Kindness and cruelty is one of the eternal themes that occur both in literature and in life. In F. M. Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment, these two contrasting concepts go side by side and form a dramatic intensity of passions. What will the heroes choose? Good or evil? Virtue or cruelty?
- Raskolnikov shows by his own example how kindness and cruelty can be combined in one person. The protagonist is by nature very kind and merciful - he loves his sister and mother very much, is kind to the Marmeladov family, does not spare money for Marmeladov's funeral, sincerely sympathizes with Sonya. In addition, the author focuses on Rodion's dream, where he returns to childhood. In a dream, the boy regrets to tears the horse that the men beat. At the same time, a cruel theory is ripening in his head about dividing people into “trembling creatures” and “having the right”. The same man kills the old pawnbroker and her sister. In the soul of Raskolnikov throughout the work there is an internal struggle between kindness and cruelty. In the finale, the reader sees the sincere repentance of the hero, the victory of good over evil. But nevertheless, both of these qualities coexisted in him, as in many other people.
- Sonya Marmeladova is also an example of how evil can fight good within one heart. The heroine herself is very gentle, sensitive, meek. This heroine is an example of Christian humility and love for others. Under the pressure of life circumstances, Sonya is forced to commit an act cruel to herself and her conscience - to sell herself, her body. But she does it for the love of her neighbors. Without the money she has earned, her stepmother and children may simply starve to death. And now it turns out that the heroine's cruel act is based on the purest and real goodness. Unfortunately, a sacrifice in the name of bright ideals rarely goes without cruelty, but, nevertheless, Sonya's example proves that a person can defeat the dark side of his soul and maintain virtue, no matter what.
- Cruelty and kindness are also fighting in Svidrigailov's soul. If you believe Luzhin's gossip, it turns out that Svidrigailov is a real criminal who committed not one, but a number of cruel acts. On his conscience lie the rape, murder and molestation of young children. Although the author does not provide reliable confirmation of these acts, the reader still sees Svidrigailov as a criminal. On the other hand, the writer talks about how the hero helps Sonya Marmeladova and Katerina Ivanovna. Dostoevsky assigns such contrasting actions to one hero in order to show his versatility along with the versatility of the surrounding world. Good coexists with evil, both in a single character and throughout the novel.
- Evil for the sake of good - this is how Raskolnikov tried to justify an inherently cruel act. He killed an old pawnbroker for the money he planned to spend on good causes. Together with her, the hero killed her sister, who, by a fatal accident, was at the scene of the crime. The author shows that cruelty and anger cannot become the basis of something bright and kind. Rodion could not change anything for the better, the situation in the city only worsened from his act. There was more violence, more aggression, but no less social injustice that the hero wanted to eradicate. Raskolnikov, through mental turmoil and suffering, comes to the point that he repents of his act. However, Alena Ivanovna and Lizaveta cannot be returned by this repentance. Therefore, cruelty cannot be a weapon to achieve a good goal. Its consequences are always tragic and, unfortunately, irreversible.
- Sometimes we feel that we have the right to treat other people without kindness, because we consider them unworthy of good treatment. For example, these are the people who surrounded Raskolnikov and evoked feelings of hatred, anger and cruelty in him. Luzhin and Svidrigailov are the embodiment of extreme selfishness, which made the main character despise these gentlemen. Rodion at first sight feels antipathy towards them, however, during their communication, the author makes it clear that unpleasant interlocutors are just Raskolnikov's doubles. A rapist and a calculating liar really do not deserve respect, but they need forgiveness and compassion, because they are people like everyone else, just entangled in the intricacies of vice. Rodion was also confused, to whom Sonya's mercy gave a chance for correction. However, without him, he would have ended his sinful life the way Svidrigailov did. Did he have the moral right to harshly condemn the groom and the sister's former employer? No, because he himself could not boast of holiness. None of us has the right to condemn our neighbor, for none of us can call ourselves an irreproachable moral authority. So, we should all treat each other kindly, only in this way we can make each other better.
- Each of us needs a good friend at a time when the path of life becomes especially thorny. Therefore, society will always highly value kindness in a person. For example, Rodion was saved by Sonya Marmeladova - the embodiment of light, kindness and love. The girl accepted the bitter confession of the hero and did not condemn him. She supported the offender, not rejected. Therefore, Raskolnikov reached out specifically to Sonya - she taught him to love, forgive, be meek and humble. Then Rodion realized his guilt, his mistakes. The conscious repentance of the hero is a very difficult and courageous step towards the realization of the truth and the beginning of a new pure path, from which, I want to believe, he will not go down.
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In my opinion, compassion is the ability to provide support, share the sorrows and sorrows of a person in need. It helps to survive difficult moments, and sometimes saves lives. It is important to be able to use this quality, because it contains humanity and humanism, without which human life would be in jeopardy.
Many writers have touched on this issue in their works. The novel by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment" was no exception.
Rodion Raskolnikov is a poor student who is dissatisfied with his position in society.
He is oppressed by the inequality between the rich and the poor. Under the pressure of constant problems, Rodion suffers. He wants a better life, so he creates a theory that, in his opinion, gives him the right to take people's lives. He is unable to accept money from his sister, because for this Dunyasha wants to enter into a marriage of convenience. For Raskolnikov, the only way out is crime. The protagonist brutally kills an old pawnbroker and her sister Lizaveta, with an unborn child.
Let's imagine if there was a person who could understand and share the hardships of Raskolnikov's fate, would a crime be committed? I think not.
Support and compassion can remove the shackles of hopelessness from a person. Rodion needed this, but, alas, no one could help him before the murder.
After the crime, Raskolnikov realizes the failure of his theory. Torment and remorse become worse than any punishment. It is almost impossible to live normally with such a burden on the soul. Sonechka Marmeladova, a girl with a “yellow” ticket, but with an incredibly pure, unspoiled soul, helps the hero to revive spiritually. She wants to help Rodion with all her heart. In the episode where Raskolnikov confesses to her a crime, Sonya does not condemn him for sin, but sympathizes with him, calls for popular repentance. She makes the student pray to be cleansed before God. Recognition by the people gives Raskolnikov a chance for a new life. He is relieved and ready to be punished.
Sonya saw in Rodion, first of all, a person, and only then a criminal. She really knew how to sympathize and this saved the student.
I believe that being compassionate is about being human and treating others the way you would like to be treated. And this is so important in our world.
Updated: 2015-04-06
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Protest against social injustice is a traditional theme of literature. Often the desire to help society realize its duty to those who are "below", to help people find existence with human dignity, often
determined the theme and direction of the author's work. In Crime and Punishment, the protection of the social dignity of the "little man" occupies one of the leading places. But in Dostoevsky's novel this theme is inextricably linked with the protest not
only against the social, but also the moral humiliation of the individual, with the search for that force that can help people maintain their dignity in any social conditions.
Raskolnikov and his family, the Marmeladov family, are only part of the "outcast" world in the novel. This world is also represented by other characters in the novel: a girl met on the Boulevard by Raskolnikov, the obedient sister of the old pawnbroker Lizaveta,
numerous inhabitants of the Sennaya Square area. The symbol of the ignominy of the poor man in the novel is the horse hacked to death from Raskolnikov's dream. "They left the nag!" - screams, dying, Katerina Ivanovna.
Justice and sympathy are expected from society by the “humiliated and humiliated” heroes of the novel. They see justice in taking a position in society that corresponds to their personal merits. As a result of the unlimited power of money, they
doomed to constant humiliation. But also Raskolnikov and Katerina Ivanovna. And Dunya feel superior to those around them in terms of intelligence, culture, abilities, and education. They need the opportunity to occupy a worthy position in society in order to respect themselves. Raskolnikov's pride is always wounded by the glances of passers-by, the nit-picking of the hostess. Neighbors and the landlady treat Katerina Ivanovna with undisguised contempt. Sonya is forced to constantly feel
inferior, inferior. The position of a maid is a source of painful experiences for Raskolnikov's sister.
Poverty always threatens the final transformation of a person into a thing that can be sold and bought. In Dostoevsky's novel, such a threat is more and more like reality. Luzhin is trying to buy himself a wife, but Svidrigailov succeeds. Luzhin looks at Sonya like a thing. The power of money is itself dangerous to human dignity.
And yet, in the disastrous social situation of his heroes, Dostoevsky emphasizes the severity of loneliness. The right to sympathy, understanding and support is more precious for the author of the novel than justice, because you can live “downstairs” if there are people next to you. Not an indifferent crowd. Meanwhile, the horror of poverty is that it leaves a person alone with his suffering. The life of each of the "humiliated" heroes of the novel is an existence at the last line. Everyone especially needs moral support, a person who is ready to share with him the severity of his experiences. But the visitors of the tavern greet Marmeladov's confession with laughter. The courtesy of Raskolnikov and his sister seems a miracle to Sonya. There is no mutual understanding between Marmeladov and Katerina Ivanovna, despite their common fate. Outraged statements
Razumikhin about the theories of the socialists, the satirical image of Lebezyatnikov speaks of the author's negative attitude towards the revolutionaries. For Dostoevsky it was unacceptable to forcibly equate all people. But at the same time, the essence of Napoleon, partially embodied in the novel by the fate of Raskolnikov, is also unacceptable to him. It is characteristic that it is precisely the inability of the protagonist to kill in himself the feeling of an inseparable connection with others.
suffering people became the key to his moral transformation.
In the symbolism of the novel, the only force that can change the order of things is compassion. The feeling of closeness of someone else's grief. A sincere impulse of the heart is stronger and purer than any theories. In the cruel world depicted in Crime and Punishment,
there are many examples not only of human indifference, but also of active, active sympathy. Raskolnikov helps the Marmeladov family, the policeman helps the girl on the boulevard, the repentant Svidrigailov helps the children of Katerina Ivanovna. Even Lebezyatnikov cannot stand the sight of human humiliation and rescues Sonya, who is accused of theft. And these are not single, random scenes.
Good is indestructible in the world, it is given to man from the very beginning, it is inherent in him. It is characteristic that the power of sympathy, pity, a sense of unity in suffering and make a moral revolution in the soul of the protagonist at the end of the novel. For Dostoevsky, this feeling was inseparable from the Russian religious tradition, from universal pity for a suffering person. For the author of Crime and Punishment, the beauty of the human soul was kindness and faith, saving the world from moral destruction.
What is better - truth or compassion? "Man - that's the truth! We must respect the man! M. Gorky It is unlikely that anyone will argue that Gorky is a humanist and a great writer who has gone through a great school of life. His works were not written to please the reading public - they reflect the truth of life, attention and love for a person.And with full right this can be attributed to his play "At the Bottom", written in 1902. It still disturbs the questions posed in it by the playwright. Indeed, what is better is the truth or compassion? If the question were formulated a little differently - true or false, I would answer unambiguously: truth. But truth and compassion cannot be made mutually exclusive concepts, opposing one to the other; on the contrary, the whole play is pain for a person, this is the truth about a person Another thing is that the bearer of the truth is Satin, a gambler, a cheater, himself far from the ideal of a person who he sincerely and with pathos proclaims: “Man! It's great! It sounds ... proud!" Luke is opposed to him - kind, compassionate and "cunning", deliberately evoking a "golden dream" for the suffering roommates. And next to Luke and Satin there is another person who also argues about truth and compassion, - M. Gorky himself. It seems to me that he is the bearer of the truth of compassion. This follows from the play itself, from the way it was enthusiastically received by the audience. The play was read in a night-bed, the tramps cried, shouted: "We are worse! "They kissed and hugged Gorky. It sounds modern even now, when they began to tell the truth, but forgot what mercy and compassion are. So, the action takes place in the Kostylevs' rooming house, which is a" cave-like basement " under the "heavy stone vaults", where prison twilight reigns. Here tramps eke out a miserable existence, trapped "at the bottom of life", where they were ruthlessly thrown out by the criminal society. Someone very accurately said: "At the bottom" is an amazing a picture of a cemetery where people who are valuable in their inclinations are buried alive. It is impossible without internal shudder to see the world of poverty and lack of rights drawn by the playwright, the world of anger, disunity, the world of alienation and loneliness, to hear screams, threats, ridicule. The heroes of the play have lost their past, they don’t have a present, only Kleshch believes that you are torn from here: “I’ll get out ... I’ll tear off my skin, and I’ll get out ...” There is a faint hope for another life with Natasha at the thief, “the thief’s son "Vaska Pepla, the prostitute Nastya dreams of pure love, however, her dreams cause malicious mockery among those around her. The rest resigned themselves, resigned themselves, do not think about the future, lost all hope and finally realized their uselessness. And in fact, all the inhabitants are buried alive here. Pitiful and tragic Actor, drunk, forgetting his name; crushed by life, patiently suffering Anna, who is near death, is not needed by anyone (her husband is waiting for her death as liberation); smart Satin, a former telegraph operator, is cynical and embittered; insignificant is the Baron, who "does not expect anything", with him "everything is already in the past"; Bubnov is indifferent to himself and others. Ruthlessly and truthfully, Gorky draws his heroes, "former people", writes about them with pain and anger, sympathizes with them, who have fallen into a dead end in life. Tick in despair declares: "There is no work ... there is no strength! That's the truth! Shelter ... there is no refuge! You need to breathe ... that's the truth! .." the wanderer Luka comes, addressing with a greeting: "Good health, honest people!" This is for them, rejected, renounced all human morality! Gorky has an unambiguous attitude towards the passportless Luka: "And all the philosophy, all the preaching of such people is alms given by them with hidden disgust, and under this sermon the words are also poor, plaintive." And yet I want to understand it. Is he so poor, and what drives him when he preaches his comforting lies, does he himself believe in what he calls for, is he a swindler, a charlatan, a swindler, or a person sincerely thirsting for good? The play is read, and, at first glance, the appearance of Luka brought only harm, evil, misfortune, death to the rooming houses. He disappears, disappears imperceptibly, but the 1000 illusions that he planted in the devastated hearts of people make their life even more bleak and terrible, deprive them of hope, plunge their tormented souls into darkness. Let's look again at what drives Luka when, after carefully looking at the tramps, he finds words of comfort for everyone. He is sensitive, kind to those who need help, and gives them hope. Yes, with his appearance under the arches of a gloomy rooming house, hope settles, previously almost imperceptible against the background of scolding, coughing, growling, groans. And the Actor's hospital for drunkards, and saving Siberia for the Ash thief, and true love for Nastya. "People are looking for everything, everyone wants - the best ... give them, Lord, patience!" - Luka sincerely says and adds: "Whoever seeks will find ... They only need help ..." No, it is not self-interest that drives Luka, he is not a swindler and he is not a charlatan. Even the cynical Bubnov, who does not trust anyone, understands this: “Here is Luka ... he lies a lot. .. and without any benefit to himself..." Pepel, unaccustomed to sympathy, inquires: "No, you tell me - why are you doing all this..." Natasha asks him: "Why are you so kind?" And Anna simply asks: " Talk to me, dear ... I'm sick of it. "And it becomes clear that Luka is a kind person, sincerely wanting to help, inspire hope. But the trouble is that this kindness is built on lies, deceit. Sincerely wishing well, he resorts to a lie, he believes that earthly life cannot be different, and therefore takes a person into a world of illusions, into a non-existent righteous land, believing that “it is not always true to cure the soul.” And if you can’t change life, then you can at least change a person’s attitude to life. Interestingly, what is Gorky's attitude to his hero in the play? Contemporaries recall that the writer was best able to read the role of Luka, and the scene at the bedside of the dying Anna caused him tears, and the audience - delight. Both tears and delight - the result of the merger of the author and the hero in a fit of compassion.And is it not because Gorky argued so fiercely with Luka that the old man was part of his soul?! But Gorky is not opposed to consolation in itself: "The main question I wanted to pose is what is better: truth or compassion? Is it necessary to bring compassion to the point of using a lie, like Luke?" That is, truth and compassion are not mutually exclusive concepts. From the truth that Tick is aware of: “To live - the devil - you can’t live ... here it is - the truth! ..”, Luka leads away, saying: “She, really, maybe swell for you ... But is it really possible heal with a butt? The old man thinks: "... It is necessary to feel sorry for people! .. I will tell them - to feel sorry for a person in time ... it happens well!" And he tells how he regretted and saved the night robbers-robbers. Bubnov, on the other hand, opposes Luke's stubborn, bright faith in man, in the saving power of pity, compassion, kindness: "In my opinion, I will give the whole truth as it is! Why be ashamed?" For him, the truth is a cruel, murderous oppression of inhuman circumstances, and the truth of Luke is so unusually life-affirming that the downtrodden, humiliated roommates do not believe in it, taking it for a lie. But Luke wanted to inspire faith and hope in his listeners: “What you believe is what you are ...” Luke brings people true, saving, human faith, the meaning of which he caught and clothed in the famous words of Satin: “Man is the truth! " Luka thinks that words, pity, compassion, mercy, attention to a person can raise his soul, so that the very last thief understands: "You have to live better! You have to live like this .. . so that one can ... respect oneself ... "Thus, there is no question for Luke: "Which is better - truth or compassion?" For him, what is human is true. Then why is the play's finale so hopelessly tragic? we hear what they say about Luke, he inspired Satin to a fiery speech about a beautiful and proud man, but the same Satin indifferently throws the Actor at his request to pray for him: "Pray yourself ..." And to him, leaving forever, after his passionate monologue about a man shouts: "Hey, you, Sicambre! Where?". His reaction to the death of the Actor seems terrible: "Eh.
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The literature is full of examples of both generous and vengeful heroes. From some, we, as readers, can take an example, while others are clear illustrations of how not to do it. Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" also contains such opposite characters, capable of atrocities and revenge, or goodness and generosity.
- (Revenge is useless and leads to bad consequences) Raskolnikov's crime can be called a kind of revenge. He is tormented by social injustice, that an extremely repulsive old money-lender, with all her wealth, is unusually greedy, and poor people live in poverty. Thinking through and analyzing the theory of "creatures trembling and having the right", the hero nevertheless decides to challenge the current situation. However, his means to achieve the goal are robbery and murder, therefore, his so-called revenge did not work out - the hero only conscientiously experienced what he had done, not knowing how not to go crazy. Revenge most often implies cruelty, so even to achieve a fair result, you should not resort to atrocities: the taste of a well-deserved victory will not be so sweet, but rather only spoiled by the bitter taste of revenge.
- (The power of generosity and its role in human relationships) Due to the positive qualities of other characters, Dostoevsky's novel is painted in bright colors. Sonechka Marmeladova, having learned about the act of Rodion Raskolnikov, did not back down from the hero. On the contrary, the girl sincerely wanted to save the poor young man's soul, so she advised him to repent of the crime. Sonya even reads to Raskolnikov the legend of the resurrection of Lazarus with the hope of reviving a new life. Realizing that Raskolnikov regrets the murder, she sympathizes with him, not leaving him without support. Immeasurable love for people and Sonya's responsiveness were able to pull Rodion out of a terrible abyss. Thus, the author emphasizes the power of generosity, which can save the human soul.
- (Generous people often become victims of harshness, this quality does not bring happiness.) Unfortunately, even kind and compassionate people can face unfair revenge and cruelty. Often they become innocent victims of the situation, as happened with Sonya Marmeladova. At the wake of her father, Luzhin, the failed fiancé of Dunya Raskolnikova, put a hundred rubles in the girl's pocket in order to later accuse her of theft. Specifically, Luzhin had nothing against Sonya: thus, he only wanted to take revenge on Raskolnikov for kicking him out of the apartment. Knowing that Rodion treats Sonya well, Luzhin took advantage of the situation, but Lebezyatnikov saved Marmeladov's daughter from slander. The hero's revenge was not crowned with success, everyone was only convinced of his immorality.
- You can fight for justice without revenge. Investigator Porfiry Petrovich is very talented in his field, and he guessed about Raskolnikov's crime long before his confession. Having no evidence against the main character, he tried to psychologically bring Rodion to clean water. After reading Raskolnikov's article, his fainting and indignation that the investigator is playing with him instead of acting according to the form, Porfiry Petrovich only becomes convinced of his intuition: "Yes, you can no longer give yourself away." However, Porfiry pushed Raskolnikov to confess not in order to make his work easier, or somehow rather take revenge on the criminal with real punishment. On the contrary, he did it out of deep generosity and compassion, because the surrender can mitigate the punishment of the hero. Porfiry Petrovich is a man for whom justice is not an empty phrase, but in his work he sympathetically shows generosity to the suffering Raskolnikov.
- (The price of generosity, an example of a generous person) The manifestation of generosity is not an easy task, sometimes you have to give up what you want and make concessions. The Raskolnikov family did not live very well, and in order to get out of their plight, Rodion's sister Dunya was going to marry the prudent businessman Luzhin. Raskolnikov understood that his sister was doing this not out of love, but out of a desire to help their mother and Rodion himself. Not accepting this situation, the protagonist insists on breaking off the engagement: he understood that in the interests of Luzhin he would reproach Dunya and command his future wife, because he saved her from poverty. Dunya was ready to go for it, which speaks of her concern and desire to help her relatives. But, fortunately, Rodion here also turns out to be not stingy with generosity, and does not allow his sister to ruin his life. Being magnanimous is not so easy, for this you need to be ready for self-sacrifice. In addition, it is equally important that the people for whom a person makes concessions appreciate it.
- (Can revenge be just? Revenge of fate) Svidrigailov is the embodiment of Raskolnikov's theory. He, at first glance, is not disturbed by the pangs of conscience, and yet he is guilty of more than one death. But, if the judicial punishments did not overtake the hero, this does not mean that Svidrigailov was not avenged by fate. Arkady Ivanovich himself admits to Raskolnikov that ghosts come to him, which means that the character feels his own guilt. Revenge can be fair and committed not by a person, but by fate, this is exactly what Svidrigailov expected. For everything he had done, the hero was avenged by an unfortunate fate - he was left without support, as a result of which he could not stand it and committed suicide.
- generosity of friends can help anyone in difficult times. Having committed the long-awaited crime, Raskolnikov can no longer behave as usual, although he is trying to avert all suspicions from himself. The murder of the old pawnbroker did not save him from poverty, because the hero, in the throes of conscience and fear, got rid of everything stolen. Rodion's friend Razumikhin repeatedly comes to the aid of Rodion, noticing that something strange is going on with his friend. A comrade is not limited to material assistance. When Raskolnikov realizes that he is ashamed to be with his mother and sister, he asks Razumikhin to be with them and support his family. Rodion could completely rely on his friend, and he generously supported Raskolnikov as best he could.
