Comparison: The Martyr and Crime and Punishment

In literature, there are characters that are commonly portrayed as martyrs; that is, they are depicted as people who are put to death or endure great suffering of any belief, principle or cause. Such personages undergo personal suffering before finding redemption from sin. With Lorenzo in the short story The Martyr by Ryunosuke Akutagawa and Sofia (Sonya) Marmeladova in Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the idea of undeserved suffering is clearly epitomized. Both characters are described as innocent and pure, perhaps even commiserated by other characters in their respective stories. However, their reasons to undergo through martyrdom and personal suffering differ from one another. It is interesting to explore how Lorenzo is excommunicated and banished from the congregation due to accusations of adultery; therefore mistreated by fellow members of the Church and civilians, while Sonya chooses to become a prostitute for the sake of her poor family, furthermore affecting her relationship with others.

In The Martyr from Rashomon and Other Stories , the reader is able to see Lorenzo as an almost angelical figure. Brought to church under the care of Jesuit missionaries, Lorenzo grew up as a monk under the scriptures of the Church. The fathers and brothers see him (her) as “the incarnation of a cherub” (Akutagawa 67), furthermore stressing his heavenly attributes. Notwithstanding, it is also known that from a young age, Lorenzo had to undergo suffering, as the whereabouts of his family are unknown. Despite the fact that “his disarming smile dispelled further questioning as to his past” (Akutagawa 67), one is able to feel compassionate towards Lorenzo and his situation. Moreover, Lorenzo is then banished from the Church due to ...

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... Both character’s present a sense of piety and devotion towards good.

In conclusion, both characters share many of the same sympathetic character traits that result in them resembling martyrs. Each one undergoes undesired and unnecessary suffering; Sonya does by becoming a prostitute and being seen as nothing more than a vulgar prostitute. Lorenzo is misjudged and punished for a sin that she did not commit; consequently, she is dismissed and exiled from the congregation of Santa Lucia. However, they share the same feeling of rightousness as they both look after everyone else’s well sake. Sonya deteriorates her moral through prostitution it in order to provide for her underprivileged family, especially after her drunk father passes away; while Lorenzo culminates her life as an outcast trying to save the child that caused her excommunication from the congregation.