Sonya In Dostoyevsky's Mere Christianity

Sonya is a humble penitent who understands the gravity of the forgiveness God has granted her and offers unconditional forgiveness and Christian love in turn, which have a great impact on Raskolnikov. C.S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, provides a definition of perfect repentance: “[Repentance] means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means killing part of yourself, undergoing a kind of death. In fact, it needs a good man to repent” (Lewis 57). Sonya sins for selfless reasons, prostituting herself so that her family can eat; Raskolnikov taunts her with this, pointing out, “They’re all on your hands” (Dostoyevsky 318). Even so, she offers no excuses for her

Sonya knows that her forgiveness is not of her own doing, but all thanks to God. In this way, she has humbled herself to accept his forgiveness. Sonya recognizes the value of forgiveness and knows that “If we do not forgive we shall not be forgiven” (Lewis 116). Sonya is quick to offer forgiveness because she knows that she has been forgiven. She appreciates the magnitude of what she has been given and is determined to live for God who has given her so much. Dostoyevsky describes Sonya’s forgiveness of her stepmother’s beatings as “Some sort of insatiable compassion, if one may put it so” (Dostoyevsky 318). Sonya is so filled with God’s love that she wants to provide Christian charity to everyone, even to those who hurt her. She is overflowing with the love she has been given, offering it unconditionally. When Raskolnikov admits the murder, Sonya responds first physically, as she “embraced him and pressed him very, very tightly in her arms” (Dostoyevsky 411) and says, “‘No one, no one in the whole world, is unhappier than you are now!’” (Dostoyevsky 412). She knows the pain of guilt without forgiveness and immediately goes to hug him and offer forgiveness to