Feminist theory shows the ways of a gender structured life . This culture is also displayed in Crime and Punishment by Sonya and Dunya. Feminist criticism is a type of literary criticism that was well known in the 1970’s. Women would begin taking apart the classics and analyzing how the author portrayed women. The women in Crime and Punishment , especially Sonya and Dunya have a stronger state of mind and are able to handle the pressures and struggles of life better than the men in the novel. The women in the novel, such as Sonya and Dunya are spiritual connected far more than the men. However, this leads them to help the men in making decisions that will leave a major impact on them. The women in the novel are shown as having strong relationships with the men. Almost all of this strength that they have come from their Christian faith and spiritual development, these both play a big role in their relationships. They are able to deal with as well as handle the evil happening. Sonya became a prostitute to help support her family; she kept a strong faith and it leads to an impact on Raskolnikovs life. The women in the novel are portrayed as these strong and open minded women, unlike the men. The men in the novel are portrayed as being confused and burdened. In the novel, it is shown strongly when Sonya is very much open minded when Raskolnikov tells her about the murder. Sonya was open minded about it when the men did not accept it at all.