Term Paper Part 3

There is one part of Raskolnikov that goes against the idea that he only cares about doing whatever only benefits himself instead of actually helping in order to help others out of the kindness of his heart. That one part is the love that he feels towards Sonia and how he actually helps her in order to help her, the only way that this can be skewed to show that he is trying to help himself is the idea that he is trying to win her heart by helping her, and is only benefiting through the physical relationship between the two. This might be assumed by some readers, especially seeing as Sonia is a prostitute and the idea of using money to gain her love is not too far out of the question. But, the way that Raskolnikov acts after leaving prison shows that, eventually, he shows true compassion for Sonia and shows a true desire to help her out of the kindness of his heart. The relationship is not even close to being a one way street in terms of affection, Sonia is actually one of the few characters that is able to see the possibility of goodness within Raskolnikov, and at first, he is actually unable to realize this fact and treats her like crap, especially considering how much she is putting aside in order to be with Raskolnikov. But he does not realize until he goes to prison and is derived from his life and those surrounding him and he basically finally loses control over his life, and as they say, you don’t know what you have until you lose it.  After coming out of prison he finally realizes just how much Sonia loved him and just how much that he longed for her and basically allows himself to become a normal person with her. This could be considered as a realization of the fact that Raskolnikov has finally been punished for his crimes and can finally live without the fear and guilt that previously haunted him at every turn and chance. This transformation represents the loss of many of the multi-faceted aspects of feeling guilty for a crime and not being punished for it, which is what really brings home the meaning of the novel. Sonia’s perspective on Raskolnikov can be seen in multiple ways, it could be cited to show that Raskolnikov was truly good in his heart in these actions, or it can be used to show that Raskolnikov only liked her because she would put up with him and that she benefited him by giving him an outlet. Based on his reaction at the end of the book, it is more likely that the relationship is a sign of his true nature, but, as are most of the things in this book, the relationship between the two is heavily multifaceted.