Men Vs. Women in Crime and Punishment
Women
Sonia
Katerina
Dounia
Pulcheria
Natasya
Alyona
Marfa
The women of crime and punishment are the more innocent and pure characters of Crime and Punishment. They do not commit horrendous crimes or have bad morals. However, even though they mean to do only good, they are forced into unfortunate situations
Some examples of the innocence of the women of Crime and Punishment are:
- Devoted Christian/Supporting Family: Sonia
- Being there and worrying about son: Pulcheria
- Having Faith: Dounia
- Doing Her Sisters Bidding: Lizaveta
Bad things that happened to the women of Crime and Punishment
- Sonia: in wanting to take care of and provide for her family because her father abandoned them, she was forced to go out and prostitute herself. This tore her apart, especially with her strong faith toward God. It gave her a bad image to the people in the community.
- Dounia: Working to provide income for her family, her reputation is ruined by Luzhin. Only wanting to find love, and have a better life for herself and her family, she agrees to be engaged to Luzhin. However, her heart was crushed when finding out that he is nothing but a cocky man who was basically using her. Not only that, but her reputation was previously defiled by Svidrigrailov.
- Lizaveta: Only going about providing her sisters every need and want, Lizaveta ends up being murdered for just happening to come home at the wrong time.
Passages that support these statements:
- "At six o'clock I saw Sonia get up, put on her kerchief, and her cape, and go out of the room and about nine o'clock she came back. She walked straight up to Katerina Ivanovna and she laid thirty roubles on the table before her in silence. She did not utter a word, she did not even look at her, she simply picked up our big green drap de dames shawl, put it over her head, and facve and lay down on the bed with her face to the wall; only her little shoulders and her body kept shuddering..." pg 27
- "'What should i be without God?' [Sonia] whispered rapidly, forcibly, glancing at him with suddenly flashing eyes, and squeezing his hand." pg 284
- "For a whole month the town was full of gossip about this scandal, and it came to such a pass that Dounia and I dared not even go to church on the account of contemptuous looks, whispers, and even remarks made alloud about us."
- In the middle of the room stood Lizaveta with a big bundle in her arms. She was gazing in stupefaction at her murdered sister, white as a sheet and seeming not to have the strength to cry out. Seeing him run out of the bedroom, she began to faintly quiver all over, like a leaf, a shudder ran down her face; she lifted her hand, opened her mouth, but still did not scream...He rushed at her with the axe; her mouth twitched piteously, as one sees babies' mouths, when they begin to be frightened, stare intently at what frightens them and are on the point of screaming." pg 78
Men
Raskolnikov
Razumihim
Svidrigrailov
Zossimov
Luzhin
porfiry
Marmeladov
The men in the novel are potrayed as more villianous. They are the ones that commit the crimes and horrible deeds throughout the plot. However, even though they do bad, they aren't always necessarily viewed as bad. Dostoevsky throws the reader through a twist when bad deeds are forgotten and certain characters are viewed as good.
Some examples of crimes or bad deeds done by the men in the novel are:
- Murder/Theft: Raskolnikov
- Adultry:Svidrigrailov
- Drunkardness/Abandonment: Marmeladov
- Deceit/Selfish: Luzhin
Even with their acts of wickedness, the men are viewed with respect:
Raskolnikov: He murdered both Alyona, and Lizaveta but instead of being convicted by others, he finds love (sonia), and is viewed by many others with respect, such as by Razumihim, Zossimov, and even though he is suspicious, Porfiry.
Svidrigailov: Even though he ruined Dounia's reputation by wanting to have an affair with her when he was married, and the fact that it is rumored that he is the reason for his wife's(Marfa's) death, he is looked up to for his helping Sonia and her siblings after Katerina's death.
Luzhin: For awhile, even after using Dounia, and the end to their relationship, he still had quite a reputation. He almost won the favor of Sonia, after setting her up, pretending to only want to help her family. In the end, however, he just disappears inside of himself.
- "He had not a minute more to lose. He pulled tghe axe quite out, swung it with both arms,l scarcely conscious of himself, and almost without effort, almost mechanically, brought the blunt side down on her head. He seemed not to use his own strength in this. But as soon as he had once brought the axe down, his strength returned to him." pg 76
- "'You gave us everything yesterdaty," Sonia said suddenly, in reply, in a loud rapid whisper; and again she looked down in confusion. Her lips and chin were trembling once more. She had been struck at once by Raskolnikov's poor surroundings, now these words broke out spontaneously." pg 213
- "Marfa Petrovna accidently overheard her husband imploring Dounia in the garden, and, putting quite a wrong intewrpretation on the position, threw her the blame upon her, believing her to be the cause of it all." pg 39
- "I only used the whip twice in all our seven years (not counting a third occasion of a very ambiguous character). The first time, two months after our marriage, and the last time was that of which we are speaking. Did you suppose I was such a monster, such a reactionary, such a slave driver?"pg 249
- "'Love for your future partner of your life, for your husband, ought to outweigh your love for your brother,' he pronounced sententiously, 'and in any case I cannot be put on the same level...Although I said so emphatically that I would not speak openly in your brother's presence, nevertheless, I intend now to ask your honoured amother for necessary explanation on a point of great importance closely affecting my dignity'" page 265
The men and women in Crime and Punishment play a different role in defining the plot. They are developed differently, and make a statement of what the author thinks about the different sexes. Women are supposed to be innocent, and yet at times bad things happen to them unfairly. And it seams as if he believes a man can get away with the utmost evil, yet still have a good image.
Conclusion
Passages that support these statements: