The Raising of Lazarus in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Raskalnikov goes through a period of extreme psychological upheaval. By comparing this death and rebirth of Raskalnikov's psyche with the story of the resurrection of Lazarus, Dostoevsky emphasizes not only the severity of his crimes, but also the importance of accepting guilt. From the moment Raskalnikov kills the old woman, his personality begins to change drastically. Dostoevsky challenges the reader to understand the madness that ensues, first demonstrating that the ideas and beliefs Raskalnikov held onto died along with the women. As the reader struggles with this realization, Dostoevsky incorporates the biblical legend of Lazarus as a symbolic mirror into Raskalnikov's mind. By connecting the two, the reader encounters the harbinger of a rebirth of morality and belief, even if the form this may take remains cryptic. As references to Lazarus continue to occur, the feeling of parallelism increases in intensity. Even as Raskalnikov slowly struggled against madness, Lazarus lay dying from a terrible disease. When Lazarus finally dies, Raskalnikov mimes him teetering on the edge of madness, the death of the mind. Eventually Sonya begins to bring Raskalnikov back to reality by alleviating some of his guilt. As a Christ figure, he achieves this by providing the moral and spiritual toughness that Raskalnikov lost after his humiliation during the murders. Sonya influences him not through active manipulation, but through her fundamental character, just as Christ personified his beliefs through the way he lived his life. Whatever Raskalnikov says or does to her, she accepts it and asks God to forgive him, just like Jesus does in the Bible. This ultimately convinces Raskalnikov that what he did was in fact a crime and that he must repent and "seek atonement". Through this realization, Raskalnikov decides that he must redeem himself not only in the eyes of the law, but in the eyes of God too. By denying his old philosophy and accepting his guilt, Raskalnikov once again mirrors Lazarus' acceptance of Jesus as his savior. While Lazarus accepts his new life through rebirth, Raskalnikov recognizes his guilt and then allows his mind to begin life again..