Christian images and motives in Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. Christian motives in the novel by F.M.

Orthodoxy, which arose in Rus' at the end of the first millennium, greatly influenced the mindset of the Russian people, changed the soul of the Russian people. In addition, it contributed to the development of literacy and education of the people, and also gave rise to the development of literature. Christian influence has influenced the work of any writer. Belief in the commandments and truths can be found in the work of Dostoevsky, in particular, in the novel "Crime and Punishment"

The depth of religious consciousness in the novel is amazing.

Dostoevsky focuses on the representation of good and evil, sin and virtue. Moreover, sin is not only actions, but also thoughts. Having given rise to the development of the theory of the "Great of this world" and "trembling creatures", Raskolnikov kills the old pawnbroker. However, with this act, he first of all killed himself. Through self-destruction, the hero, with the help of Sonya, finds a way to salvation through repentance and suffering. These principles are basic in Christian philosophy. Deprived of love and repentance, they are not worthy of the knowledge of light, but fall into the dark world after death. For example, Svidrigailov, while still alive, has an understanding of the afterlife. He is doomed. His belated kindness doesn't matter (dream about a five-year-old girl). Raskolnikov is accompanied by the devil: "The devil led me to a crime." But all the same, he is cleansed, unlike Svidrigailov, who committed a mortal sin - suicide.

Prayer, an important part of Christianity, like any religion, has an important place in the novel. Sonya, the children of Katerina Ivanovna, prays endlessly. There is also the cross and the gospel. Sonya gave these things to Raskolnikov, who, by the way, denied any religion.

The features of the Gospel are clearly visible in the names of the heroes - Kapernaumov, Mary the harlot. "Lizaveta" - honoring God, God's man. The name of Ilya Petrovich is similar to Elijah the prophet. Katerina - "clean, bright." Three, seven, eleven, thirty - numbers that are conditional in Christianity, are present in the novel. Sonya gives Marmeladov thirty kopecks, Marfa gives the same amount for Svidrigailov, and he, according to Judas, betrayed her. Raskolnikov rang the bell three times before committing a crime at the seventh hour. This number symbolizes the connection of a person with God, and the main character, committing a crime, breaks this connection, for which he is paid with suffering and seven years of hard labor.

In addition to all of the above, there is voluntary torment and repentance for the sake of atonement for sins. So, Mikolka is trying to take on the guilt of Raskolnikov, who, thanks to Sonya and the Christian faith, comes to repentance before the people, because only in this way, according to Sonya, can one repent of one's sins. Dostoevsky believes that a person should be able to forgive, which can only be by gaining faith.

Orthodoxy, brought to Rus' back in the 10th century, profoundly influenced the mentality of the Russian people, left an indelible imprint on the Russian soul. And besides, Orthodoxy brought with it writing, and consequently literature. One way or another, Christian influence can be traced in the work of any writer. The deepest inner conviction in Christian truths and commandments is carried, in particular, by such a titan of Russian literature as Dostoevsky. His Crime and Punishment is proof of that.

The writer's attitude to religious consciousness is striking in its depth. The concepts of sin and virtue, pride and humility, good and evil - that's what interests Dostoevsky. Raskolnikov, the key character of the novel, carries sin and pride. Moreover, sin absorbs not only direct actions, but also hidden thoughts (Raskolnikov is punished even before the crime). Having passed through himself a deliberately powerful theory about "Napoleons" and "trembling creatures", the hero kills the same old pawnbroker, but not so much her as himself. Having followed the path of self-destruction, Raskolnikov nevertheless, with the help of Sonya, finds the key to salvation through suffering, purification and love. As you know, all these concepts are the most important and important in the Christian worldview. People deprived of repentance and love will not know the light, but will see the dark afterlife, terrible in its essence.

So, Svidrigailov already during his lifetime has a clear idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe afterlife. He appears before us in the form of a "black bath with spiders and mice" - in the Christian view, this is a picture of hell, for sinners who know neither love nor repentance. Also, at the mention of Svidrigailov, the “devil” constantly appears. Svidrigailov is doomed: even what he is about to commit is in vain (a dream about a 5-year-old girl): his kindness is not accepted, it's too late. A terrible satanic force, the devil, is also pursuing Raskolnikov, at the end of the novel he will say: "The devil led me to a crime." But if Svidrigailov commits suicide (commits the most terrible mortal sin), then Raskolnikov is cleansed. The motif of prayer in the novel is also characteristic of Raskolnikov (after a dream he prays for a horse, but his prayers are not heard, and he commits a crime). Sonya, the daughter of the landlady (she is preparing herself for the monastery), and the children of Katerina Ivanovna are constantly praying. Prayer, an integral part of the Christian, becomes part of the novel. There are also such images and symbols as the cross and the Gospel. Sonya gives Raskolnikov the Gospel that belonged to Lizaveta, and, reading it, he is reborn to life. At first, Raskolnikov does not accept the cross of Lizaveta Raskolnikov from Sonya, since he is not ready yet, but then he takes it, and again this is connected with spiritual purification, rebirth from death to life.

The Christian in the novel is enhanced by numerous analogies and associations with biblical stories. There is a reminiscence from the Bible about Lazar, a parable that Sonya reads to Raskolnikov on the fourth day after the crime. At the same time, Lazarus from this parable was resurrected on the fourth day. That is, Raskolnikov has been spiritually dead for these four days and, in fact, lies in a coffin (“coffin” is the hero’s closet), and Sonya came to save him. From the Old Testament in the novel there is a parable about Cain, from the New - a parable about a publican and a Pharisee, a parable about a harlot ("if anyone is not sinful, let him be the first to throw a stone at her"), a parable about Martha - a woman who all her life aimed at vanity and missing the most important thing (Marfa Petrovna, Svidrigailov's wife, has been fussing all her life, deprived of the main beginning).

Gospel motifs are clearly traced in the names. Ka-pernaumov is the surname of the man from whom Sonya rented a room, and Mary the harlot lived not far from the city of Capernaum. The name "Lizaveta" means "revering God", holy fool. The name of Ilya Petrovich incorporates Ilya (Ilya the prophet, thunderer) and Peter (hard as a stone). Note that it was he who was the very first to suspect Raskolnikov. "Katerina is" pure, bright. "The numbers that are symbolic in Christianity are symbols in Crime and Punishment." These are the numbers three, seven and eleven. Sonya takes out Marmeladov 30 kopecks, the first since she brings "from work" 30 rubles; Marfa redeems Svidrigailov also for 30, and he, like, betrays her, encroaching on her life. Svidrigailov offers Dunya "up to thirty", Raskolnikov rings the bell 3 times and beats the same number of times the old woman on the head. There are three meetings with Porfiry Petrovich. Number seven: at the seventh hour he learns that there will be no Lizaveta, commits a crime "at the seventh hour." But the number 7 is a symbol of the union of God with man; committing a crime, Raskolnikov wants to break this union and therefore suffers torment.In the epilogue: there are 7 years of hard labor left, Svidrigailov lived with Martha for 7 years.

The novel contains the theme of voluntary martyrdom for the sake of repentance, the recognition of one's sins. That is why Mikolka wants to take the blame on Raskolnikov. But Raskolnikov, led by Sonya, who carries within herself Christian truth and love, comes (albeit through a barrier of doubt) to people's repentance, because, according to Sonya, only people's, open repentance for everyone is real. Reproduced the main idea Dostoevsky in this novel: a person must live, be meek, be able to forgive and sympathize, and all this is possible only with the acquisition of true faith. This is a purely Christian starting point, so the novel is tragicomic, a sermon novel.

By virtue of Dostoevsky's talent and deepest inner conviction, Christian thought is fully realized, it has a strong impact on the reader and, as a result, conveys to everyone the Christian idea, the idea of ​​salvation and love.

Dostoevsky - Russian religious writer and philosopher

The idea of ​​the novel "Crime and Punishment" was hatched by F. M. Dostoevsky for many years. And the fact that one of his central ideas had already taken shape by 1863 is evidenced by an entry dated September 17, 1863 in the diary of A. P. Suslova, who at that time was with Dostoevsky in Italy: at a girl who was taking lessons, and said: “Well, such a girl with an old man, and suddenly some Napoleon says:“ Destroy the whole city. After all, that’s how it was.” An important preparatory role for the emergence of the characters of Raskolnikov and Sonya was played by Notes from the Underground, where for the first time F. M. Dostoevsky put an equal sign between human personality and freedom, which in turn implies a choice between good and evil. The tragedy of the thinking hero-individualist, his proud intoxication with his idea and defeat in the face of "living life", which is embodied in the "Notes" by the direct predecessor of Sonya Marmeladova, are a real discovery of the writer in the study of the infinite depths of the psychology of a human being. Hard labor played a huge role in Dostoevsky's life. She could not but be reflected in his work. One of the brightest Christian stories from "Crime and Punishment" about the resurrection of Lazarus was close to Dostoevsky. Recalling the years of hard labor, Dostoevsky wrote: "I consider those four years as the time when I was buried alive and closed in a coffin." Religion brought Dostoevsky back to life.

Everything understood and experienced during these four years largely determined the further creative path of Dostoevsky. The action of his great novels takes place in the specific setting of some Russian city, in a certain year. But the background against which events unfold becomes the whole world history and all that is told in the Gospel.

Dostoevsky's text, it turns out, is saturated with meanings that are, as it were, in the "subtext", to which, however, there is absolutely open access for any interested reader. And in order to “feel the thought” (an expression that Fyodor Mikhailovich loved very much), the text of the novel and the image of the meeting of a person with God given there, who “dostoevsky sees clearly to excitement, sees sensually and spiritually.”

Faith and disbelief in the novel

In the novel Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky describes the very copy of the Gospel that was presented to him in 1850 in Tobolsk at the transit yard by the wives of the Decembrists: “There was some kind of book on the chest of drawers. It was New Testament in Russian translation. The book was old, used, bound in leather.

This book became the main one in Dostoevsky's library. He never parted with her and took with him on the road. She was always in his sight, on desk. On it, he checked his doubts, guessed his fate and the fate of his heroes.

G. V. Frolovsky saw the originality of the genius of F. M. Dostoevsky in openness under the “impression of being”.

The spiritual experience of ontology is the real source of originality. At the same time, according to V.F. Ern, “the universe, the cosmos is the disclosure and revelation of the primordially existing word”, and therefore “the moment in its most secret bowels is logical”, i.e., consistent and proportionate to the logos, and every detail and the event of this world is an open thought, a secret movement of the all-pervading divine Word.

For F. M. Dostoevsky, Christ stands at the center of both being and literature. The writer's creation contains the problem of correlation between the human word and the Word of God. My goal is to see being through artistry, to reveal being through language, to clarify the logic of being and creativity.

The tragedy of the “underground” is the tragedy of unbelief and, above all, unbelief in God and Christ. "Underground" - the anti-Christian state of the hero. To overcome the "underground", it is necessary to turn to God and Christ, and then the "great sinner" can not only be transformed, but also become a saint. In "Crime and Punishment" the motive of gaining the Supreme Good by a person is updated; realized at the level of the hero as Raskolnikov's choice: to leave everything as it is, and commit suicide and the opportunity to be reborn or start life again, atoning for his sin by suffering.

The Christian path is the path of rebirth, resurrection from the dead, which is why the theme of resurrection dominates the novel.

Dostoevsky, with his inherent "longing for the current", keenly perceiving all the phenomena of his era, able to respond to them in a modern and timely manner, could not help but notice the stormy controversy that broke out both in Europe and in Russia in 1864-1865. around new editions of D. Strauss and E. Renan about the life of Christ. “The legends about the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus and the resurrection of Lazarus had probative power in relation to the miracles to come,” Strauss argued in the book that Dostoevsky borrowed from Petrashevsky's library.

He acquired new editions for his library when in the 60s there was a dispute about whether such miracles were possible, whether they had historical authenticity, or whether they were nothing more than a figment of the evangelist's imagination. The question of faith and unbelief, of the existence of Jesus, was connected with belief in miracles.

This question recurs throughout the novel. Turning once again to the choice that the hero of the novel must make, we can say that Raskolnikov must make a choice between faith and unbelief.

The resurrection theme is perhaps the most vivid in the novel. More precisely, there are not one, but four Sundays in the novel. Moreover, the first two occur simultaneously, at the time of one of the climaxes. The first is the resurrection of the biblical hero Lazarus, the other three refer to Raskolnikov, and the last one also refers to Sonya. I think that this is, as it were, an encrypted resurrection of one of the martyrs (Faith, Hope and Love). And the fact that Raskolnikov had three of them is not at all an accident. His “resurrections” are reminiscent of climbing stairs, when after each step he becomes one step higher, but he can climb up only with the help of someone who will stretch out his hand and “lead him.”

The writer interprets the resurrection as a mystery, a miraculous change, because he sees how hard the fall of man is and how great is the power of spiritual deception.

The first two Sundays - the resurrection of Lazarus and hope for Raskolnikov - occur simultaneously: on the fourth day after the crime.

Having committed the murder of an old woman - a pawnbroker, Raskolnikov is delirious, he is upset, in disarray, does not know what is happening to him, he is now and then seized with a fever and everything seems to him disgusting and disgusting.

“What a bad apartment you have, Rodya, like a coffin,” Pulcheria Alexandrovna suddenly said after visiting the closet in which Raskolnikov was during his illness. On the fourth day, Raskolnikov comes to Sonya Marmeladova, where he asks to read to him an excerpt from the Gospel about the resurrection of Lazarus.

In the text of the novel, Dostoevsky emphasizes not the words that are highlighted in the Gospel and quotes the text not quite accurately. So, in the Gospel in verse 39 it is said: “For four days he was in the tomb”, i.e. the words “as he was in the tomb” are underlined. In the novel, F. M. Dostoevsky emphasizes the word “four” (Sonya, while reading, energetically hit the word “four”). This is no coincidence: the reading of the legend of the resurrection of Lazarus takes place in the novel Crime and Punishment on the fourth day after the crime committed by Raskolnikov. If we assume that all these four days Raskolnikov was “dead”, that is, he was sick and was in a semi-conscious state, then we can say that the moment of reading the Gospel was the beginning of a moral resurrection for Raskolnikov. Thus, the first two "resurrections" are the resurrection of Lazarus in the Gospel and the resurrection of Raskolnikov's hope.

It was from that moment that the thought appeared in Raskolnikov that not everything was lost for him, that he could rejoice and love.

The third resurrection in the novel takes place again in Kapernaumov's apartment, when the hero comes to Sonya to announce to her his decision to confess everything. Dostoevsky's idea of ​​the moral resurrection and healing of Raskolnikov is connected not only with the story of the resurrection of Lazarus, but also with another miracle of Jesus - the healing of the son of a courtier. Here is what the Gospel of John says in chapter 4:

49. The courtier says to Him: “Lord! Come before my son dies."

50. Jesus says to him: "Go, your son is healthy." He believed the word that Jesus told him and went.

51. His servants met him on the road and said: “Your son is healthy.” The courtier believed the word that Jesus told him. (And Raskolnikov believed Sonya).

In the Gospel of John in chapter 14 we read:

52. He asked them at what time did he feel better? He was told: "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."

53. From this the father knew that this was the hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son is well."

This miracle happened at the seventh hour in Capernaum, in the city in which Christ settled, leaving Nazareth, preaching repentance and healing the sick.

Raskolnikov's resurrection took place in Kapernaumov's apartment, when "twilight had already begun" and "the sun was already setting." It may very well be that Raskolnikov was at Sonya's at the seventh hour. He put on a cypress cross, and this was the beginning of his return to faith. Believing Sonya, Raskolnikov followed her advice and, not doubting that he would feel better, "knelt down in the middle of the square, bowed to the ground and kissed this dirty earth with pleasure and happiness." The third resurrection in the novel is the resurrection of Raskolnikov's faith.

Complete moral insight comes to Raskolnikov already during hard labor. It occurs at the moment of his worship of Sonya, or, rather, the Icon of the Mother of God, which appeared before him, and in the creation of which he himself participates. Moreover, this moment of resurrection is not only for Raskolnikov, but also for Sonya: “They were both pale and thin, but in these sick and pale faces the dawn of a renewed future, a complete resurrection in new life. They were resurrected by love, the heart of one contained endless sources for the heart of the other. Sonya gave Raskolnikov a hand, helped him to get up, and Raskolnikov helped her, since he was a spiritually close person for her.

The fourth resurrection in the novel "Crime and Punishment" is the revival of Raskolnikov's love and the complete moral resurrection of him and Sonya thanks to this love.

So, there are four Sundays in the novel. One of them is the Gospel resurrection of Lazarus, and the rest are the resurrection of hope, faith and love, and therefore the complete moral resurrection of Sonya and Raskolnikov himself.

Thus, the plot of the novel develops not in one, but in several directions at once: 1) Raskolnikov's path from crime to moral resurrection; 2) Raskolnikov's attempt to resolve for himself the question of faith and unbelief.

There is another idea that runs like a red thread through the entire novel and is most clearly visible only in the epilogue: "They were resurrected by love, the heart of one contained endless sources for the heart of the other." So, the third theme is the search for salvation and truth through love for a person and with his help, and not alone.

Christian images in the novel

There are many Christian images and plots in Crime and Punishment.

Moreover, the novel does not reveal them immediately. A vivid manifestation of any Christian image is preceded first by a prophecy about it, which can manifest itself in events of greater or lesser significance, in objects and numbers.

So, for example, the prophecy that the plot of the "resurrection of Lazarus" will be revealed in the novel sounds even before Raskolnikov spent "four days in the tomb."

Then follows the moment when Raskolnikov goes to the office for the first time: “The office was from him a quarter of a mile away. She just moved to new apartment, V new house to the fourth floor. “I’ll go in, kneel down and tell everything. ' he thought as he entered the fourth floor. The stairs were narrow, steep and full of slops. The kitchens of all apartments on all four floors opened onto this staircase and stood like that for almost the whole day. In this relatively small section of the text, words derived from the word "four" are also used four times. It can be seen from the text that Raskolnikov at that moment was close to confessing everything, which means that his first resurrection is also close. Moreover, the number 4 indicates that it will be similar to the resurrection of Lazarus. And it happened in a room that had "the appearance of a very irregular quadrangle", while reading the fourth Gospel, on the fourth day of Raskolnikov's fever.

By the way, the room in which Raskolnikov fainted was the fourth in order. And then I would like to consider the meaning of dates in the work of F. M. Dostoevsky.

The first significant date in the novel refers to the passage that speaks of the “creation” of the icon “The Challenger of Sinners” - to the scene in the church. “In the second week of Great Lent, it was his turn to burn along with his barracks.” The second week of Great Lent is especially devoted to sin when it comes to the fall and envy of Cain towards Abel. And the words of the Parable sound directly to Raskolnikov: “Listen, my son, and accept my words, and the years of your life will multiply. I show you the path of wisdom, I lead you on straight paths. When you walk, your path will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble. Hold fast to the instruction, do not leave it, keep it, because it is your life.

These words are heard at a time when Raskolnikov does not know how and why he will continue to live.

In the words of the church reading, as it were, an answer is given to all his “anxiety, pointless and aimless” of the previous pages. Here it is directly indicated how to find his lost life again. Raskolnikov heard that his sin was an illness, evasion of life and health - his subsequent illness (in hard labor), physical, marks a crisis, the illness came out: "He lay in the hospital for the entire end of the fast and the saint."

The next event marked by a "date" is the moment when Raskolnikov's heart opens, described in the most vague terms: "Something, as it were, pierced his heart at that moment." The "date" is described by Dostoevsky as follows: "It was already the second week after the Holy Week." If the word "week" is given a church meaning and it means the day of the week, then this is the second week after Pascha - the week of the myrrh-bearing women. Thus, the moment of the meeting between Sonya and Raskolnikov is indicated: the one who could believe only by “putting his fingers in”, and the one who lovingly believed his word.

But that's not all that is hidden behind the strange "date". The week ends on Sunday, on which they read "about the paralyzed." The illness of Raskolnikov and Sonya before the miracle that happened to them miraculously echoes the passage from the Acts that are preached on this day, and is interpreted by them in accordance with famous story from the Gospel of John about the healing by Jesus of a man who waited for thirty-eight years for healing from the source at the sheep gate. Meeting him later in the temple, Jesus admonishes the healed man: “Behold, you have recovered; sin no more, no matter what worse happens to you.”

It should be noted here that Sonya, having arrived for Raskolnikov, "is engaged in sewing, and since there is no milliner in the city, she has even become almost necessary in many houses."

Thus, this date is symbolic not only for Raskolnikov, but also for Sonya. Returning to the fourth and full resurrection in the novel, we can say that the resurrection was common for Sonya and Raskolnikov.

Another one important date is a moment that appears at the very beginning of the novel: “In early July, during an extremely hot time. ". The neutral phrase would not have been of decisive importance if it were not for the letter from Mother Raskolnikov, which, according to Nastasya, arrived “yesterday”, that is, on the first day of the events, the day of the “trial”.

Reflecting on the fate of Dunya, Raskolnikov assumes and recalls: “. I also know what you thought about all night, walking around the room, and about what you prayed before the Kazan Mother of God, who is standing in your mother’s bedroom. It’s hard to climb Golgotha.” The celebration of Kazanskaya was July 8, according to the old style. It must be admitted that the chronology is accurate: the first day is July 8th. Man must conform to revealed goodness and be changed by the acceptance of Divine care in own life. Raskolnikov's "test", performed on the day of one of the most revered icons, is a break with God's mercy. It is no coincidence that the number 8 has another meaning - an apocalyptic day.

Initially, the situation of metaphysical choice is set. At the end of the work, it is repeated: Raskolnikov's apocalyptic dream and Sonya's appearance in front of the hero are like the miraculous discovery of the icon.

The motifs associated with the miraculous appearance and action of the Kazan Icon continue to develop in the novel. According to the surviving testimonies, “when the icon went to the temple, many sick people, especially the blind, were healed.” When Sonya reads the Gospel to Raskolnikov, she especially dwells on the miracle

Christ Who Healed the Blind: last verse“Could not this one who opened the eyes of the blind - she lowered her voice passionately and passionately conveyed the doubt, reproach and blasphemy of the unbelievers, the blind Jews, who now, in a minute, as if struck by thunder, will fall, sob and believe. “And he, he is also blind and unbelieving, he will also believe, yes, yes! Now, now,” she dreamed, and she trembled with joyful anticipation. Sonya herself becomes a means of healing the hero. Before us is a picture of a possible miracle performed by the icon of the Mother of God. It is quite real, although it does not happen immediately. It seems that it is with the day of Kazan that the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe smashing and purifying power of “thunder” is also connected, because even after reading the letter, Raskolnikov feels that it “suddenly, like thunder” hit him.

In F. M. Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment, many heroes have biblical prototypes, and sometimes one hero has several of them, and whose image is hidden under a mask can only be recognized from the context.

For example, for the first time, Sonya Marmeladova is described in the text "Crime and Punishment" as " lung girl behaviour."

She “lives in an apartment with a tailor Kapernaumov, she rents an apartment from them. ". The symbolic nature of Kapernaumov's name is close to the gospel motifs of the novel, associated with the image of Sonya. Just as the evangelical harlot Mary Magdalena from the city of Magdala, near Capernaum, followed Jesus “to Calvary,” so Sonya followed Raskolnikov and “accompanied his entire mournful procession.”

In almost all situations, Sonya appears before us as a martyr. I mentioned the icon "Faith, Hope, Love with Mother Sophia" and said that Sonya is present at all the resurrections of Raskolnikov, so it is reasonable to assume that Sonya's prototype in the novel is the martyr Sophia. Although we can say that Sonya is a collective image. Suffice it to recall what Raskolnikov did at their second meeting in Sonya's room: “Suddenly he quickly bent over and, crouching on the floor, kissed her leg. “I didn’t bow to you, I bowed to all human suffering,” he said somehow wildly. External Description Sony also corresponds to the description of the martyrs and saints. “What a skinny you are! Wow, what a hand you have! Completely transparent. The fingers are like those of the dead, ”Raskolnikov says about her.

The image on the icons of saints and martyrs was created, as a rule, posthumously, after their canonization, that is, after some time after their assumption, at best, according to memories, but, as a rule, these were imaginary portraits. On the icons, the saint was depicted as he was supposed to appear before the eyes of the Almighty after his death. Face common man was considered unworthy of portraiture, since it should be addressed not to the people of the “sinful world of this world”, but to the highest last authority - the Lord God. The icon is called to represent the saint or martyr not in the repetition of his external and internal appearance, but in his status as a prayer for the entire human race.

Sonya appears as the Mother of God before the exiled convicts: “When she appeared at work or met with a party of prisoners going to work, everyone took off their hats, everyone bowed. “Mother, Sofya Semyonovna, you are our mother, tender, sick,” the rude branded convicts said to this small and thin creature. The Mother of God is always described with similar words. The fact that they went to her “for treatment” means that she appeared before them as a miraculous icon.

The description of Sonya as the Mother of God sounds at the beginning of the novel, when Raskolnikov is sitting in a tavern with Marmeladov, who talks about his meeting with his daughter: “And today Sonya was there, he went to ask for a hangover!” And then he says about her those words that always refer to the Mother of God: “She didn’t say anything and only looked at me silently. so not on earth, but there. they yearn for people, weep, but they don’t reproach, they don’t reproach!” Sonya gives Marmeladov 30 kopecks, as if forgiving the sin of thirty silversmiths, those 30 rubles that she brought to Katerina Ivanovna, having committed the fall.

By this act of Sonya, Dostoevsky claims that people can be forgiven for their suffering, because the Mother of God, because Sonya at this moment symbolizes her, is able to forgive the sins of people for their suffering, but this means that God can do the same. Thus, Dostoevsky shows Raskolnikov the way to salvation even before he committed the murder, prophesying about the crime and the way of resurrection. There are many such prophecies in the novel, they appear before almost every Christian image or plot. One of them is the theme of the funeral: "The sun brightly illuminated the room." I think that the presence of sunlight in the room in this case can be seen as the presence of God's gaze in it or an Angel bearing the good news. The scene that followed was proof of that. Raskolnikov went up to Sonya: "She suddenly took him by both hands and laid her head on his shoulder." This meek gesture even struck Raskolnikov with bewilderment; it was even strange: “How? Not the slightest disgust for him, not the slightest shudder in her hand! The gesture of the heroine is psychologically absolutely foggy, it is equally strange in real space. Dostoevsky chooses the word that most accurately conveys the religious meaning in the text: “bowed,” as the Mother of God bows her head on the icons. This gesture indicates Raskolnikov's inevitable path to God. The author's task is to match the gestures of Sonya and the hero, reminiscent of the icon, which depicts the Mother of God, forgiving sinners. Finally, this icon will appear already in the epilogue, and now it is only shown for a while, we see a prophecy about its imminent coming.

The action of the novel, although limited by some time and space, actually develops in eternity, i.e., in fact, many plots are an encrypted Gospel. Describing his heroes and their actions, Dostoevsky describes icons, one of them is the icon of the Holy Great Martyr Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia. Faith, Hope and Love stand in the foreground, each holding a cross in one hand. Their mother stands behind them with her hands raised above her heads and looks at them with tenderness. Moreover, the great martyrs are located from left to right: Faith, Hope and Love, that is, in the same way as they appear in the novel. It is necessary to pay attention to their clothes and gestures: Faith and Love are in green capes. Vera holds her cloak with her free hand, Love holds the cross a little higher than the others, and seems to timidly stretch out her free hand to someone.

The resurrection of faith occurred when Raskolnikov came to Sonya to say goodbye: “Sonia grabbed her scarf and threw it over her head. It was a green handkerchief, probably the same one that Marmeladov mentioned then, "family".

Sonya's description at the resurrection of love also very closely matches the description of Love on the icon: “Her face still bore signs of illness, lost weight, faded, haggard. She smiled affably and joyfully at him, but, as usual, timidly extended her hand to him. (She was wearing her pale, old burnous and green handkerchief). Martyr Sophia is the mother of the martyrs Faith, Hope and Love. Since Sonya in Dostoevsky is main reason three Sundays of Raskolnikov, then for Raskolnikov she became the "mother" of his faith, hope and love.

Already at the end of the 11th century, some communities began to celebrate the days of memory of Christian martyrs. At the same time, the anniversary of the death of the martyr was celebrated as his birthday, because it was believed that it was on this day that he was born for eternal life. Among the first to suffer in Rome were the holy martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia (Memorial Day 17 September).

The date September 17 may well be the date of Raskolnikov's last resurrection. Or September 17 is the date on which the story of Raskolnikov ends.

He has been in jail for 9 months. Considering that the investigation began in mid-July, it turns out that the moment described is mid-September.

Referring again to the time of the creation of the novel, we can say that September 17 is a very important date, because, according to A.P. Suslova, it was on September 17, 1863 that his main idea was formed.

Raskolnikov accepts a cypress cross from Sonya, saying: “This, then, is a symbol of the fact that I take on the cross, hehe! And sure enough, I still suffered a little!”. After that, he will make his way to hard labor, and Sonya will accompany "his entire mournful procession." In this passage, Dostoevsky created several images at once: this is Raskolnikov, like Christ carrying his cross, and Sonya, accompanying Raskolnikov in the same way as Mary Magdalena accompanied Christ, and the very picture of the procession performed by Raskolnikov and Sonya.

Most likely, Raskolnikov realized that he would have to bear his cross even before he finally decided to confess, and even before he first saw Sonya's cypress cross. Awareness of his future fate comes to Raskolnikov when he for the first time, albeit wordlessly, but completely sincerely confessed to committing a crime to Razumikhin and asked him to take care of his sister and mother: “Go back to them and be with them. Be with them tomorrow. and always. Leave me and them. don't leave." This request is very similar to the gospel lines that Jesus speaks from the cross. (From John. Chapter 19,26,27).

It turns out that not only the image of Cain, the first murderer, but also of Christ, who himself died to save humanity, is associated with the image of Raskolnikov. It would seem paradoxical, but the point is that the human soul is subject to both evil and beneficial influences, and the final decision whether to go “up” or “down” depends only on the person himself.

Christian symbolism of flowers and objects

The objects in the novel, like the characters, are hidden Christian images. It is easy to see that many major events take place in rooms with yellow wallpaper.

So, for example, Raskolnikov's room "was a tiny cell of six steps long, which had the most miserable appearance with its yellowish, dusty wallpaper everywhere lagging behind the wall."

The old woman's room in which the murder took place had yellow wallpaper. The wallpaper in Sonya's room was "yellowish, filthy and worn." In the hotel where Svidrigailov stayed, “the walls looked like they were knocked together from boards with scuffed wallpaper, so dusty and tattered that their color (yellow) could still be guessed, but the drawing could no longer be recognized.” Apparently, such a frequent use of the yellow color by the author in the descriptions of the apartments of his heroes is not an accident.

Thus, the background to all the events taking place in these rooms was yellow.

To understand the meaning of color, you need to consider the icons in which this color is used. Here are a few lines from the description of one of them - the Crucifixion icon: “Directly behind the cross is a light yellow Jerusalem wall, as if cutting off everything unnecessary and accidental, a background of light ocher, an accepted sign of the light of eternity, surrounds everything that happens. In this clear structure of the icon, overcoming everything dramatic, the high essence of events is revealed.

Quite interestingly, two more inanimate images develop in the novel - stairs and shells. The word "ladder" in the first three parts of the novel is used about 70 times.

Dostoevsky's heroes are constantly on the move up the stairs. According to Ozhegov's dictionary, a staircase is a structure in the form of a series of steps for ascent and descent, that is, a staircase allows a person to be at the top or bottom. And where he ends up depends only on the choice that the person makes. Once again, returning to the question of choice, we can say that the staircase in the novel is a symbol of the choice that Raskolnikov and other characters must make every time they find themselves on it. The staircase also symbolizes the road of Raskolnikov, his way up or down. For example, the staircase to the old woman's apartment was dark, narrow and black, but he already knew and studied everything, and he liked all this furnishings. Hidden meaning It is easy to understand if we compare the description of this staircase with the words from the Book of Proverbs of Solomon. The words from this parable are read on the second week of Great Lent on Monday and are part of the story of the fall and Cain's envy of Abel. It should be noted that Cain is the first murderer, and Raskolnikov finds himself on the same ladder with the thought of murder. The words of the sermon are consonant with the words from the Gospel of John:

Chapter 8. Again Jesus spoke to the people, and said to them: "I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." And further, addressing the disciples, Jesus says: whoever walks by day does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world; but whoever walks at night stumbles, because there is no light with him.”

Raskolnikov goes to the place of the future murder in darkness, without light, and therefore without God, turning away from him, hiding in the dark from human gazes and sunlight.

The description of this staircase in the novel is exactly the opposite of the description of the path of the righteous in the parables of Solomon.

Raskolnikov, while on this staircase, commits a terrible act. He embarks on an unrighteous path, chooses the path not up, but down, renounces the Lord. The staircase is where Raskolnikov must make his choice, and the description of the staircase, in turn, shows what choice Raskolnikov made.

Another interesting item is the shell. The shell is the shell of the egg, and in the novel the shell is the shell that hides thoughts and feelings: “It was difficult to sink down and get sloppy; but Raskolnikov was even pleased in his present state of mind. He resolutely left everyone, like a turtle in its shell. But then F. M. Dostoevsky makes some clarification: it turns out that the shell is both what separates Raskolnikov from all other people and from God, and what his thought about murder ripens in: “A terrible thought pecked in his head, like from a chicken egg, and very, very interested in him. And then, when the thought “turned into a chicken,” Raskolnikov had already finally decided that he would go for the kill. The murder is done. The office is a place where Raskolnikov can confess everything. Stairs - the problem of choice - yes or no: "The stairs were narrow, steep, full of slops." There is no explanation of which ones specifically, but from the phrase in which F. M. Dostoevsky describes Raskolnikov’s delirium, one can assume that a shell was lying on it: “He didn’t think about anything. So, there were some thoughts or fragments of thoughts. black staircase, all flooded with slops and covered with eggshells. Items changed like a whirlwind. And the description of the same staircase further makes it possible to verify the correctness of the assumption: "Again, the same rubbish, the same shells on the spiral staircase." Thus, we can say that the need to make a decision was also strengthened by the situation and the situation. The shell on the stairs to the office, which Raskolnikov is looking at, is what torments his soul and demands a frank confession from him. And also this is an indicator that Raskolnikov has already parted with the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bmurder and can connect with people and God, making right choice, "going up the stairs."

Thus, F. M. Dostoevsky poses the problem of choice and the impossibility of coming to the truth alone, thereby giving the answer: in order to go up, you need to connect with God, accept him into your heart and allow someone to help you.

Raskolnikov is like Cain, he is afraid of the sun just as he was afraid of God, because Raskolnikov sees God in the sun and because he disobeyed God, although he asked for advice and help. "God! he pleaded. - Show me my way, and I renounce that accursed one. my dreams!" Passing through the bridge, he quietly and calmly looked at the Neva, at the bright sunset of the bright, red sun. Despite his weakness, he did not even feel tired in himself. It was as if an abscess on his heart, which had been brewing for the whole month, suddenly burst. Freedom, freedom!"

Raskolnikov nevertheless goes to the crime, and he will commit it right in the face of the Lord.

“The small room into which the young man entered, with yellow wallpaper, geraniums and muslin curtains on the windows, was at that moment brightly lit by the setting sun. “And then, therefore, the sun will also shine! "- as if by chance flashed through Raskolnikov's mind."

This is a description of the old woman's room in which the murder took place. The thought of the sun flashed through Raskolnikov's head, and even before the scene on the bridge, he would remember the presence of sunlight in the room, and he would become scared.

When he approached the office, where he could immediately confess everything, the sun shone brightly into his eyes, so that it hurt to look and his head was completely dizzy. It is strange that Raskolnikov turned to God at all, because there was almost no faith in God at that time in his soul.

Looking at the Temple of God, Raskolnikov did not feel either a sense of admiration or tenderness. Faith in God did not resurrect in him immediately, so even after the murder, standing in front of the Temple, he did not feel fear or despair, but only pity and contempt for himself: “An inexplicable cold always blew on him from this magnificent panorama.”

After the resurrection of faith, Raskolnikov was no longer afraid of the sun. He wanted to finish everything before sunset. For comparison: in the Gospel, Jesus says: "Evil is done, hidden, but good is not afraid to show itself in the light."

“Meanwhile, the sun was already setting” - perhaps this phrase means that Raskolnikov had last chance to correct his deed: the sun was leaving, but the light still illuminated Raskolnikov's path.

The symbolic meaning of the Sun in Holy Scripture is very diverse: the setting and eclipse of the sun mean the wrath of God and his righteous punishment, as well as disaster, sorrow and suffering; its light and clear radiance signify a happy state. He enlightens a person, cleanses, strengthens, revitalizes, warms and makes him capable and ready for every good deed. The Lord Himself, as the source of all light, goodness and bliss, is figuratively called the sun in Holy Scripture; everything that makes clear and open the light of the sun serves as a symbol of discovery, discovery, retribution and righteous punishment.

Another object that attracts attention is the green handkerchief, which appears only a few times in the novel, but at the most important moments for the characters. “Sonechka came straight to Katerina Ivanovna, and silently laid out thirty rubles on the table in front of her. She didn’t utter a word at the same time, she even looked, but took only our big green drapedam handkerchief, covered her head and face completely with it and lay down on the bed facing the wall, only her shoulders and body were trembling. ". Sonya puts on a scarf at a moment when she is very hard, because of the consciousness of the gravity of the sin that she just committed. The second time, Sonya puts on a scarf to go outside with Raskolnikov and go with him to the office, where he will make a confession. Sonya grabbed her handkerchief and threw it over her head. It was a green drapedam handkerchief, probably the same one that Marmeladov mentioned at the time - "family". Sonya puts it on, preparing to go with Raskolnikov, to follow him to hard labor. The green handkerchief symbolizes the suffering experienced or yet to come.

Telling Raskolnikov about Katerina Ivanovna, Sonya spoke “as if in despair, agitated and suffering, and wringing her hands. Her pale cheeks flared up again, anguish was expressed in her eyes.

“Holy fool, holy fool,” Raskolnikov thinks of her. In Kapernaumov’s apartment, Raskolnikov’s worship of Sonya also takes place: “Suddenly, he quickly bent over and crouched on the floor, kissed her leg. “I didn’t bow to you, I bowed to all human suffering,” he said somehow wildly.

Sonya is the embodiment of suffering, she is a martyr, a holy fool, as Raskolnikov calls her, her scarf is a symbol of suffering.

Katerina Ivanovna also wore this scarf on the day of her death, running out into the street to seek protection for her children and herself. It should be noted that, putting on a scarf, both Sonya and Katerina Ivanovna thereby cover their hair and shoulders, since according to Christian customs, women are depicted with their hair closed. But even when we read in F. M. Dostoevsky that Sonya’s hair is not covered, a certain similarity is created with the images on the icons, because the scarf is large and falls off the shoulders in folds, like the clothes of saints. The ringing of bells is also very symbolic in Christianity.

Bells are the only instrument in an Orthodox church. Large bells were used infrequently, only in solemn or, on the contrary, the most tragic moments. In the novel, they sound precisely at tragic moments as the last warning before something irreversible happens. The image of the bell appears throughout the novel. Let's start with how Raskolnikov approached the old woman's door with an ax under his arm: “He could not stand it, slowly stretched out his hand to the bell and rang. Half a minute later he rang again stronger. "It is here that the ringing of the bell sounds a warning to Raskolnikov. The bell in the old woman's apartment rings again when Koch goes up there. various items and faces: the bell tower of the church, the back staircase, all flooded with slops and covered with eggshells, and “from somewhere came the Sunday ringing of bells. ". All these objects appeared in the turning and tragic moments of Raskolnikov's life, although he thinks that he would never have remembered them. “That way you can get a fever, when such encroachments irritate your nerves, at night go to the bells to ring and ask about blood! After all, sometimes a person is drawn to jump out of a window or from a bell tower, and the feeling is so seductive. Also the bells. ”- says Porfiry Petrovich to Raskolnikov. The bell in "Crime and Punishment" is one of the Christian images, symbolizing a warning, a prophecy about a terrible event.

Christian stories in the novel

Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment" is based on biblical stories. The crime committed by Raskolnikov, and the punishment he receives for it, are connected with the legend of Cain and Abel. Raskolnikov's path to spiritual healing and resurrection is connected with the resurrection of Lazarus.

Lazarus was resurrected by Jesus after he died and spent 4 days in the tomb. The moral resurrection of Raskolnikov, described in the novel, has much in common with the Gospel story. We will consider the day of Raskolnikov's death the day on which he committed the crime. We know that physically Raskolnikov did not die that day. But since Raskolnikov's resurrection will be a moral resurrection, then his death must also be moral. It is enough to recall the state of Raskolnikov before he goes to kill the old woman - he feels himself sentenced to death. “So, it’s true, those who are being led to execution cling with their thoughts to all the objects that they meet along the way,” flashed through his head. And further: “Did I kill the old woman? I killed myself, not the old woman! Here, somehow, at once, he slapped himself, forever. ".

I have already described the stairs Raskolnikov climbed to kill the old woman. I repeat once again that in her description there is a similarity with the description of the sinful path. Ways without light and without God. The words of Jesus, similar enough to the description of this ladder, are spoken before he says that Lazarus has died.

The phrase about Raskolnikov’s physical condition is noteworthy: “His hands were terribly weak, he himself heard how they became more numb and stiff with every moment”, “But some absent-mindedness, as if even thoughtfulness, began to gradually take possession of him; at times he seemed to forget, or, to put it better, he forgot the main thing and clung to the little things. This phrase is very similar to Raskolnikov's thought about the state of the condemned to death.

And then I compared the description of Raskolnikov's condition with a similar description from the Gospel, where Jesus tells his disciples: "Lazarus, our friend, fell asleep, but I'm going to wake him up." These words of Jesus are the best suited to Raskolnikov. Then, in the Gospel, one can find an explanation for Dostoevsky's words that "Raskolnikov was as in a dream." And again, returning to the Gospel, we read: “His disciples said: “Lord! If he falls asleep, he will recover. Jesus spoke about his death, and they thought that he was talking about an ordinary dream.), That is, Raskolnikov's sleepy state is the beginning of moral death, which comes to him in the form of a serious illness. After the murder of the old woman and her sister, Raskolnikov's illness intensified and he went to bed.

In the novel, Raskolnikov awakens (resurrects) first physically (when he comes to his senses), and then morally while reading the Gospel in Sonya's apartment, when he decides to open up to her. His moral resurrection (resurrection of hope) occurs when reading the Gospel of John about the resurrection of Lazarus: “The cigarette end has long been extinguished in a crooked candlestick, dimly illuminating in this beggarly room the murderer and the harlot, who strangely came together reading the eternal book.” The Resurrection of Lazarus is one of the most striking biblical episodes allegorically recorded in the novel. But unlike the others, he is more recognizable due to the presence of the Gospel text in the novel.

Raskolnikov is a killer. Perhaps one of the most famous murderers described in the bible is the first of them - Cain. There are several points in the novel that show Raskolnikov's resemblance to Cain. Let's start with the motive (of course, not the only one, but quite important) that prompted Raskolnikov to kill the old woman - envy. The same human vice is mentioned in the book of Moses:

“And the Lord looked upon Abel and upon his gift;

But he did not regard Cain and his gift. Cain was very upset, and his face drooped.

Just as Cain envied Abel, Raskolnikov envied Alena Ivanovna's wealth and the fact that this "louse", "useless, nasty, malicious", has good capital, and he, talented, young man, capable of becoming great, there is not enough money even to eat. Raskolnikov decides to kill the old woman.

On the morning after the murder, they inform Raskolnikov about the summons to the office (police): “To the police!. For what?. "," And how should I know. They demand and go." Raskolnikov is frightened by the usual agenda and thinks that, probably, everyone already knows about his atrocity. He is afraid because he knows that he has done something terrible, and he is always waiting for punishment. And in the Gospel it is written: “And the Lord said to Cain: “Where is Abel, your brother?” He said, "I don't know if I am my brother's keeper." Cain does not answer the Lord immediately, just as Raskolnikov does not admit guilt when he is first called to the police. Following the text of the Gospel, one can see the further development of this biblical story in the novel: “And the Lord said: “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground."

F. M. Dostoevsky plays this phrase very vividly in his novel, so that it stands out from the general text, even if the reader does not know the corresponding lines of the Bible. “Nastasya, why are you silent,” he said timidly in a weak voice. "It's blood," she finally answered quietly, as if speaking to herself. "Blood!. What blood? he muttered, turning pale and moving back to the wall. Nastasya continued to silently look at him.

And then Raskolnikov's unconsciousness sets in. When Raskolnikov is able to get out of bed, he will be disgusted by people, he will run away from them, seek loneliness, but even alone he will be scared and disgusted. This is in the novel by F. M. Dostoevsky.

In the Gospel, after the words about "blood", the Lord says to Cain: "You will be an exile and a wanderer on earth." The same state of isolation from people haunts Raskolnikov after the crime.

Again Bible story about Cain and Abel will sound at the end of the novel, and it will determine the behavior of Raskolnikov: “Come, now, this very minute, stand at the crossroads, bow, kiss first the earth that you have desecrated, and then bow to the whole world, on all four sides, and say out loud to everyone: "I killed!". Then God will send you life again,” probably God-fearing Sonya says this, relying on the words of the Bible: “And now you are cursed from the earth, which has rejected its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.”

Thus, Raskolnikov's worship of the earth is very symbolic; it is an attempt by Raskolnikov to obtain forgiveness for the murder he committed.

Having considered the analogies between the texts of the Gospel of Cain and Abel and F. M. Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment", we come to the conclusion that the novel, in a hidden form, contains biblical texts.

In "Crime and Punishment" there are plots and images associated with the Apocalypse.

The last dream of Raskolnikov in delirium on the bed of a prison hospital - a dream about trichines, which made a decisive change in his soul, was also prompted by Dostoevsky real events 1864-1865 The image of a pestilence, a moral epidemic caused by some kind of the smallest trichines, arose under the impression of numerous disturbing newspaper reports about some microscopic creatures unknown to medicine - trichines and about the epidemic disease caused by them in Europe and in Russia. Newspapers and magazines were charged with publishing in the form of pamphlets "a monograph as detailed as possible on trichinas and sold at the cheapest price to find remedies against this evil." The newspaper "Petersburg Leaf" (January 13, 1866) even suggested making the question of trichina "the subject of a competition for debate." M. Rudnev's pamphlet was urgently published. “About trichinas in Russia. Unresolved issues in the history of trichin disease.

Dostoevsky could have read about this in 1864 on the pages of the well-known Illustrated Newspaper. The note was called "Trichinas in Meat". M. Rudnev wrote that people had painful seizures "due to the use of pork meat." These trichinas, found in pork meat, evoke in the memory of F. M. Dostoevsky the well-known lines from the Gospel of Luke, namely the very place that he took as an epigraph to the novel “Demons”: “There was a large herd of pigs grazing on the mountain . »

And the last dream of Raskolnikov, like chapter 4 of the fourth part, goes back to the Gospel, grows under the pen of Dostoevsky in conjunction with images from the Apocalypse into a huge symbol scary world, a warning to mankind. The picture of the world dying from the “terrible pestilence”, which is the consciousness of Raskolnikov in the terrible apocalyptic dreams he saw in illness, delirium, on Holy Week, ends with one detail that is not sufficiently appreciated and left by most researchers of the novel without due attention. “Everything and everything died. The ulcer grew and moved further and further,” writes F. M. Dostoevsky. “Only a few people could be saved all over the world, they were pure and chosen, destined to start a new kind of people and a new life, renew and cleanse the earth, but no one saw these people, no one heard their words and voices anywhere.”

In the literature about the novel, the assertion has become almost commonplace: the hard labor dreams of the hero are still his “theory”, his “idea”, but only brought to its limit, embodied on a planetary scale. If, in a dispute with Porfiry Petrovich, Raskolnikov insisted that his “idea” was “saving, perhaps for all mankind,” now it is revealed to his mind that, on the contrary, it is fraught with a worldwide catastrophe. There is a lot of justice in this understanding. However, only this does not exhaust the deep meaning of the hero's words as an expression of the changes latently ripening in him. Otherwise, the final lines of the "plague plague" picture cited above would have been redundant and incomprehensible. Raskolnikov's hard labor dreams are not only self-disclosure and self-denial of his theory, not only even the discovery of a sense of personal guilt for the entire state of world life, which already unconsciously lives in the hero, in the depths of his spirit, and irresistibly declares itself in the symbolic hyperbolism of fantastic pictures. Thus, the scenes of the Apocalypse are present throughout the entire novel and hidden in the very "theory" of Raskolnikov, which he tries to follow. The realization of the whole horror of his idea comes to Raskolnikov only during his stay in a prison hospital, shortly before his moral resurrection, and even then not explicitly, but in a hidden form, at the level of his subconscious.

IN the highest degree it is characteristic that the attitude of convicts towards Sonya is completely incomprehensible to Raskolnikov.

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MOU secondary school No.

abstract

on literature

Subject: Christian motives in the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment"

Completed by: 11th grade student

checked: literature teacher

I. Rationale for the choice of topic

II. The worldview of F.M. Dostoevsky

1. Dostoevsky 1860s

2. Dostoevsky in the 1870s

III. The image of Sonya Marmeladova as an expression of Dostoevsky's ideas

IV. Renunciation of God and the path to purification by Rodion Raskolnikov

V. "Christian" lines in the novel and their interpretation

VI. Christian symbolism in the novel

1. Gospel names

2. Numbers symbolic in Christianity

3. Using a Biblical Story

VII. Conclusion

VIII. List of used literature

I. Rationale for the choice of topic

Among the most important questions posed by the Russian thought XIX century, the question of religion occupies a special place. For F.M. Dostoevsky, a deeply religious man, the meaning of life was to comprehend Christian ideals, love for one's neighbor.

In "Crime and Punishment" the author portrayed the human soul, which went through suffering and mistakes to comprehend the truth. In the 19th century, the insufficiency of the old Christian axioms became visible, and all of them appeared before man in the form of questions requiring urgent solutions. But the very urgency of these questions, the very consciousness that the future fate of all mankind and each person depends on them, clearly showed that doubting humanity needed only to be convinced of the truth of its former faith. F. M. Dostoevsky was very well aware of this, and this understanding had a considerable influence on his work. After all, Dostoevsky's predecessors never raised the question of human morality as clearly and openly as he did (in the novel Crime and Punishment). The writer's attitude to religious consciousness is striking in its depth.

Dostoevsky was interested in the spirit of man, for man was for him a spiritual being with an integral and many-sided world, the depth of which can never be fully known and rationalized. He was also interested in the connections of the Divine and the earthly, the path to the salvation of man, but through the opening of the Divine thread in the soul, falling away from God, falling away from faith and returning to it through comprehending the height of heaven and the depth of one's own fall. The divine and the earthly are the two poles in the human soul. There is darkness in man, oppressive darkness, suffocating, but there is also light, and Dostoevsky believed in the power of this light. Both God and the devil live in man. The devil is the power of the earth, the power of darkness that burdens the soul. And it is wrong to believe that human nature is low and insignificant, perverted and weak. If people would open themselves to God, if they would feel His presence in their languishing, erring hearts and would follow His word, then the human world would become cleaner and clearer. Evil will never be eradicated from this world - its roots are too deep, but the spiritual in a person will resist evil, God will not leave a person if he accepts Him, if His Spirit cries out.

Some Christian motives are visible in "Crime and Punishment" at the first reading. After reading detailed biography The writer, knowing better his worldview, I wanted to find in the novel everything connected with Christianity and, thereby, to better understand the author's intention.

II. The worldview of F.M. Dostoevsky

1. Dostoevsky 1860s

Dostoevsky in the early 1860s - a person who believes in a vague and some kind of "Christian in general" faith. Events of 1864-1865 crushed the foundations of his life at that time. Death of wife, brother, Apollon Grigoriev; the disintegration of the literary circle of "Vremya" after the closure of the journal: the termination of the "Epoch"; break with Apollinaria Suslova; material need after the usual well-being. Thus, involuntarily, for the first time he is freed from his former non-church and directly anti-church environment and life habits. With such events, Dostoevsky begins his search for some deeper faith. Naturally, he begins with a more accurate awareness of the faith that he already had. The cycle of corresponding entries opens with the most famous and most meaningful of them: "Masha is lying on the table. Will I see Masha?" Dostoevsky F.M. full coll. works: in 30 tons. L., 1972-1991 (XX, 172-175). The result of the reflections is concentrated in the paragraph: "So, everything depends on whether Christ is accepted as the final ideal on earth, that is, on the Christian faith. If you believe in Christ, then you believe that you will live forever." Dostoevsky F.M. full coll. works: in 30 tons. L., 1972-1991 (XX, 174). The whole acuteness of the question lies in the extent to which this ideal is realized on earth. For Dostoevsky, here we can only talk about the future: “Christ has completely entered into humanity, and man strives to be transformed into I Christ as your ideal. Having achieved this, he will clearly see that all those who have achieved the same goal on earth have entered into the composition of His final nature, that is, into Christ. How will each one resurrect then? I - in general Synthesis - it is difficult to imagine. The living, not dead even to the very achievement and reflected in the final ideal - must come to life in the final, synthetic, endless life. ) The strange doctrine of "transformation into I Christ" was not entirely an invention of Dostoevsky. Its basis is the thoughts of Khomyakov of the "middle" period, the mid-1840s - late 1850s. The initial intuition of such thoughts was the deification of human nature - its identification with divine nature. The relationship between God and man were understood at the same time as an identity violated by "sin" - as we see it in Dostoevsky (after all, it is sin that prevents the general merging in Christ). "Sin" acts as a natural law of being, which we also see in Dostoevsky's parsed note: "When a person did not fulfill the law of striving for an ideal, that is, he did not bring love as a sacrifice to your I people or another being (I and Masha), he feels suffering, and called this state of sin. So, a person must constantly feel suffering, which is balanced by the heavenly pleasure of fulfilling the law, that is, by sacrifice. This is where earthly balance comes in. Otherwise, the earth would be meaningless." F. M. Dostoevsky, complete collected works: in 30 vols. All this is derived from two dogmas of European humanism, relativizing any truth, but extremely dogmatic in two points: the proclamation of "the infallibility of man" (in Dostoevsky - the absence of the concept of sin in the Orthodox sense of the word) and "the expulsion of the God-man from earth to heaven" (in Dostoevsky - "the teaching of Christ only as an ideal", unattainable on earth.) The first of these dogmas is a direct expression of the humanistic faith, in which the place of God is occupied by man (the idea of ​​humanity as a kind of "underdeveloped" state of the Divine).

From 1865 to 1866 Dostoevsky wrote the novel "Crime and Punishment", which marked the author's first turn to real Orthodoxy from self-invented "Christianity". In the entry dated January 2, 1866, entitled "The Idea of ​​the Novel", the very first words are the subtitle "Orthodox View, in which there is Orthodoxy." Dostoevsky writes: "There is no happiness in comfort, happiness is bought by suffering. Such is the law of our planet (...). A person is not born for happiness. A person deserves his happiness, and always by suffering." Dostoevsky F.M. full coll. works: in 30 tons. L., 1972-1991 (VII, 154-155). The need for suffering is no longer derived from the supposedly natural harmony of good and evil. Raskolnikov will come out with a refutation of the thesis that "any activity, even evil, is useful." Dostoevsky F.M. full coll. works: in 30 tons. L., 1972-1991 (VII, 209). Dostoevsky not only disputes the extreme conclusion from this thesis - that there are no crimes, but, using the method of reducing to the point of absurdity, refutes the original premise - that the cause of world evil is in the very structure of being, and not in free human will.

2. Dostoevsky in the 1870s

The character of the late Dostoevsky's beliefs was determined as early as 1870. The first and decisive step here was a decisive break with human worship and an appeal to real Orthodoxy. The notion of sin as a principle of commodity existence, and not of human guilt, and of the divine character of spiritual passions have been rejected, although perhaps not uprooted.

AND The ideas of late Dostoevsky are concentrated in one entry in 1870. “Many people think that it is enough to believe in the morality of Christ to be a Christian. Not the morality of Christ, not the teachings of Christ will save the world, but precisely the belief that the Word was flesh. mental recognition of the superiority of His teaching, but a direct attraction.We must precisely believe that this is the final ideal of man, the whole incarnate Word, God incarnate.Because with this faith alone we achieve adoration, that delight that most rivets us to him directly and has the power not to seduce a person aside. With less enthusiasm, humanity, perhaps, would certainly have deviated first into heresy, then into atheism, then into immorality, and finally into atheism and troglodytism and would have disappeared, would have decayed. Note that human nature invariably demands adoration "Morality and faith are one, morality follows from faith, the need for adoration is an inalienable property of human nature. This property is high, not low - the recognition of the infinite, the desire to spill into the infinity of the world, the knowledge that one comes from it. And to have adoration, you need God. Atheism precisely proceeds from the idea that adoration is not a natural property of human nature, and expects the rebirth of a person left only to himself. He tries to imagine him morally, what he will be free from faith. (...) Morality, left to itself or to science, can be perverted to the last trash (...). Christianity is competent even to save the whole world and all the questions in it. "Dostoevsky F.M. complete collected works: in 30 vols. L., 1972-1991 (XI, 187-188). retained its literal meaning - church-glory. e nie", modern Russian. "about O The meaning of "extreme degree of love" was still perceived as figurative. This record is built on both meanings at once. In the words "... we achieve adoration, that delight ..." there is a psychological, figurative meaning, and in the words: there was adoration, God is needed" - etymological. But both meanings, with awareness of their difference, are identified: "adoration" is interpreted as a psychological and even natural state - the attitude of a person to Christ, in whom he believes as in God. From such "adoration" does not follow and cannot follow the deification of the person himself - on the contrary, the person, as he was, and remains "with his own", with his psychology. Here there is no belief in the reality of the deification of man - but there is no longer the deification of the "moral", there is no spontaneous pagan worship of one's own passions.

But real Orthodoxy is accepted mainly in its outward manifestations. In itself, this was inevitable, since it is impossible to become Orthodox without starting from the surface - there is no way past the surface and going deep. But the maturity of Dostoevsky as a person demanded much more than an almost newborn baby in Orthodoxy could receive. His patience was not enough to endure this condition as a disease. Trying to arbitrarily alleviate their internal state, he began to develop fantasies about asceticism and the historical fate of the Church.

Dostoevsky now understands "sin" in a Christian way and therefore believes in achieving a sinless life in the flesh. But he does not see a practical possibility for it, and therefore pushes his hope into an indefinite distance.

Dostoevsky unfolds the world of mutually illuminated consciousnesses, the world of conjugated semantic human attitudes. Among them, he is looking for the highest authoritative setting, and he perceives it not as his true thought, but as another true man. In the image perfect person or in the image of Christ he sees the resolution of ideological quests. This image or voice must crown the world of voices, organize, subdue it. Not loyalty to one's convictions and not their loyalty, but loyalty to the authoritative image of a person - this is the last ideological criterion for Dostoevsky. “I have a moral model and ideal - Christ. I ask: would he burn the heretics, no. Well, then, the burning of heretics is an immoral act.”

III. The image of Sonya Marmeladova as an expression of Dostoevsky's ideas

The central place in the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky is occupied with the image of Sonya Marmeladova, a heroine whose fate arouses our sympathy and respect. The more we learn about it, the more we are convinced of its purity and nobility, the more we begin to think about true human values. The image, Sonya's judgments make you look deep into yourself, help you evaluate what is happening around us. The heroine is depicted in the novel as a child, weak, helpless, with a childishly pure, naive and bright soul. Children in the Gospels symbolize the moral closeness of a person to God, the purity of the soul, capable of believing - and being ashamed.

From the story of Marmeladov, we learn about the unfortunate fate of her daughter, her sacrifice for her father, stepmother and her children. She went to sin, dared to sell herself. But at the same time, she does not demand and does not expect any gratitude. She does not blame Katerina Ivanovna for anything, she simply resigns herself to her fate. “... And she only took our big green dreaded shawl (we have such a common shawl, dread dam), covered her head and face with it completely and lay down on the bed, facing the wall, only her shoulders and body were trembling ...” Sonya closes face, because she is ashamed, ashamed before herself and God. Therefore, she rarely comes home, only to give money away, she is embarrassed when meeting Raskolnikov’s sister and mother, she feels awkward even at the wake of her own father, where she was so shamelessly insulted. Sonya is lost under the pressure of Luzhin, her meekness and quiet disposition make it difficult to stand up for herself. Sonya's patience and vitality are largely derived from her faith. She believes in God, in justice with all her heart, without going into complex philosophical reasoning, she believes blindly, recklessly. And what else can an eighteen-year-old girl believe in, whose entire education is “several books of romantic content”, seeing around her only drunken quarrels, squabbles, illnesses, debauchery and human grief? She has no one to rely on, no one to expect help from, so she believes in God. In prayer, Sonya finds peace, as her soul needs.

All the actions of the heroine surprise with their sincerity and openness. She does nothing for herself, everything for the sake of someone: her stepmother, stepbrothers and sisters, Raskolnikov. The image of Sonya is the image of a true Christian and righteous woman. It is most fully revealed in the scene of Raskolnikov's confession. Here we see Sonechkin's theory - the "theory of God". The girl cannot understand and accept Raskolnikov's ideas, she denies his rise above everyone, disdain for people. The very concept of an “extraordinary person” is alien to her, just as the possibility of transgressing the “law of God” is unacceptable. For her, everyone is equal, everyone will appear before the court of the Almighty. In her opinion, there is no person on Earth who would have the right to condemn his own kind, to decide their fate. "Kill? Do you have the right to kill?" Sonya exclaimed indignantly. For her, all people are equal before God. Yes, Sonya is also a criminal, like Raskolnikov, she also violated the moral law: “We are damned together, we will go together,” Raskolnikov tells her, only he transgressed through the life of another person, and she through her own. Sonya does not impose faith by force. She wants Raskolnikov to come to this himself. Although Sonya instructs and asks him: "Cross yourself, pray at least once." She does not bring her “bright” to him, she looks for his best in him: “How can you give the last, but killed to rob!” Sonya calls Raskolnikov to repentance, she agrees to carry his cross, to help come to the truth through suffering. We do not doubt her words, the reader is sure that Sonya will follow Raskolnikov everywhere, everywhere and always will be with him. Why, why does she need it? Go to Siberia, live in poverty, suffer for the sake of a person who is dry, cold with you, rejects you. Only she could do this, " eternal Sonechka”, with a kind heart and disinterested love for people.

A prostitute who commands respect, the love of all those around her - this is the idea of ​​humanism and Christianity that permeates this image. Everyone loves and honors her: Katerina Ivanovna, and her children, and neighbors, and convicts, whom Sonya helped free of charge. Reading the Raskolnikov Gospel, the legend of the resurrection of Lazarus, Sonya awakens faith, love and repentance in his soul. "They were resurrected by love, the heart of one contained endless sources of life for the heart of the other." Rodion came to what Sonya urged him to, he overestimated life and its essence, as evidenced by his words: “Can her convictions now not be my convictions? Her feelings, her aspirations, at least...” Having created the image of Sonya Marmeladova, Dostoevsky created an antipode to Raskolnikov and his theory (goodness, mercy, opposed to evil). The life position of the girl reflects the views of the writer himself, his faith in goodness, justice, forgiveness and humility, but, above all, love for a person, whatever he may be. It is through Sonya that Dostoevsky denotes his vision of the path of the victory of good over evil.

IV. Renunciation of God and the path to purification by Rodion Raskolnikov

The main character of the novel "Crime and Punishment" is Rodion Raskolnikov. “Do not steal”, “do not kill”, “do not make yourself an idol”, “do not become proud” - there is no commandment that he would not violate. What kind of person is this? Responsive, kind by nature, a person who is hard going through someone else's pain and always helps people, even if he endangers his continued existence. He is unusually smart, talented, patient, but at the same time proud, unsociable and very lonely. What made this kind, smart, selfless person go to the murder, commit a serious sin? Raskolnikov’s constantly vulnerable pride torments him, and then he decides to kill in order to challenge others and prove to himself that he is not a “trembling creature”, but “has the right”. This man has endured and suffered a lot. Raskolnikov was poor, and his pride was hurt by the fact that he ate leftovers, hid from the hostess, whom he did not pay for his miserable closet for a long time. It was in this beggarly room that the monstrous theory of crime was born. Divided in himself, Raskolnikov cannot correctly assess the “yellow-gray world” around him. Showing the humanity of the hero (saving children, supporting a sick student), Dostoevsky does not simplify his inner world, putting Raskolnikov before a choice. The internal struggle in the soul becomes one of the reasons for the murder. “Every kingdom divided against itself will be desolate; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” New Testament, Matt.

Due to duality, two goals arise. One Raskolnikov strives for good, the other for evil.

Dostoevsky points out to readers that God wants everyone to be saved, but only when the person himself wants it. Therefore, warnings are given to Raskolnikov so that a crime is not committed. Meeting with Marmeladov, who speaks about the Last Judgment and the forgiveness of the humble: “... therefore I accept them, reasonable, therefore I accept them, wise, because not a single one of these considered himself worthy of this ...”, “And we will also stretch out His hands to us Let us fall down… and understand everything… Lord, let Your Kingdom come!” The second warning is sleep. The dream is a prophecy in which a ruthless idea is shown - Mikolka finishing off a horse, and in which he (Rodya - a child) is shown compassionate. And at the same time, the whole abomination of the murder is shown in a dream.

But Raskolnikov commits a crime. However, after that he suddenly realizes that he does not correspond to his theory, since his conscience haunts him. Having developed the idea of ​​two types of people, he exalts himself, likening God, for he allows "blood according to conscience." But "he who exalts himself will be humbled." And, having committed a crime, the hero realizes that he is not able to bear the cross of the “bearer of a new idea”, but there is no turning back. Communication with the family is broken by him, the purpose of life is no more. He is no longer able to see the good, he loses faith. “Another thing fell in thorns, and thorns grew and choked it, (seed),” says the parable of the sower. New Testament, Matt. Raskolnikov is left alone, among the "stuffiness" of the city.

Considering Raskolnikov's crime from a Christian point of view, the author highlights in it, first of all, the fact of the crime of moral laws, and not legal ones. Rodion Raskolnikov is a man who, according to Christian concepts, is deeply sinful. This does not mean the sin of murder, but pride, dislike for people, the idea that everyone is “trembling creatures”, and he, perhaps, “has the right”, the chosen one. How was Raskolnikov able to comprehend the fallacy of his own theory and be reborn to a new life? He certainly committed a crime, a cruel crime, but does he not suffer because of it? Raskolnikov becomes a victim of his crime: "I killed myself, not the old woman." Raskolnikov came to the conclusion that “on the general scales, the life of this consumptive, stupid and evil old woman” means “nothing more than the life of a louse,” so he decided to save those around him from the ruthless old woman. But he does not think about the fact that one crime entails another, regardless of what kind of person was killed, whether “a trembling creature” or “having a right”. So it happened with Raskolnikov. By killing a worthless old woman, he took the life of a person who arouses pity in the reader and, in fact, has not been guilty of anything before humanity. So, we see that Raskolnikov is not just a criminal, but a victim of his own crime. Eternal pain, like the pain of Christ, accompanies him everywhere, tormenting from the very beginning of the path he chose - consciously, being aware of his actions and decisions and at the same time not imagining his actions. This is a path - a path against oneself, truth, faith, Christ, humanity. Against all that is holy, which is the most serious crime after suicide, dooming the unfortunate to the most severe torment. He dooms himself to death torment from the very intent of the crime ... "Thou shalt not kill!" ... Raskolnikov transgressed this commandment and, as according to the Bible, he must go from darkness to light, from hell, through purification, to reach paradise. The whole work is built on this idea. Raskolnikov broke the law, but it didn’t get any easier for him. Rodion’s soul was torn to pieces: on the one hand, he killed the old pawnbroker, and what if some other “extraordinary” person decides to test himself and kill either his sister or mother, but on the other hand, (according to theory) it means that Dunya, mother, Razumikhin - all ordinary people. He does not understand what happened, and thinks that he did something wrong, but he does not doubt the correctness of the theory. And here Sonya Marmeladova comes to the aid of Raskolnikov. It is with her appearance in Rodion that the feeling of pity wins. Pity seizes him at the thought that he "came to torment" Sonya; he does not want suffering, but he wants happiness. He is especially struck by the humility with which she accepts suffering from him: “After the service, Raskolnikov approached Sonya, she took him by both hands and bowed her head to his shoulder. This short gesture struck Raskolnikov with bewilderment, it was even strange: “How? Not the slightest disgust for him, not the slightest shudder in her hand! It was already some kind of infinity of his own humiliation ... It became terribly hard for him. In essence, Sonya's attitude to Raskolnikov is the attitude of God to man, that is, forgiveness. Sonya returned Rodion to the truth, directed him on the right path. This helped Rodion gain faith. He receives Christ into himself - he believes in Him. The words of Christ addressed to Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me, if he dies, will live!” come true: Raskolnikov is finally resurrected for a new happy life in love!

Dostoevsky initially recognizes the absoluteness of the human "I", the spiritual dignity and freedom of everyone, even the most downtrodden and insignificant person. This dignity is manifested in humility before the suffering sent by God. Dostoevsky discovered the ability of a weak person to a spiritual feat. “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and then, like Raskolnikov, the truth will be revealed to you, which you can know only after going through suffering and hardship. There is no such sin, there is no such depth of fall, which would not be redeemed by repentance.

V. "Christian" lines in the novel and their interpretation

Part I. Chapter II.“…all the secret becomes clear...” An expression that goes back to the Gospel of Mark: “There is nothing hidden that would not be made clear; and nothing is hidden that will not come out.”

“Xie man!” "Here's a man!" - the words of Pontius Pilate about Christ from the Gospel of John: “Then Jesus came out wearing a crown of thorns and purple. And Pilate said to them: Behold, Man!

“Sodom, sir, ugliest…” Sodom and Gomorrah are biblical cities, whose inhabitants were severely punished by God for immorality and lawlessness.

“... and the one who took pity on everyone andwho understood everyone and everything, he is one, he is the judge. Will come that day…” It's about about the second coming of Christ. Its timing, according to the Gospel, is unknown, but it should be before the end of the world, when the earth will be filled with iniquities and “nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues and earthquakes.” New Testament, Matt.

“And now your sins are forgiven many, because you loved much ...“Mnozi (Church Slav.) - many. Altered quote from the Gospel of Luke: “Therefore I say to you, her many sins are forgiven, because she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, he loves little.” He said to her: Your sins are forgiven. In the novel, as in the Gospel, we are talking about a sinner.

“… the image of the beast and its seal...” We are talking about the Antichrist, who is usually depicted in the Gospel in the form of a beast and who marked his adherents with a special seal.

Chapter IV.“It's hard to climb Golgotha ". Golgotha ​​is a place of execution near Jerusalem. According to the Gospel, Jesus Christ was crucified here.

Part II. Chapter I“House - Noah's Ark …” The expression arose from the biblical myth of the global flood, from which Noah escaped with his family and animals, since God had taught him to build an ark (vessel) in advance. It is used in the meaning of "a room filled with many people."

Chapter VI.“… where I read this, how one sentenced to death, an hour before death, says or thinks that if he had to live somewhere at a height, on a rock, and on such a narrow platform that only two legs could be put - and all around there will be abysses, an ocean, eternal darkness, eternal solitude and an eternal storm - and remain like this, standing on a yard of space, all your life, a thousand years, eternity - it is better to live like this than to die now! ” This refers to the novel by V. Hugo “The Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris”, a translation of which was published in the Dostoevsky brothers’ magazine “Vremya” in 1862: “From time to time he looked at the family of a narrow platform, accidentally arranged from sculptural decorations about ten feet below him, and prayed to God that he would allow him to spend the rest of his life in this tiny space, even if he had a chance to live another two hundred years.” Describing the “main idea” of V. Hugo’s work, Dostoevsky wrote: “His idea is the main idea of ​​all the art of the nineteenth century, and Hugo, as an artist, was almost the first herald of this idea. This is a Christian and highly moral thought; its formula is the restoration of a dead person crushed unjustly by the yoke of circumstances, the stagnation of centuries and social prejudices. This idea is the justification of the humiliated and rejected by all the pariahs of society. Dostoevsky F.M. full coll. works: in 30 tons. L., 1972-1991 (XIII, 526).

Part III. Chapter II.“Not a confessor so am I...” A confessor, that is, a priest who receives confession from someone all the time.

Chapter IV.“… Lazarus sing... ”The expression arose from the Gospel, from the parable of the poor Lazarus, who lay at the gates of the rich man and would be glad to get enough of even the crumbs falling from his table. In the old days, beggars - cripples, begging for alms, sang "spiritual verses" and especially often "a verse about poor Lazarus", created on the plot of the gospel parable. This verse was sung plaintively, to a mournful tune. From here came the expression “sing Lazarus”, used in the meaning of complaining about fate, crying, pretending to be unhappy, poor.

Chapter V“… sometimes quite innocent and valiantly shed for the ancient law…" This is about martyrdom for God, that is, for the ancient, Old Testament law of the biblical prophets - heralds of the will of God. These were the accusers of idolatry, who were not afraid to tell the truth to the faces of the kings and most often ended their lives as martyrs.

“… to New Jerusalem, of course! - So you still believe in the New Jerusalem?” The expression "New Jerusalem" goes back to the Apocalypse: "And I saw a new heaven and new land; for the former heaven and the former earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. And I John saw the holy city of Jerusalem, new, descending from God from heaven…” According to the teachings of the Saint-Simonists, faith in New Jerusalem meant faith in the onset of a new earthly paradise – the “golden age”. “Emerging socialism,” Dostoevsky recalled in the “Diary of a Writer” for 1873, “was then compared, even by some of its horsemen, with Christianity and was taken only as a correction and improvement of the latter, in accordance with the age and civilization.” Dostoevsky F.M. full coll. works: in 30 tons. L., 1972-1991 (X1, 135). “The conversation about the new Jerusalem is ambiguous: Porfiry means by the new Jerusalem religion, the Apocalypse, Raskolnikov is a utopian paradise on earth, the new Jerusalem is - Simonists and other utopians who interpreted the gospel in their own way... Dostoevsky's contemporaries and friends had no doubts about what Raskolnikov actually meant when he spoke of the new Jerusalem. By the new Jerusalem, Raskolnikov understands new order life, to which all the aspirations of socialists tend, an order in which universal happiness can be realized, and Raskolnikov is ready to believe in the possibility of such an order, at least he does not dispute its possibility.

“Suffering and pain are always indispensable for a wide consciousness and a deep heart.". These lines express one of the most important Christian ethical principles - the guilt and responsibility of everyone to everyone and everyone to everyone. The world lies in evil and Jesus Christ gave himself to be crucified for the sins of people: “Because the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” New Testament, Matt. Hence: a person with a “broad consciousness and a deep heart” should always remember Golgotha, that is, the crucifixion of Christ.

“Truly great people ... must feel great sadness in the world...” Lines inspired by Ecclesiastes, an Old Testament, biblical book, written, according to legend, by King Solomon and meaning “experienced wisdom”: “And I looked back at all my works that my hands had done, and at the work that I labored in doing them : and behold, all is vanity and vexation of the spirit, and there is no profit from them under the sun!”, “Because in much wisdom there is much sorrow; and whoever increases knowledge, increases sorrow.” Bible. For Dostoevsky, “truly great people” are always people of the Christian faith and spirit, holy ascetics of the church, who, knowing about the sins of the world and about Golgotha, “feel great sadness in the world.”

However, Dostoevsky put these words into the mouth of Raskolnikov. For him, these words have quite the opposite meaning. For Raskolnikov, “truly great people” are “strong personalities”, the conquerors of the world - Julius Caesar, Napoleon - not just denying Christian morality, but putting in its place another, anti-Christian one, allowing the shedding of blood. That is why these “strong personalities”, like a proud demon, are sad in lonely grandeur. And in these words for Raskolnikov lies the whole tragedy of human deity, the whole tragedy. strong personalities”, who put themselves in place of God.

Part IV. Chapter IV.“ She sees God". Emphasizing the spiritual purity of Lizaveta, Sonia quotes the Gospel of Matthew: “Blessed are pure in heart for they will see God.” New Testament, Matt.

“This is the kingdom of God". Quote from the Gospel of Matthew: "But Jesus said: let the children go and do not prevent them from coming to me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

“… went to seed…” That is, in the genus, in the offspring. In this sense the word seed is used in the Gospel.

Part VI. Chapter II.“Seek and find ". That is, seek and you will find. Quote from the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus Christ.

Chapter VIII.“He is going to Jerusalem…” Jerusalem is a city in Palestine, where, according to legend, the tomb of Jesus Christ is located.

Epilogue.

Chapter II.“He went to church... along with the others... all at once attacked him with a frenzy. - You're an atheist! You don't believe in God! they shouted at him. - I need to kill you.". Dostoevsky really wanted to see in the Russian people a “God-bearing people” and to judge Raskolnikov by the people’s court as God’s court. The people are represented both in their darkness, downtroddenness, bestiality, and in their indestructible instinct for truth. And not just in Raskolnikov's atheism is the secret of the convicts' hatred for him, but, above all, in the daily and visual inhumanity, so to speak.

“In his illness, he dreamed that the whole world was condemned as a victim of some terrible, unheard of and unprecedented pestilence coming from the depths of Asia to Europe ... People killed each other in some kind of senseless malice. Whole armies gathered at each other ... they stabbed and cut, bit and ate each other ... Fires started, famine began. Everything and everyone died". At the base of Raskolnikov's dream lie 24 chapters of the Gospel of Matthew and chapters 8-17 of the Apocalypse - the Revelation of John the Theologian. When Jesus Christ was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples stepped up to him and began to ask when old age and a new one will start. Jesus Christ answered: “... hear about wars and rumors of wars. Look, do not be horrified; for all this must be. But this is not the end yet: for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, plagues and earthquakes in places; yet this is the beginning of sickness... And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another; and many false prophets will arise and deceive many; and because of the increase of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold…”New Testament, Matt. Dostoevsky, reflecting on the fate of Russia, Europe and the whole world, fills Raskolnikov's gospel dream with deep symbolic content. The writer points to the terrible danger for humanity of individualism, which can lead to the oblivion of all moral norms and concepts, all criteria for good and evil.

“People who took them into themselves immediately became demon-possessed and crazy. But never, never did people consider themselves as smart and unshakable in the truth as the infected thought.". These are the gospel words: “Immediately a large herd of pigs was grazing on the mountain, and the demons asked Him to let them enter into them. He allowed them. The demons went out of the man and entered into the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned. The shepherds, seeing what had happened, ran and told in the city and in the villages. And they went out to see what had happened; And when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and of sound mind, and they were terrified. And those who saw it told them how the demon-possessed one was healed.” Dostoevsky gave the episode about the healing of the demon-possessed by Christ a symbolic and philosophical meaning: the disease of demon-possession and madness that has engulfed Russia and the whole world is individualism, pride and self-will.

“Only a few people could be saved all over the world, they were pure and chosen, destined to start a new kind of people and a new life, renew and cleanse the earth, but no one saw these people anywhere, no one heard their words and voices". Raskolnikov turns out to have suffered to the end and was chosen in the epilogue of the novel.

“…surely the ages of Abraham and his flocks have not yet passed". According to the Bible, Patriarch Abraham was born almost 2,000 years before the birth of Christ.

“They still had seven years left... Seven years, only seven years! At the beginning of their happiness, at other moments, they were both ready to look at these seven years as if they were seven days.". In the Bible: “And Jacob served for Rachel seven years; and they appeared to him in a few days, because he loved her.” Bible.

VI. Christian symbolism in the novel

1. Gospel names

Choosing the names of his heroes, Dostoevsky followed a deeply rooted Russian tradition, when, thanks to the use of predominantly Greek names at baptism, they used to look for their explanation in Orthodox church calendars. In the library, Dostoevsky had such a calendar, in which an “Alphabetical list of saints” was given, indicating the numbers of the celebration of their memory and the meaning of names translated into Russian. There is no doubt that Dostoevsky often looked into this “list”, giving symbolic names to his heroes.

Kapernaumov, of course, is a significant surname. Capernaum is a city often mentioned in the New Testament. Sonya rented a room from Kapernaumov, and Mary the harlot lived not far from this city. Jesus Christ settled here after he left Nazareth, and Capernaum began to be called “His city”. In Capernaum, Jesus performed many miracles and healings, and spoke many parables. “And as Jesus was reclining in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. Seeing this, the Pharisees said to His disciples: Why does your Teacher eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? Jesus, hearing this, said to them: The unhealthy have need of a doctor, but the sick.” New Testament, Matt. In "Crime and Punishment" in Sonya's room in Kapernaumov's apartment, sinners and sufferers, orphans and the poor converge - all the sick and thirsty for healing: Raskolnikov comes here to confess to a crime; “behind the very door that separated Sonya's room ... Mr. Svidrigailov stood and, hiding, eavesdropped”; Dounia comes here too to find out about her brother's fate; Katerina Ivanovna is brought here to die; here Marmeladov asked for a hangover and took the last thirty kopecks from Sonya. Just as in the Gospel the main residence of Christ is Capernaum, so in Dostoevsky's novel the center is Kapernaumov's apartment. As people in Capernaum listened to truth and life, so the protagonist of the novel listens to them in Kapernaumov's apartment. As the inhabitants of Capernaum, for the most part, did not repent and did not believe, despite the fact that much was revealed to them (that is why the prophecy was uttered: “And you, Capernaum, ascended to heaven, you will fall down to hell; for if powers were manifested in Sodom manifested in you, he would have remained until this day”) New Testament, Matt. , so Raskolnikov still does not renounce his “new word” here.

It is not by chance that Dostoevsky calls Marmeladov's wife the name "Katerina". “Catherine” in Greek means “always pure”. Indeed, Katerina Ivanovna is proud of her education, upbringing, her “purity”. When Raskolnikov first comes to Sonya, she, defending Katerina Ivanovna from his unfair accusations, reveals the semantics of her name: “She is looking for justice ... She is pure.”

A special place in Dostoevsky's novels belongs to meek women who bear the name Sophia - wisdom (Greek). Sonya Marmeladova - humbly bears the cross that fell to her lot, but believes in the final victory of good. In Dostoevsky, Sophia's wisdom is humility.

In the patronymic of Sonya's father - Zakharych - there is a hint of his religiosity. In the Alphabetical List of Saints, the name of the biblical prophet Zechariah means "the memory of the Lord" (Heb.).

A possible prototype of Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikova was Avdotya Yakovlevna Panaeva, the writer's first love. The portrait of Dunya strongly resembles the appearance of Panaeva. However, R.G. Nazirov in the article “On the prototypes of some Dostoevsky’s characters” suggested that the character of Panaeva was combined in the image of Dunya with the legendary image of St. Agatha, as the writer saw him in Sebastiano del Piombo’s painting “The Martyrdom of St. Agatha” in the Pitti Gallery in Florence. This painting is a scene of torture. Two Roman executioners, trying to force Agatha to renounce the Christian faith and return to paganism, from both sides bring red-hot tongs to her chest. Agatha retained her steadfastness and faith to the end. It is no coincidence that Svidrigailov says about Dun: “She would, no doubt, be one of those who suffered martyrdom and, of course, would have smiled when they burned her chest with red-hot tongs.”

As for Raskolnikov’s mother, in the Alphabetical List of Saints, Pulcheria means “beautiful” (Latin), and Alexander (patronymic: Alexandrovna) means “protector of people”. Hence she has such a desire to become a wonderful mother, protector of her children.

It is very important that Mikolka from Raskolnikov's dream is named the same as the dyer Mikolka. Both of them bear the name of this saint. The antipode of the pure and innocent-hearted dyer is a drunken village boy who beats a horse to death. Between these two Mikolki, between faith and disbelief, and Raskolnikov rushes about, connected with both inextricably: with one - the mutual guarantee of sin, with the other - the hope of resurrection.

Dostoevsky endows Lizaveta Ivanovna with this name, since Elisaveta is “who worships God” (Heb.).

Dostoevsky himself explains the name of Ilya Petrovich, assistant quarter warden: “But at that very moment something like thunder and lightning happened in the office.” The writer ironically calls him the name of the Thunderer prophet Elijah and the name of the apostle Peter, meaning "stone" (Greek).

Dostoevsky gives Porfiry Petrovich the name Porfiry, meaning "crimson" (Greek). By killing the usurer and her sister and thereby violating the Old Testament commandment “Thou shalt not kill,” Raskolnikov comes into conflict with two truths at once - God's and human. The religious beginning is represented in the novel by Sonya, the legal one - by Porfiry Petrovich. Sonya and Porfiry - divine wisdom and cleansing fire.

It is no coincidence that the author calls Marfa Petrovna the gospel name Martha. Throughout her life she was immersed in petty daily calculations and, like the gospel Martha, cared about too much when "the only thing needed."

The surname of the protagonist testifies that "in the mind of the author, Raskolnikov's passionate love for people, reaching the point of complete indifference to his interests, and fanaticism in defending his idea were to some extent associated with a split." Schism (Old Believers) is a trend that arose in the middle of the 17th century in the Russian church as a protest against the innovations of Patriarch Nikon, which consisted in correcting church books and some church customs and rituals. Schism is an obsession with one thought, fanaticism and stubbornness.

2. Numbers symbolic in Christianity

The figures, which are symbolic in Christianity, are also symbols in Crime and Punishment. These are the numbers seven and eleven.

The number seven is a truly holy number, as a combination of the number three - divine perfection (trinity) and four - the world order; therefore, the number seven is a symbol of the "union" of God with man, or the communion between God and his creation. In the novel, Raskolnikov, going to kill at seven o'clock, was thereby already doomed to defeat in advance, since he wanted to break this "alliance". That is why, in order to restore this “union” again, in order to become a man again, Raskolnikov must again go through this truly holy number. Therefore, in the epilogue of the novel, the number seven again appears, but not as a symbol of death, but as a saving number: “They still had seven years left; until then, so much unbearable torment and so much endless happiness!”

The repeated indication of eleven o'clock in the novel is connected with the gospel text. Dostoevsky well remembered the gospel parable that "the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of the house, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers in his vineyard." He went out to hire workers at the third hour, at the sixth, at the ninth, and finally went out at the eleventh. And in the evening, when paying, the manager, on the orders of the owner, paid everyone equally, starting with those who came at the eleventh hour. And the latter became the first in fulfillment of some higher justice. Referring Raskolnikov's meetings with Marmeladov, Sonya and Porfiry Petrovich to eleven o'clock, Dostoevsky recalls that it is still not too late for Raskolnikov to throw off his obsession, it is not too late at this gospel hour to confess and repent, and become the first from the latter.

3. Using a Biblical Story

The Christian in the novel is enhanced by numerous analogies and associations with biblical stories. There is an excerpt from the Gospel of Lazarus. The death of Lazar and his resurrection is a prototype of Raskolnikov's fate after the crime until his full rebirth. This episode shows all the hopelessness of death and all its irremediableness, and an incomprehensible miracle - the miracle of the resurrection. Relatives mourn the dead Lazar, but with their tears they will not revive a lifeless corpse. And here comes the One who crosses the boundaries of the possible, the One who conquers death, the One who resurrects an already decaying body! Only Christ could resurrect Lazarus, only Christ can resurrect the morally dead Raskolnikov.

By including gospel lines in the novel, Dostoevsky already reveals to readers the future fate of Raskolnikov, since the connection between Raskolnikov and Lazar is obvious. “Sonya, reading the line: “... for four days, as in a tomb,” energetically hit the word “four”. Dostoevsky highlights this remark not by chance, because the reading about Lazarus takes place exactly four days after the murder of the old woman. And the "four days" of Lazarus in the coffin become equivalent to four days of Raskolnikov's moral death. And the words of Martha to Jesus: “Lord! If You were here, my brother would not have died! - are also significant for Raskolnikov, that is, if Christ were present in the soul, then he would not have committed a crime, he would not have died morally.

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Orthodoxy, brought to Rus' back in the 10th century, profoundly influenced the mentality of the Russian people, left an indelible imprint on the Russian soul. And besides, Orthodoxy brought with it writing, and consequently literature. One way or another, Christian influence can be traced in the work of any writer. The deepest inner conviction in Christian truths and commandments is carried, in particular, by such a titan of Russian literature as Dostoevsky. His novel "Crime and Punishment" is proof of this.
The writer's attitude to religious consciousness is striking in its depth. The concepts of sin and virtue, pride and humility, good and evil - that's what interests Dostoevsky. Raskolnikov, the key character of the novel, carries sin and pride. Moreover, sin absorbs not only direct actions, but also hidden thoughts (Raskolnikov is punished even before the crime). Having passed through himself a deliberately powerful theory about "Napoleons" and "trembling creatures", the hero kills the same old pawnbroker, but not so much her as himself. Having followed the path of self-destruction, Raskolnikov nevertheless, with the help of Sonya, finds the key to salvation through suffering, purification and love. As you know, all these concepts are the most important and important in the Christian worldview. People deprived of repentance and love will not know the light, but will see the dark afterlife, terrible in its essence. So, Svidrigailov already during his lifetime has a clear idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe afterlife. He appears before us in the form of a "black bath with spiders and mice" - in the Christian view, this is a picture of hell, for sinners who know neither love nor repentance. Also, at the mention of Svidrigailov, the “devil” constantly appears. Svidrigailov is doomed: even the good that he is about to do is in vain (a dream about a 5-year-old girl): his good is not accepted, too late. A terrible satanic force, the devil, is also pursuing Raskolnikov, at the end of the novel he will say: “The devil led me to a crime.” But if Svidrigailov commits suicide (commits the most terrible mortal sin), then Raskolnikov is cleansed. The motif of prayer in the novel is also characteristic of Raskolnikov (after a dream he prays for a horse, but his prayers are not heard, and he commits a crime). Sonya, the daughter of the landlady (she is preparing herself for the monastery), and the children of Katerina Ivanovna are constantly praying. Prayer, an integral part of the Christian, becomes part of the novel. There are also such images and symbols as the cross and the Gospel. Sonya gives Raskolnikov the Gospel that belonged to Lizaveta, and, reading it, he is reborn to life. At first, Raskolnikov does not accept the cross of Lizaveta Raskolnikov from Sonya, since he is not ready yet, but then he takes it, and again this is connected with spiritual purification, rebirth from death to life.
The Christian in the novel is enhanced by numerous analogies and associations with biblical stories. There is a reminiscence from the Bible about Lazar, a parable that Sonya reads to Raskolnikov on the fourth day after the crime. At the same time, Lazarus from this parable was resurrected on the fourth day. That is, Raskolnikov has been spiritually dead for these four days and, in fact, lies in a coffin (“coffin” is the hero’s closet), and Sonya came to save him. From the Old Testament in the novel there is a parable about Cain, from the New - a parable about a publican and a Pharisee, a parable about a harlot (“if anyone is not sinful, let him be the first to throw a stone at her”), a parable about Martha - a woman, all her life aimed at vanity and missing the most important thing (Marfa Petrovna, Svidrigailov's wife, has been fussing all her life, deprived of the main beginning).
Gospel motifs are clearly traced in the names. Kapernaumov is the surname of the man from whom Sonya rented a room, and Mary the harlot lived not far from the city of Capernaum. The name “Lizaveta” means “revering God”, holy fool. The name of Ilya Petrovich incorporates Ilya (Ilya the prophet, thunderer) and Peter (hard as a stone). Note that it was he who was the very first to suspect Raskolnikov. "Katerina is “clean, bright." The numbers that are symbolic in Christianity are also symbols in “Crime and Punishment.” These are the numbers three, seven and eleven. Sonya takes out Marmeladov 30 kopecks, the first since she brings "from work" 30 rubles; Marfa redeems Svidrigailov also for 30, and he, like Judas, betrays her, encroaching on her life. Svidrigailov offers Duna "up to thirty", Raskolnikov rings the bell 3 times and the same number of times hits the old woman on the head. There are three meetings with Porfiry Petrovich. Number seven: at the seventh hour he finds out that there will be no Lizaveta, commits a crime "at the seventh hour." But the number 7 is a symbol of the union of God with man; committing a crime, Raskolnikov wants to break this union and therefore suffers torment.In the epilogue: there are 7 years of hard labor left, Svidrigailov lived with Martha for 7 years.
The novel contains the theme of voluntary martyrdom for the sake of repentance, the recognition of one's sins. That is why Mikolka wants to take the blame on Raskolnikov. But Raskolnikov, led by Sonya, who carries within herself Christian truth and love, comes (albeit through a barrier of doubt) to people's repentance, because, according to Sonya, only people's, open repentance for everyone is real. The main idea of ​​Dostoevsky is reproduced in this novel: a person must live, be meek, be able to forgive and sympathize, and all this is possible only with the acquisition of true faith. This is a purely Christian starting point, so the novel is tragicomic, a sermon novel.
By virtue of Dostoevsky's talent and deepest inner conviction, Christian thought is fully realized, it has a strong impact on the reader and, as a result, conveys to everyone the Christian idea, the idea of ​​salvation and love.