"I like that they talk nonsense. It is the only privilege of man over all creation. Through error you arrive at the truth! I am a man because I am wrong!” (160) Dmitri Prokofitch RazumihinSay no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe psychological realism apparent in the works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky does not apply exclusively to men. The women, too, are fully developed characters who move beyond the role of passive, archetypal recipients of male agency. In Crime and Punishment in particular, the female characters are not mere ornaments intended to embellish a male plot; rather, they constitute the backbone of the storyline. Avdotia Romanovna and Sofia Semyonovna, in particular, are uncompromising in carrying the banner of the novel's most important moral and didactic themes. They are primarily responsible for the reformation of the guilt-ridden protagonist, Rodion Raskolnikov. Through their interaction with Raskolnikov, Dounia and Sonia show that religious devotion and emotionality, as opposed to scientific reasoning, are necessary for happiness and redemption. Dostoyevsky presents Dounia as the first character able to truly glimpse Raskolnikov's psyche and begin the long and painful process. healing. In a conversation with Razumihin, Dounia expresses herself about Raskolnikov: “I think you are right that he needs a woman's care” (171). Razumihin responds that Raskolnikov "does not love anyone and perhaps never will." Dounia and Razumihin are essentially right, and this brief exchange says a lot about Raskolnikov. The former law student is disastrously drawn into the highly intellectual theory of utilitarianism, which he uses to justify the murder of the old pawnbroker Aliona Ivanovna. By adopting this philosophy, Raskolnikov inevitably partially separates himself from his emotions. Feelings like empathy and love are incompatible with making cold-blooded decisions, even in the supposed best interests of society. This attempted divorce leads to his physical and psychological illness following the murder, because emotions are an integral part of the complex moral calculus that people need to live conscientiously. Utilitarianism may consider murder superficially justified, but it does not take into account unquantifiable variables; it ignores the harmful consequences of killings on what makes humans human. Dounia unconsciously expresses these feelings when she recommends "a woman's care." She doesn't yet know about the murder, but she recognizes that her brother has become distant. Raskolnikov's unhealthy love affair with his superior faculties causes his emotions to manifest erratically. He often smiles strangely at the most innocent questions and finds himself hating Dounia for her kindness and charity. His first meeting with his family in their home is tense: “There was a certain constraint in all this...and in the silence, and in the reconciliation, and in the forgiveness, and they all felt it” (180). Later, Raskolnikov would observe: “in their absence, it seemed to me that I loved them so much” (181). Raskolnikov's emotional core, the thing that makes him human and not a calculating machine, is dysfunctional and slowly dying. Dounia fully realizes her brother's fate, but she does not openly attempt to unravel his twisted thought patterns. She is too preoccupied with her impending marriage to Luzhin and, instead, it is her own actions regarding Luzhin that set an example forRaskolnikov. At first, the latter believes that Dounia is sacrificing herself for the good of the family: "She doesn't admit that she wants to do it out of charity... oh, how I hate them all!" (184). For Raskolnikov, this assessment is attractive because it corresponds to his whole theory according to which the end justifies the means. But he thinks too little of his sister; Dounia definitively rejects Luzhin after learning of his despicable nature. For Raskolnikov, his sister's decision is significant for two reasons. First, Dounia reaffirms her own identity and refuses to marry Luzhin because of her principles. Dounia doesn't even consider the prospect of the money and prestige she could gain by becoming a plaything for Luzhin. She does not see Luzhin as a vehicle to higher things; it allows no end to justify the means. Through his example, Raskolnikov begins to see that moral certainty in an immoral society is possible and desirable. Second, Dounia poses her choice between Luzhin and Raskolnikov if they cannot be reconciled, and she ultimately chooses Raskolnikov. His love and respect for his brother is manifested in his response to Luzhin's request for more respect than that given to Raskolnikov: "I place your interest next to everything that has hitherto been most precious in my life , which has been my whole life. " (239). Hearing that he has been his sister's "whole" life is sweet music to Raskolnikov's ears. His motivation for murdering the pawnbroker was his desire to be able, to be someone and to 'have an effect on the world. In this sense, Raskolnikov completely failed, because he then felt powerless. Through her words, Dounia restores Raskolnikov to his own self-esteem. She shows her guilty but still proud brother. that true power and self-realization come only through love, the purest form of emotional expression If it is Dounia who plants the seed of new life in Raskolnikov, it is Sonia who s. 'takes care of him until he buds and flowers What attracts Raskolnikov to the prostitute with a heart of gold is her ability to cope with her miserable livelihood. does not commit suicide: “How can she sit on the edge of the abyss of repugnance into which she is sinking and refuse to listen when we speak to her of danger?” He discovers that Sonia is not affected by corruption because she is deeply spiritual, a "religious freak"; she has a refuge, a private garden, to escape the horrors of her yellow passport world. When Sonia agrees to read an excerpt from the New Testament, she essentially invites Raskolnikov into her private garden. She wishes he could find his own “secret treasure,” that is, establish a personal relationship with God. His choice of the story of Lazarus is significant. The symbolism suggests that the women will help resurrect Raskolnikov's soul. Sonia has made a prophecy that she will strive to fulfill. At first, Raskolnikov refuses to obey Sonia's call to submit to God's benevolent will. He tells her: “You must finally face things, and not cry like a child and shout that God will not allow it” (261). He prides himself on keeping a stoic, emotionless stance and facing his harsh reality. Nevertheless, Sonia has a notable effect on him, as Raskolnikov asks her to run away elsewhere with him, telling him that they are both cursed and must follow the same path. This empathy, coming from a man who abandoned his best friend and his family, shows Raskolnikov softening and becoming more emotionally open. His slow recovery reaches a turning point when he decides to confess to Sonia. Instead of recoiling in revulsion, as Raskolnikov did,.