Crime and Punishment Connection

In Crime and Punishment the social conditions of the city often reflect the manners in which individual characters interact with one another. Not many children appear in the novel, but the minor character Polenka maintains a vital connection with Raskolnikov.

As a child, she is very friendly and open to Raskolnikov's pain and suffering, as well as releasing her own. During her time of suffering, her mind has begun to "absorb" all the possibilities of a solution to the financial problems and physical illness of her family. Polenka has been forced to take on the role of an older child; she has grown up very quickly because her mother is sick, her father is often out of the house drinking, and her older sister Sonia is away trying to support the family with her profession.

Along with Polenka, Sonia has been a main pillar within the family and her role being this main financial support system has been one she's forced to take because of her father's drinking. At only the age of 18, she is supporting a family of 4: father, mother, and two siblings. Her acts of prostitution and closeness to God have made her a more selfless person and allowed her to understand the true meaning of adulthood.