In Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, Sonia Semyonovna is the chosen confidante for main character Rodion Raskolnikov. Her primary role in the novel is that of a confidante, but she also serves other purposes. She fuels the dispute between Raskolnikov and his enemy Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin, she keeps her family alive, and she serves as the figure that brings about the morally charged ending of the novel.

While Sonia maintains purity in a religious sense, she also portrays a degrading level of poverty. In order to support her family and younger siblings, she becomes a prostitute and carries a "yellow card." In doing this she becomes the sole breadwinner for her stepmother, who comes to rely on Sonia. This serves to connect her to Raskolnikov when he meets her at the deathbed of her drunkard father. From this point, a chain of events is set into motion that...