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Essay / Raskolnikov's debate over the choice between Svidrigailov and Sonya
After discussing the possibility of confession with Porfiry in the sixth part of Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov debates who to go to, Svidrigailov or Sonya. He says of Sonya: Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay “It represented an irrevocable sentence, an immutable resolution. He must choose between his way and his” (391). There are two solutions that present themselves to Raskolnikov towards the end of the novel. He can choose the path that Svidrigaylov presents to him, to escape; or accept Sonya's, to confess. As he walks towards Sonya from the bar, Svidrigaylov says to Raskolnikov: "...you better leave somewhere in America immediately. Run away, young man! Perhaps there is still time" (410). What Svidrigaylov really means is: “Suicide yourself, young man!” " as it is revealed in the conclusion of Svidrigaylov's subplot that "running away" or "going to America" actually means suicide. Doestoevsky uses Svridrigaylov's "escape" to communicate to the reader that the only way to escape punishment or suffering is through death. Furthermore, Svidrigaylov's suicide represents the spiritual suicide that Raskolnikov would have committed if he had not atone for his crime. Raskolnikov rejects this resolution proposed by Svidrigaylov when he tells Dounia: "I wanted to make a final decision and I found myself walking several times along the banks of the Neva2E.. I would have liked to end it there, but... I I decided not to do it. ..." (437). As soon as he decides against Svidrigaylov's route, he chooses to boldly face his suffering and immediately surrender. The other of the two resolutions from which Raskolnikov must choose is to make what Sonya wants from him. "To accept suffering and achieve atonement through it - that's what you must do" (355). and by giving Raskolnikov the means to confess, Sonya is his resurrection “And he who was dead came out” (277), she reads to him from the Bible, preaching to him that thanks to spirituality and to God, he. also could return from the dead At the end of the novel, Raskolnikov's resurrection is suggested by all the surrounding circumstances It is the right time of year: Rodia is ill at the end of Lent and the Week. Saint, and her personal resurrection takes place around Easter. It is both spring and early morning, and both times indicate renewal and rebirth. When Sonya returns from her illness, they meet again and she finally frees him from his living death. Sonya and Svidrigaylov not only represent the two possible conclusions of the novel, but they also represent the two halves of Raskolnikov's divided consciousness. There is compassion, an inherent spiritual need in him, which is reflected in Sonya. The traits that Sonya and Raskolnikov share are evident throughout the novel. He shows generosity by donating his last kopecks to the Marmelodovs. He shows himself to be caring when he saves the young girl fainted on the bench. But the strongest proof of Raskolnikov's hidden goodness lies in the mare's dream. This scene shows that the emotional and caring side of Raskolnikov is repulsed by the idea of murder and, ironically, the mare is murdered in the same brutal and grotesque manner as the pawnbroker and Lizaveta. The sympathy Rakolnikov shows for the horse and the manner in which he carries out the murders further illustrates Raskolnikov's division. Svidrigaylov represents the theoretical side of Raskolnikov, the need to believe in his nihilistic theories.First, Svidrigaylov shows no guilt in beating his wife. Second, he claims no responsibility for the way he lusts after Dunya: “I too am a man, et nihil humanum” (237). Svidrigaylov is the embodiment of nihilistic beliefs, as he blames his environment or his biology for his actions. He blames his humanity for abusing women, claiming that his own will is too weak and that he was a victim of his desire for women. His acceptance of nihilic ideas is illustrated by his approval of Raskolnikov's justifications for murder, asserting that the Russian people needed a "special genius" to save them from disaster (416). Furthermore, it is because Svidrigaylov and Sonya represent these two contradictions within Raskolnikov that he is so attracted to them. "...maybe he didn't need Svidrigaylov but someone else, and Svidrigaylov had just arrived. Sonya? But what would take him to Sonya now? " (391). He seeks Svidrigaylov because he has the same criminal traits as Raskolnikov and wishes to achieve Svidrigaylov's non-compliance with traditional social and religious values. Contradictorily, he is attracted to Sonya's innate morality. Sonya and Svidrigaylov's fight to gain Raskolnikov's attention represents the battle between the two halves of his consciousness and, furthermore, the larger themes of Raskolnikov's battle between ideology and spirituality. Linked to spirituality, suffering is an integral part of the role of each character in the novel. Sonya receives her education in suffering and self-sacrifice by prostituting herself for her family. Svidrigaylov says that Dounia is the kind of person who “hungers and thirsts to be tortured for someone” (401). Porfiry understands the importance of atonement and suffering, because he sees the value of Milkolka's fabricated confession. Furthermore, confession is necessary for Raskolnikov to accept his suffering, because when he fully admits the error of his crime; he must also admit that he is not above the rest of society and must therefore pay for what he has done. But what effect does suffering produce that it is deemed necessary by so many characters in the novel? The Encyclopedia Britannica Online biography of Doestevsky's life bore an uncanny resemblance to Raskolnikov's. He was poor all his life; he was always rushing his next piece of writing in order to receive a paycheck. He suffered tragedy, death and epilepsy throughout his life. He was exiled to a Siberian prison for four years for his involvement in the Petrashevsky Circle, a group of intellectuals who discussed utopian socialism. In the Siberian prison, he not only denounced the arrogance of his fellow intellectuals who wanted to impose their political ideas on the rest of society, but he also developed a strong relationship with Russian Orthodoxy. The parallels between the life of the main character and that of the author seem to suggest another double: Raskolnikov and Doestoevsky. The conclusion about the effect of suffering can then only be drawn in Destoyevsky's study. Dostoyevsky knows the healing power of suffering, because he himself suffered greatly. While in prison, he wrote a novel based on his own prison experiences, The House of the Dead. He spoke of the brutality of the prison guards, the evil criminals who killed children and honest souls amidst the filth. Destoyevsky's personal experience was telling in emphasizing the importance of suffering in order to be redeemed, for it was the suffering he endured in prison that led him to turn away from the romantic political ideas of the Petrashevsky circle and to turn instead to God, where he has114752>.