Allusions In Dostoevsky's Crime And P

Throughout Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment, many different biblical themes and allusions are represented and left open to the reader’s personal interpretation. Many of the themes can be seen as contradictory, but they often share the common ground that the finer details of religion have the potential to be interpreted differently among individuals. One of the first religious themes that surfaces in Crime and Punishment is as subtle as the colour yellow. The colour yellow can be contradictory and almost paradoxical because many people may see it as a symbol for happiness, while others may see it as an allusion of impurity. This theme is seen on page 5 of the novel: “The little room… with yellow paper on the walls.” and “The furniture, all very old and of yellow wood... and two or
This symbol is presented in such a way that it can represent both Alyona Ivanovna and Raskolnikov. For Alyona Ivanovna, yellow represents the sacredness of her life, her prosperity, and “her impending end (as this symbol is also used to foreshadow). As for Raskolnikov, the colour represents quite the opposite, his degradation and his sin. Arguably the most profound and important religious concept in Crime and Punishment was the story of Lazarus. There are a few things controversial and up to the reader’s own interpretation featured in this concept, such