The connection between Raskolnikov and Revelations is how women observe men because different perspectives are portrayed but the same basic principle remains intact. In the Bible it’s a woman is shown by an angel to John, in Crime and Punishment Raskolnikov is shown to his mother when he is behind bars. It’s noted that when his mother was dying “these visits had become a habit and almost a necessity for him, and he was positively distressed when she was ill for several days and could not come to see him. She used to meet him on holidays at the prison gates or in the guard-room, to which he would be brought for a few minutes to be with her” (1274). Even after being convicted of murder, he was still granted the liberty of seeing his mother. Or more importantly, his mother was still willing to see him. The worst possible crime to commit was done by him but his mother looked past the bars and saw him. The bars act as symbolism since they represent Raskolnikov being unable to make it to heaven. He is barred from being with his mom which would be considered the most desirable thing for him. Similarly in the Bible, an angel showed John “a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns” (Revelations 17:3). Here John is observing a woman that has done horrible things. John is in the place of Raskolnikov’s mother here and is trying to determine how such a person could be real. There is something there though that forces him to keep observing her and wanting to know more even though he knows in his heart she is a bad person (and according to biblical law). That woman is similarly barred away from getting into heaven as well because her actions have forced her to never attain the desired state. The definition of heaven after analyzing these texts seems to be: the acceptance of and welcoming of death- to die happy. A person cannot die happy if they think they won’t be going to heaven. Quite possibly the most anxious and scary time in a human’s life is when they are dying. To have a person live and agony and fear while they die is proper judgment according to Christians. And proper judgment towards the woman and Raskolnikov according to those stories.
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