his inner collapse. Dostoevsky says about him,
“He felt a sudden impotence and fear.”
This is deep irony. The man who wanted freedom becomes a prisoner of his own mind.
Sonia’s Suffering and Irony: Sonia, or Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladov, lives in shame. She works as a prostitute. She carries a yellow ticket. Society looks down on her. Yet irony makes her the symbol of light. Marmeladov says,
“My daughter Sofya Semyonovna has been forced to take a yellow ticket.”
She seems fallen, but she is the only true guide. Raskolnikov, the educated student, is lost. Sonia, the humble girl, shows him the path to confession. This reversal is the beauty of irony.
Porfiry’s Interrogation and Irony: Porfiry Petrovich, the investigator, uses no direct proof. He does not arrest Raskolnikov based on the evidence. Instead, he uses questions about his theory. He asks if extraordinary men may kill. Raskolnikov becomes restless. He wanted logic to defend his crime. But the same logic turns against him. He feels trapped not by police chains but by his own words. This ironic play makes Porfiry a master of psychology.
Katerina Ivanovna’s Pride and Irony: Katerina Ivanovna is poor and sick. Still, she keeps pride of,
“A genteel, one may say aristocratic, house.”
She dresses her hungry children like street dancers. She coughs up blood while shouting about honor. This is tragic irony. She wants dignity, but becomes a figure of pity on the canal bridge. The proud dream of nobility ends in death from poverty. Dostoevsky shows how life mocks human pride.
Svidrigailov and Luzhin’s Fate and Irony: Svidrigailov tries to blackmail Dunya. He knows Raskolnikov’s secret. He thinks he has power. But in the end, he kills himself. Irony shows his wealth and cunning cannot save him from despair. Luzhin wants to marry Dunya for control. He even tries to frame Sonia with a false accusation. But the truth comes out. Razumikhin exposes him. The law student Raskolnikov is the murderer, but Sonia is proven innocent. This irony shows the hypocritical lawyer defeated, and the prostitute honored.
In “Crime and Punishment”, irony turns every expectation upside down. Raskolnikov kills for strength but gets weakness. Sonia is shamed but becomes a saint. Porfiry has no proof but still wins. Katerina wants honor but dies in misery. Svidrigailov and Luzhin plan much but fail. Dostoevsky uses irony to say that human pride is fragile, and only love and faith, like Sonia’s, bring true victory.
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