In the end she succumbs to consumption; his youngest daughter from his first marriage, named Sonia is a kind woman that ends up prostituting her body for money. The life of these women is much like the lives of many Russian women during Dostoevsky's period. Because so many were poor, they ended up prostituting or engaging in crime to help support their family or to put bread on the table (Westwood, 1993). This does not mean the women of Russia were considered unworthy of love and affection, something Dostoevsky notes in his novel. Although many would consider the actions of Sonia deplorable, the main character looks up to her, and considers her an innocent and kind-hearted woman. For this reason Raskolnikov tells her about the murder he commits, and it is this daughter that causes Raskolnikov to confess to the authorities what he did and face the penalties associated with...
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