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Religion In Dostoyevsky's Crime And P

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The function of religion is a very important yet subtle theme in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and is presented through the novel’s characters and their various associations with religious allusions. The presence of religion in the novel offers a unique paradox; on one hand, the text circulates around a godless person who committed a reprehensible and sinful crime, while on the other hand the importance of religion and how each individual understands it is emphasized. Due to this, the idea of ‘Holy Sinners’ arises, in which there are characters that take part in appalling actions, but symbolize purity as well. The most prominent characters to demonstrate this paradoxical take on religion are Sonya, for her being praised for her purity but shunned for her occupation, and Raskolnikov, for committing a terrible crime but coming to terms with it in the end.
First and foremost, a character that displays this paradoxical view of necessary wrongdoing is the saintly prostitute, Sonya Marmeladov. Sonya is a young woman, plagued by the …show more content…

Though Raskolnikov did not murder a sibling, he did commit murder, and was banished to Siberia where, with the help of Sonya, he repented for his sins and became a religious man.
In conclusion, both Sonya and Raskolnikov are holy sinners, due to either their sacrifices or their coming to terms with their faith in spite of their sinful actions. Together, these characters go hand in hand regarding the presented paradox in Crime and Punishment. They both provide a balance between sacrifice and crime, in which Sonya exhibits her holiness through her forgiveness and suffering, and in which Raskolnikov repents for and regrets his

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