The Bible Parables in Crime and Punishment

The word “Bible” in Greek means “book”. The tradition of reading the Bible comes from ancient time. The first whole version of the Bible in Russia was published in 1581. From that time up to now, Russian people believe to the Bible and they know the importance of it. According to the traditions and customs of the Russian people, the key of faith and morality is in the Bible. The Bible parables are play an important role in their life. These parables teach and guide inner and outer world of the people. The influence that the Bible and parables have had can be seen in different areas such as art, literatüre, music and etc. Artists, writers, directors reflect religious motifs in their works.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky like his contemproraries revealed the problems concerning spiritual and moral pursiut of individual through motifs, images and symbolism borrowed from the Bible. He tried to comprehend what is the meaning of the life, what is good and what is bad, what will help people to survive in difficult situations. In his works, he showed to us that his characters find the answers through Bible. The examples taken from the Bible parables give clues to solve the problems which life brings. Fyodor Dostoyevsky used some parables from the Bible all most in all his works and especially in the novel “Crime and Punishment”. Of course, the texts from the Bible used in symbolic way. And moreover, we can say that the writer didn’t directly reproduce the biblical text in the novel, but just one exception is parable of the resurrection of Lazarus. Dostoyevsky took this parable and put into his novel. So, we have one of the important episode in the novel, where Raskolnikov insistently asks Sonya to read the parable of the resurrection of Lazarus. Sonya knows that Raskolnikov doesn’t read the Bible and even he doesn’t believe in God, she was surprised and excited. Because of his insistense, she read the resurrection of Lazarus.

Furthermore, in the novel we can see other parables which Dostoyevsky used in symbolic way. These parables are about Cain and Abel, the parable of Pharisee and Publican, the parable of the harlot and the parable of Martha. In the parable about Cain and Abel, Cain murdered his brother Abel, and God punished Cain to a life of wandering. In my opinion, the Cain's motif of murder can be seen in the "Crime and Punishment", where Raskolnikov kills sinless Lizaveta Ivanovna and her unborn child. Another parable of the Publican and the Pharisee also can be seen in the novel. In the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee, Jesus shows how to pray, how people should compare themselves to others but it should be in humility way and should be needy for God’s mercy. In other words, this parable demonstrates the need to pray humbly, even the person who has a lot of sins can repent before God, and the God can forgive that person for his/her sins. Sonya Marmeladova is a sinner, a woman rejected by the society. She is despised person and nobody will help to her and will not give a hand. Actually Sonya is a victim, she has to sacrificed herself for the sake of others. She believes that this is her fate and there is no other way. Belief to the God has become a saving island for her. Her body betrayed and sold, but her mind and soul clean and untained. Her strong belief to the God helps her not to committe suicide, not to murder other, but continue to live and repent to the God. Another parable which we have in the novel is about harlot, there is a sinner a woman who, like Sonya Marmeladova, was forced to take this sinful path. However, she prays to God to forgive her. In one day she saw Jesus and began to cry, and the tears fall at Jesus' feet and she quickly wiped them with her hair. Jesus could see that this woman was giving evidence of heartfelt repentance for her immoral life. And God forgive her. Coming to the novel, at the beginning Rodion Raskolnikov thought that Sonya Marmeladova also has sinful life as he has. However, with each new conversation and meeting with Sonya, Raskolnikov became more and more convinced that Sonya is not how he thought, her inner world, her belief and attitude to the religion makes her differ and special. At this point, we can say that Dostoyevsky used the parable of harlot in the image of the Sonya. In other words, Sonya represents that immoral woman from the parable whom God forgive and helped. The last parable of the Maratha is about woman who is all her life aimed at bustle and missing most important thing praying to the God. In the novel we have a character Martha Petrovna, Svidrigailov's wife, has been bustling all her life and deprived of the main principle which is believing in God and praying.

Tos um up, we can say that by using bible parables, Dostoyevsky helps us understand the inner world and outer world and also actions of the characters. In the novel, there are deep and hidden messages which underline the importance of believing to the God. Throughout the novel, Fyodor Dostoyevsky tries to hold the idea that God protects us all and will give helping hands to everyone. But only through a sincere appropriation of the principles of belief, repentance and redemption, we can come to a moral rebirth.

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