The Dostoyevskian Ressurection

The Dostoyevskian Resurrection: Dostoyevsky's art in portraying Sonya as a prostitute in Crime and Punishment. Ridhi Bhutani Dostoyevsky uses the characters of his novel as mediums to portray not just the reality of his own life but also the reality of the unfathomable complexities of human mind and it is this amalgamation of the external and internal that makes his characters deep and well rounded. Sofya Semyonovna in Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky is one such character. Her representation as a prostitute not only echoes the realities of Russian society but it is through Sonya’s representation as a prostitute that Dostoyevsky mirrors his own dualities. As Michael R. Murphy stated, “He was a nobleman and a pauper, conservative and liberal, a pacifist Christian and a bloodthirsty imperialist. Dostoevsky was a skillful self-examiner whose biography was inexorably linked to the fictional lives of his characters” A deeply religious woman, a prostitute, a messiah, a sinner, and a plain woman, Sonya has so many layers to her character that it is nothing less than an artistic crafting of a character that stands for all the major themes the novel unfolds. Sonya has been represented as a prostitute in the novel, the very idea of representation here can be deconstructed. Dostoyevsky’s attempt at “representing” her as a prostitute is not only a well crafted decision but the idea of her representation is quite opposite to what her character as a prostitute “symbolizes”. One might argue that Sonya’s representation as a prostitute only works as an entry point into her character. Needless to say, one can assume that representing her as a prostitute is indeed an attempt at pointing out the duality of the deep, complex and oxymoronic human identity. Sonya and her “identity” as a prostitute hence becomes a prism for the readers, which makes them witness the real refraction or if one might say the real deconstruction of not just the character of a prostitute but also that of every human being. Her identity as a prostitute is questionable due to the constant conflict between the external and the internal. Sonya might compromise her body on the outside but on the inside, her conscience is clean. In the occupation of making love for money, Sonya’s inner self, her religious conscience is unloved, untouched and pure. One cannot help but wonder if the very reason Dostoyevsky imparts her with this identity is to make the readers question the whole idea of identity. Can one’s occupation and social position become synonymous to one’s identity? The question certainly plagues the mind of the readers who are forced to look deeper into their own soul to derive at a conclusion. Dostoyevsky makes the readers question whether identity is something that’s a singular, fixed entity existing in binarity or whether it is a multiflorus, layered, gray area that is dynamic in nature. We do find answers to these questions as the novel proceeds, we then see Sonya not just as a prostitute but a religious woman who carries the crucifix and suffers, an embodiment of humility, a woman who loves and wants to be loved and a Christian whose faith leads her to the path of redemption. It's obvious to wonder why Dostoyevsky particularly chose the occupation of a prostitute, there are various reasons to explore this idea.The first and the most obvious idea that comes to the mind of the readers is that Dostoyevsky tries to give the text a social realist perspective. Prostitution as it quite clearly suggests was a social, political and economic activity undertaken by women mostly out of economic deprivation. By giving Sonya this particular occupation we can point out his attempt at creating some space for a socio-economic debate. This intention becomes much clearer when Marmeladov mentions Sonya's “yellow ticket” by saying “...Sofya Semyonovna has been compelled to take the yellow card, and on account of that has been unable to remain with us” in part one of the text (24). As Laurie Bernstein says, “While it appeared innocuous, the yellow ticket in fact created a new social category in tsarist Russia, that of the "public woman”...In its original form, the medical ticket listed a woman's name, age, and address, and left room for a physician's stamp or mark regarding her state of health.”(28,29). The yellow ticket hence became the “identity of a “public woman”. The possession of a yellow card by the Russian public woman like Sonya could be understood as an attempt made by Dostoyevesky to highlight how the regime outlined the identities and by extension the lives of these women, here we notice how public women or prostitutes like Sonya get defined by the yellow card losing the agency on their own identity. This identity was accompanied by an alienation from the rest of the respectable society, as Sonya herself has no option but to alienate herself in a small gloomy room away from her family, this alienation becomes even more clear when Marmeladov while talking to Raskolnikov says that “...but Sonya has her own bit of space, partitioned from the rest...”(25). This alienation that the author outlines, happens at two levels, i.e. by the society and by the prostitute(here Sonya) herself. The alienation by the society again occurs at multiple levels i.e. spatial, social and psychological. It is in the fifth part of the novel that we come across the way in which Sonya is removed or alienated from the category and community of “decent citizens” when she is accused of thievery without much speculation by Amalia Ivanovna, “Gott der Barmherzige! I always knew she was stealing” (471). Through these examples Dostoyevsky shows us how the prostitutes alienate themselves or get alienated from society to live a life away from the realm of “respect” and “normalcy” occupied by the rest of the society. Apart from the alienation we also witness a “transgression” that Sonya undertakes as a prostitute. The act of indulging in Prostitution was considered not just a sin but also a kind of social transgression. However Dostoyevsky gives the readers a chance to compare Sonya’s transgression with that of Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov. As Reyyan Bal states, “Sonia transgresses physically, but never spiritually, with the sole motive of feeding her starving family. This is the reason for her freedom from guilt, she is certain that she will be forgiven because hers is an act of self sacrifice.”(11). Here, we notice that Sonya’s transgression is external in its occurrence, her soul, her faith, her spirituality and her heart is that of a deeply devoted Christian woman and hence no one other than Sonya will become the Christ like figure in the text. Extending more on this idea we can say that the author wants the readers to focus on the subjectivity and complexity of prostitution with respect to the idea of transgression. And it is here that the readers notice the difference between being a criminal and a sinner. The act of Sonya selling her body to feed her family is a sin from a Christian view but it is not a crime from the socio-economic perspective perhaps Dostoyevsky wants his readers to focus on the soul of the prostitutes, the spirituality that sees no boundary. He tells us that with their devotion to Christianity, the inherent purity of their souls and with the constant suffering, redemption is possible. We can say that in a way Dostoyevsky elevates these women from their degenerate life and shows us the possibility of a new life for them, a rebirth. But we need to note that this elevation can only occur if the transgressor ascribes to the devotion towards Christianity and undergoes a lot of suffering. Is Sonya’s transgression as a prostitute, a crime? If yes, does Sonya deserve a punishment like the other transgressors? In the answer to this question lies Dostoyevsky’s artistic attempt at pointing out the subjectivity of crime within the novel. One wonders if one can equate prostitution with murder, lechery, duplicity and pedophilia. Here, we notice that Sonya’s decision to enter prostitution arises out of an accepatble need however in the case of Luzhin, his decietful nature remains unnoticed, let alone discuss punishment. Similarly in the case of Svirdigalov, his deliberate lustfulness and pedophilic tendencies cannot be compared with Sonya’s crime. In the case of Raskolnikov the reason behind the murder of two women is not very clear even by the end but if, for a second we ignore the aspect of religion, none of these crimes can be aptly equated with Sonya’s crime, i.e. prostitution. It is through this underlying comparison that the readers are able to reject the idea of binarity of crime. Sonya’s prostitution is sinful but not criminal because her soul is pious and spiritual and that’s the reason why despite being a prostitute, she will recieve the redemption that she requires but unlike her, Svidrigalov, a criminal with a corrupted soul will not be forgiven or redeemed. Hence, a prostitute like Sonya, with the possession of devotion, humility and suffering can be considered a sinner but she cannot be considered a criminal. To further understand Dostoyevsky’s artistic purpose behind the representation, we need to understand how through this particular representation the author introduces the readers to the aspect of love within the context of a morally corrupt society. In the first few chapters of the novel one doesn’t really expect the arrival of love or companionship in a text like this. However the readers are introduced to this fulfilling yet challenging emotion in the text but the irony here lies within the fact that the author consciously chooses a prostitute(i.e. Sonya) as the figure of love, compassion and forgiveness, perhaps Dostoyevsky wants the readers to acknowledge how even the most debased ones in the society carry within them the Christian heart capable of loving and forgiving. Perhaps love does not discriminate on the basis of the external, it is the heart, the pure Christian heart that loves and forgives. Sonya can love Raskolnikov and forgive him because she suffers herself and possesses the Christ-like heart that forgives. It is in the figure of a prostitute that a degenerate man like Raskolnikov finds a comforting listener, a guide, a companion who will show him the path of redemption. One can also assume that it is through Sonya that Dostoyevsky tries to subvert the societal notion that restricts prostitutes to a bodily, shallow, sexual and material idea of love, specifically associated with prostitution. Despite being in an occupation of making love, Sonya has never felt the emotion. Sonya is in a need of love and acceptance, her occupation is perhaps devoid of any emotional attachment. Here, through the relationship between a murderer and a prostitute, Dostoyevsky reinforces the idea of a non sexual, immaterial love. For the degenerates like them, romance will not occur in its ideal form, it will rise out of suffering. Sonya, a prostitute, will find the love and acceptance she is looking for, not only in Raskolnikov but in Dunya’s “bow” and she will gain redemption because of her pure, suffering, soul. By understanding Dostoyevsky’s artistic purpose in representing Sonya as a prostitute we can now acknowledge the conscious decision that Dostoyesvky made to introduce us to the ideas of subjectivity, alienation, duality, internal spirituality, devotion and love. But I believe that apart from introducing us to these ideas, Dostoyevsky also gives us a kind of universal message or a universal statement that deals with a world beyond Russia. We are aware of Dostoyesvky’s own ideological and religious shift that happened later in his life and perhaps it is this new belief that he wants to showcase through the character of his degenerate women like Sonya. Perhaps he wants his readers to recognise how in a degraded modern world, the only way to save ourselves is by returning to religion, by accepting our inner morality and by invoking our Christian goodwill. By the end of the novel, Dostoyevskian Sonya will rise above prostitution, she will stand strong against the European Rationalism of Raskolnikov and she will change him, as Elizabeth Blake said, “When she commands Raskolnikov to confess and to accept his guilt so that God will send him a new life, she decisively asserts the primacy of her Christian voice over Raskolnikov's rationalism.” I believe that here the main motive of Dostoyevsky’s artistic intelligence translates into a universal purpose wherein, the readers will have to encounter their own corrupted souls asking for forgiveness, for a new life, a new beginning. However fallen we might be, by possessing a pious Christian heart, walking on the path of religion, the path of suffering, we shall find our way to a new beginning, which will grant us the acceptance, the forgiveness and the love that we have been looking for. Bibliography