Similarities Between Crime And Punishment And The Inferno

Considering that the two books are vastly different, Crime and Punishment and The Inferno have a surprising number of elements in common. One such element, unexpected though it might be, is romance. Now, while The Inferno may conceivably be one of the least romantic books in existence, there are elements to the novel that are not immediately apparent. The primary romantic element stems from the author’s, and his literary avatar’s, all-consuming love of a woman who died years before the writing of the Divine Comedy. His love for her resonates throughout the trilogy and helps define the character of Dante. In Crime and Punishment, romance also plays a large role in the plot. The primary couples of the novel, Sonya with Raskolnikov and Dunya

Dante only toured hell, purgatory, and heaven because Beatrice spoke in his defense and convinced Mary, the mother of Jesus, to grant him the opportunity. “In that poem, he expresses his exalted and spiritual love for Beatrice, who is his intercessor in The Inferno, his purpose in traveling through Purgatorio, and his guide through Paradiso” (florenceinferno.com). While it his experiences and reason that allow Dante to grow in his own faith, without Beatrice he never would have had the opportunity. Similarly, Sonya is one of the major reasons for Raskolnikov’s spiritual redemption, and the initial trigger for it. She reintroduces him to the Scriptures, is forgiving in the face of his evil, and follows him to his punishment. Despite the strife she faces in her life, she embodies compassion and understanding. Both Dunya and Beatrice save the men who love them through their goodness, which is a somewhat worrying trope that is recurrent throughout fiction. Interestingly, of the two women, Dunya is the most nuanced and developed. Despite being the fictional character, she has flaws, sins, and it is implied that her relationship with Raskolnikov may not be the moth healthy. The character based on a real individual, Beatrice, is fairly flat, exhibiting little beyond unaltered