IDEAL FEMALE IMAGES IN SELF-IMPROVEMENT: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE IMAGES OF FLORENCE DOMBEY AND SONYA MARMELADOVA

Abstract

The article raises an urgent problem of self-realization of female images in classical literature. The fates of Florence Dombey (Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens) and Sonya Marmeladova (Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky) are considered as examples. The objective of this study is to compare the similarities and differences in the characters of both characters. Analyzing the social circumstances in which they find themselves, the characters, as well as the motives that guide them in making decisions, the author presented models of female moral transformation. On the one hand, Florence, suffering from a lack of parental love, seeks to heal her father’s morally devastated world, sacrificing her own happiness to save him. On the other hand, the pages of the novel “Crime and Punishment” show how Sonya, forced to make sacrifices for her family, finds support in faith in God. The attitude of girls to love, faith and self-denial is also considered. It is found out that the characters in question contribute to the changes taking place in the worldview of male images (Father Florence and R. Raskolnikov).