel.

Biblical motifs associated with the image of Sonya.

The motif of communion associated with the image of Marmeladov.

The motif of demons and its development in the novel.

The motive of demonism in the hero's last dream.

The motive of demons in creating the image of Svidrigailov.

The motive of laughter and its meaning in the novel.

3. Conclusion. The originality of the themes of Dostoevsky's novels.

Man in Dostoevsky's novels feels his unity with the whole world, feels his responsibility to the world. Hence the global nature of the problems posed by the writer, their universal human nature. Hence the writer’s appeal to eternal, biblical themes and ideas. In his life, F.M. Dostoevsky often turned to the Gospel. He found in it answers to vitally important, troubling questions, borrowed individual images, symbols, and motifs from the Gospel parables, creatively processing them in his works. Biblical motifs can also be clearly seen in Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment.

Thus, the image of the main character in the novel resurrects the motive of Cain, the first killer on earth. When Cain committed murder, he became an eternal wanderer and exile in his native land. The same thing happens with Dostoevsky’s Raskolnikov: having committed a murder, the hero feels alienated from the world around him. Raskolnikov has nothing to talk about with people, “he can’t talk about anything anymore, never and with anyone,” he “seems to have cut himself off from everyone with scissors,” his relatives seem to be afraid of him. Having confessed to the crime, he ends up in hard labor, but even there they look at him with distrust and hostility, they do not like him and avoid him, once they even wanted to kill him as an atheist. However, Dostoevsky leaves the hero the possibility of moral rebirth, and therefore the possibility of overcoming that terrible, impassable abyss that lies between him and the world around him.

Another biblical motif in the novel is that of Egypt. In his dreams, Raskolnikov imagines Egypt, golden sand, a caravan, camels. Having met a tradesman who called him a murderer, the hero again remembers Egypt. “If you look through the hundred-thousandth line, that’s evidence for the Egyptian pyramid!” Rodion thinks in fright. Talking about two types of people, he notices that Napoleon forgets the army in Egypt; Egypt for this commander becomes the beginning of his career. Svidrigailov also recalls Egypt in the novel, noting that Avdotya Romanovna has the nature of a great martyr, ready to live in the Egyptian desert. This motif has several meanings in the novel. First of all, Egypt reminds us of its ruler, Pharaoh, who was overthrown by the Lord for his pride and hardness of heart. Conscious of their “proud power,” Pharaoh and the Egyptians greatly oppressed the people of Israel who came to Egypt, not wanting to take their faith into account. Ten Egyptian plagues, sent by God to the country, could not stop the cruelty and pride of the pharaoh. And then the Lord crushed the “pride of Egypt” with the sword of the king of Babylon, destroying the Egyptian pharaohs, people, and livestock; turning the land of Egypt into a lifeless desert. The biblical tradition here recalls the judgment of God, the punishment for self-will and cruelty. Egypt, which appeared in a dream to Raskolnikov, becomes a warning for the hero. The writer seems to constantly remind the hero how the “proud power” of the rulers, the mighty of this world, ends. Svidrigailov’s mention of the Egyptian desert, where the Great Martyr Mary of Egypt, who was once a great sinner, stayed for many years, also becomes a warning. Here the theme of repentance and humility arises, but at the same time, regret about the past. At the same time, Egypt reminds us of other events - it becomes the place where the Mother of God with the baby Jesus takes refuge from the persecution of King Herod (New Testament). And in this aspect, Egypt becomes for Raskolnikov an attempt to awaken humanity, humility, and generosity in his soul. Thus, the Egyptian motif in the novel also emphasizes the duality of the hero’s nature - his exorbitant pride and hardly less natural generosity.

The gospel motif of death and resurrection is associated with the image of Raskolnikov in the novel. After he commits a crime, Sonya reads to Rodion the gospel parable about the deceased and resurrected Lazarus. The hero speaks to Porfiry Petrovich about his belief in the resurrection of Lazarus. This same motif of death and resurrection is also realized in the plot of the novel itself. After committing the murder, Raskolnikov becomes spiritually dead, life seems to leave him. Rodion's apartment looks like a coffin. His face is deathly pale, like that of a dead man. He cannot communicate with people: those around him, with their care and bustle, make him angry and irritated. The deceased Lazar lies in a cave, the entrance to which is blocked with a stone - Raskolnikov hides the loot under a stone in Alena Ivanovna’s apartment. His sisters, Martha and Mary, take a lively part in the resurrection of Lazarus. It is they who lead to the cave of Lazarus Christ. In Dostoevsky, Sonya gradually leads Raskolnikov to Christ. Raskolnikov returns to normal life, discovering his love for Sonya. This is Dostoevsky’s resurrection of the hero. In the novel we do not see Raskolnikov’s repentance, but in the finale he is potentially ready for it.

Other biblical motifs in the novel are associated with the image of Sonya Marmeladova. This heroine in “Crime and Punishment” is associated with the biblical motive of adultery, the motive of suffering for people and forgiveness, the motive of Judas. Just as Jesus Christ accepted suffering for people, in the same way Sonya accepts suffering for her loved ones. Moreover, she is aware of all the abomination and sinfulness of her occupation and has a hard time experiencing her own situation. “After all, it would be fairer,” Raskolnikov exclaims, “a thousand times fairer and wiser it would be to dive headfirst into the water and end it all at once!”

- What will happen to them? – Sonya asked weakly, looking at him painfully, but at the same time, as if not at all surprised by his proposal. Raskolnikov looked at her strangely.

He read everything in one look from her. Therefore, she really had already had this thought herself. Perhaps many times she seriously thought in despair about how to end it all at once, and so seriously that now she was almost not surprised at his proposal. She didn’t even notice the cruelty of his words... But he fully understood the monstrous pain to which she had been tormented, and for a long time now, by the thought of her dishonorable and shameful position. What, he thought, could still stop her determination to end it all at once? And then he fully understood what these poor little orphans and this pitiful, half-crazed Katerina Ivanovna, with her consumption and banging her head against the wall, meant to her.” We know that Sonya was pushed along this path by Katerina Ivanovna. However, the girl does not blame her stepmother, but, on the contrary, defends her, understanding the hopelessness of the situation. “Sonya got up, put on a scarf, put on a burnusik and left the apartment, and came back at nine o’clock. She came and went straight to Katerina Ivanovna, and silently laid out thirty rubles on the table in front of her.” Here one can feel the subtle motive of Judas, who sold Christ for thirty pieces of silver. It is characteristic that Sonya also takes out the last thirty kopecks from Marmeladov. The Marmeladov family, to a certain extent, “betrays” Sonya. This is exactly how Raskolnikov views the situation at the beginning of the novel. The head of the family, Semyon Zakharych, is helpless in life like a small child. He cannot overcome his destructive passion for wine and perceives everything that happens fatally, as an inevitable evil, without trying to fight fate and resist circumstances. However, the motive of Judas does not sound clearly in Dostoevsky: for the misfortunes of the Marmeladov family, the writer blames life itself, capitalist Petersburg, indifferent to the fate of the “little man,” rather than Marmeladov and Katerina Ivanovna.

Marmeladov, who had a destructive passion for wine, introduces the motif of communion into the novel. Thus, the writer emphasizes the original religiosity of Semyon Zakharovich, the presence in his soul of true faith, what Raskolnikov so lacks.

Another biblical motif in the novel is the motif of demons and devilry. This motif is already set in the landscapes of the novel, when Dostoevsky describes the unbearably hot days of St. Petersburg. “The heat outside was unbearable again; at least a drop of rain all these days. Again dust, brick, mortar, again the stench from the shops and taverns... The sun flashed brightly in his eyes, so that it became painful to look at, and his head was completely spinning... " Here the motif of the midday demon arises, when a person falls into a rage under the influence of the scorching sun, an overly hot day. In Dostoevsky's novel, Raskolnikov's behavior often reminds us of the behavior of a demoniac. So, at some point the hero seems to realize that a demon is pushing him to kill. Unable to find an opportunity to take an ax from the owner’s kitchen, Raskolnikov decides that his plans have collapsed. But quite unexpectedly, he finds an ax in the janitor's room and is again strengthened in his decision. “It’s not reason, it’s demon!” - he thought, smiling strangely. Raskolnikov resembles a demon possessed even after the murder he committed. “One new, irresistible sensation took possession of him more and more almost every minute: it was some kind of endless, almost physical, disgust for everything he encountered and around him, stubborn, angry, hateful. Everyone he met was disgusting to him—their faces, their gait, their movements were disgusting. He would simply spit on someone, would bite, it seems, if someone spoke to him ... "

The motif of demons appears in Raskolnikov’s last dream, which he saw already in hard labor. Rodion imagines that “the whole world is condemned to be a victim of some terrible, unheard of and unprecedented pestilence.” People’s bodies were inhabited by special spirits, gifted with intelligence and will - trichinas. And people, becoming infected, became possessed and crazy, considering the only true, true only their truth, their convictions, their faith and neglecting the truth, convictions and faith of others. These disagreements led to wars, famines, and fires. People abandoned their crafts, agriculture, they “stabbed and cut themselves,” “killed each other in some senseless rage.” The ulcer grew and moved further and further. Only a few people, pure and chosen, destined to start a new race of people and a new life, to renew and cleanse the earth, could be saved throughout the world. However, no one has ever seen these people.

Raskolnikov’s last dream echoes the Gospel of Matthew, where the prophecies of Jesus Christ are revealed that “nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,” that there will be wars, “famines, pestilences and earthquakes,” that “the love of many will grow cold,” people they will hate each other, “they will betray each other” - “he who endures to the end will be saved.” The motive for the execution of Egypt also arises here. One of the plagues sent by the Lord to Egypt to humble the pride of Pharaoh was a pestilence. In Raskolnikov’s dream, the pestilence receives a concrete embodiment, as it were, in the form of trichins that inhabit the bodies and souls of people. Trichinas here are nothing more than demons that have entered people. We see this motif quite often in biblical parables. For Dostoevsky, demonism becomes not a physical disease, but a disease of the spirit, pride, selfishness and individualism.

The motif of the demon is also developed in the novel by Svidrigailov, who always seems to be tempting Rodion. As Yu. Karyakin notes, Svidrigailov is “a kind of devil of Raskolnikov.” The first appearance of this hero to Raskolnikov is in many ways similar to the appearance of the devil to Ivan Karamazov. Svidrigalov appears as if out of delirium; he seems to Rodion to be a continuation of a nightmare about the murder of an old woman.

Throughout the entire narrative, Raskolnikov is accompanied by the motif of laughter. Thus, the hero’s feelings are characteristic during his conversation with Zametov, when they are both looking in newspapers for information about the murder of Alena Ivanovna. Realizing that he is suspected, Raskolnikov, however, does not feel fear and continues to “tease” Zametnov. “And in an instant he remembered with extreme clarity of sensation one recent moment when he stood outside the door with an ax, the lock was jumping, they were cursing and breaking in behind the door, and he suddenly wanted to shout at them, quarrel with them, stick out his tongue at them, tease them , laugh, laugh, laugh, laugh!” And this motive, as we noted above, is present throughout the entire novel. The same laughter is present in the hero’s dreams (the dream about Mikolka and the dream about the old money-lender). B.S. Kondratiev notes that laughter in Raskolnikov’s dream is “an attribute of the invisible presence of Satan.” It seems that the laughter that surrounds the hero in reality and the laughter that sounds within him have the same meaning.

Thus, in the novel “Crime and Punishment” we find a synthesis of a wide variety of biblical motifs. This writer’s appeal to eternal themes is natural. As V. Kozhinov notes, “Dostoevsky’s hero is constantly turned to the entire immense life of humanity in its past, present and future, he constantly and directly relates himself to it, all the time measures himself by it.”

Essay plan 1. Introduction. The writer's appeal to biblical themes and plots. Svidrigailov also recalls Egypt in the novel, noting that Avdotya Romanovna has the nature of a great martyr, ready to live in the Egyptian desert. This motif has several meanings in the novel. First of all, Egypt reminds us of its ruler, Pharaoh, who was overthrown by the Lord for his pride and hardness of heart. Conscious of their “proud power,” Pharaoh and the Egyptians greatly oppressed the people of Israel who came to Egypt, not wanting to take their faith into account. Ten Egyptian plagues, sent by God to the country, could not stop the cruelty and pride of the pharaoh. And then the Lord crushed the “pride of Egypt” with the sword of the king of Babylon, destroying the Egyptian pharaohs, people, and livestock; turning the land of Egypt into a lifeless desert. The biblical tradition here recalls the judgment of God, the punishment for self-will and cruelty. Egypt, which appeared in a dream to Raskolnikov, becomes a warning for the hero. The writer seems to constantly remind the hero how the “proud power” of the rulers, the mighty of this world, ends. Svidrigailov’s mention of the Egyptian desert, where the Great Martyr Mary of Egypt, who was once a great sinner, stayed for many years, also becomes a warning. Here the theme of repentance and humility arises, but at the same time, regret about the past. At the same time, Egypt reminds us of other events - it becomes the place where the Mother of God with the baby Jesus takes refuge from the persecution of King Herod (New Testament). And in this aspect, Egypt becomes for Raskolnikov an attempt to awaken humanity, humility, and generosity in his soul. Thus, the Egyptian motif in the novel also emphasizes the duality of the hero’s nature - his exorbitant pride and hardly less natural generosity. It is they who lead to the cave of Lazarus Christ. In Dostoevsky, Sonya gradually leads Raskolnikov to Christ. Raskolnikov returns to normal life, discovering his love for Sonya. This is Dostoevsky’s resurrection of the hero. In the novel we do not see Raskolnikov’s repentance, but in the finale he is potentially ready for it. However, the motive of Judas does not sound clearly in Dostoevsky: for the misfortunes of the Marmeladov family, the writer blames life itself, capitalist Petersburg, indifferent to the fate of the “little man,” rather than Marmeladov and Katerina Ivanovna. The ulcer grew and moved further and further. Only a few people, pure and chosen, destined to start a new race of people and a new life, to renew and cleanse the earth, could be saved throughout the world. However, no one has ever seen these people. This writer’s appeal to eternal themes is natural. As V. Kozhinov notes, “Dostoevsky’s hero is constantly turned to the entire immense life of humanity in its past, present and future, he constantly and directly relates himself to it, all the time measures himself by it.”

Christian images and motifs in the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment"

I. Introduction

Dostoevsky was a Christian, Orthodox, deeply religious man. From these positions he approached the problems of his time. Therefore, the author’s position in any of his novels, including Crime and Punishment, cannot be correctly understood without taking into account Christian images and motives.

II. Main part.

1. The plot of the novel itself is based on the fact that Raskolnikov commits a mortal sin, breaking one of God’s most important commandments - “thou shalt not kill,” and then atones for his guilt through suffering, repentance and purification.

2. Sonya also commits a mortal sin, and her image correlates with the Gospel image of the “harlot.” This is a complex image, associated not only with the concept of sin, but also with the idea of ​​Christian charity. In the Gospel, Christ forgives the harlot who sincerely believed in him. Christ also commanded mercy to people, saying about the harlot: “He who is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” The attitude of various characters in the novel towards Sonya serves as a kind of test of their Christian spirit (Raskolnikov sits her next to her sister, Dunya, Pulcheria Alexandrovna, Razumikhin “do not throw stones at her,” and, for example, Luzhin does just that).

Sin, oddly enough, connects Sonya and Raskolnikov: “a murderer and a harlot who came together to read the eternal book,” that is, the Gospel. But there is a fundamental difference between these two criminals: Raskolnikov does not believe in God and therefore cannot believe in redemption; he often falls into despair. Sonya, on the contrary, says about herself: “What would I be without God?” Therefore, the path of redemption through suffering and good deeds is open to her; there is no despair in her.

3. A very important gospel motif is the motif of suffering. Suffering atones not only for personal sin, but also for the sins of humanity, therefore the idea of ​​“suffering” is strong in a Russian Orthodox person - simply, without any guilt (Mikolka; the prisoner about whom Porfiry Petrovich tells Raskolnikov in their last conversation).

4. The image of the cross, a symbol of the “passion of Christ,” is closely connected with the motives of suffering and redemption. The development of this image in the novel is quite complex. There is no cross on Raskolnikov - in Russia during Dostoevsky’s time, this is an infrequent case and says a lot. Sonya puts the cross on Raskolnikov, bless him for his suffering. She puts her cross on him, then makes them like brother and sister in Christ, and she herself wears the cross of Lizaveta, her spiritual sister, who was killed by Raskolnikov.

5. For Dostoevsky, it was very important to show the possibility of the resurrection of any person, even a criminal, through turning to God. Therefore, one of the most important gospel motifs and images is the resurrection of Lazarus. Sonya reads the corresponding passage to Raskolnikov at his request, but even earlier, in Raskolnikov’s first conversation with Porfiry Petrovich, this motive already appears, and the last time it is mentioned is at the very end of the epilogue.

III. Conclusion

Christian motifs and images are an important part of the ideological content of Crime and Punishment, directly expressing Dostoevsky’s author’s position.

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