Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article presents a Freudian interpretation of Sonya Marmeladova in Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, arguing that she embodies Raskolnikov's Superego and catalyzes his moral and psychological transformation. While scholarship frequently emphasizes Sonya as a Christian symbol of redemption, this study foregrounds her broader narrative role as the ethical force guiding Raskolnikov from alienation to renewal. Drawing on Freud's structural model of the psyche, the analysis examines pivotal episodes, Sonya's reading of the Lazarus narrative, her insistence on confession, and her companionship during exile, to demonstrate how she functions as the externalized voice of conscience. Rather than imposing judgment, Sonya embodies empathy, sacrifice, and ethical steadfastness, enabling Raskolnikov to confront guilt and reconstruct his fractured identity. By integrating psychoanalysis with close literary analysis, the article contends that Dostoevsky portrays redemption not merely as religious awakening but as psychological integration, where conscience becomes the foundation for ethical renewal and human reconciliation.
Author: Chandra Reddy
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $944
OpenAlex ID: W7212372994