Fyodor Dostoevsky defines his conception of "good" and "evil" in his philosophical thriller Crime and Punishment by his characters. Ironically, the person who embodies the author's definition of goodness is a prostitute. Sonya Marmeladov represents Dostoevsky's view of what Christianity should be. She gave herself to the oldest profession because it was her only option to keep her family alive. Sonya lowered herself to save children who were merely her step-siblings. Sonya proves to be the motivation for Raskolnikov's final confession. In the scene where Raskolnikov reveals that he is the killer, she showers him with divine compassion and urges him to speak the truth to the authorities. She asks Raskolnikov, "What have you done to yourself?" taking his sorrow upon herself. Sonya loves him so much, that she tells him she will follow him to Siberia even before he has thought about confession. She recognizes the goodness within Raskolnikov through his evil deeds when she says, "How could you, you, a man like you...how could you bring yourself to do it?" She does not turn away from his crime but embraces him and worries for his mental and spiritual well-being. Sonya, the prostitute, is the Christ-figure of Crime and Punishment. The only evil that touches Sonya is the social situation which forces her to sell her body to feed her family.
             The character that embodies Dostoevsky's idea of evil is Svidrigilov, the true ubermench. Though he is an enigmatic character throughout most of the novel, Svidrigilov proves to be a horrible man as we see him in action. Svidrigilov has tried almost everything, and his boredom drives him to commit evil deeds. Svidrigilov tries to have an affair with Dunya while she is the governess for his children. When they are caught alone, he blames the situation on Dunya and has her cruelly thrown out. Dunya's reputation and income is ruined by Svidri...