Resurrection by Love

How it happened [Raskolnikov] did not know, but suddenly it was as if something lifted him and flung him down at [Sonya's] feet. He wept and embraced her knees…all at once…she understood everything. Infinite happiness lit up in her eyes; she understood, and for her there was no longer any doubt that he loved her, loved her infinitely and that at last the moment had come….

They wanted to speak but could not. Tears stood in their eyes. They were both pale and thin, but in those pale, sick faces there already shone the dawn of a renewed future, of a complete resurrection into a new life. They were resurrected by love; the heart of each held infinite sources of of life for the heart of the other.
~ Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

The resurrection of Lazarus in John 11 is central Dostoevsky’s classic novel, the text of it being read aloud by Sonya to Raskolnikov at one point in the story. As such, it stands as an enduring example of the theme of resurrection in great literature. Raskolnikov is a young man driven to madness by his murdering an old woman, as well as his subsequent hiding of that grave sin. Sonya is a young woman forced by her terrible family situation to prostitute herself for money in order to survive. Even in her most dire circumstances, Sonya clings to Christ and the hope of resurrection, and it is her unconditional love that breaks the hard and hopeless heart of Raskolnikov.

As readers, we are taken through the psychological torture of Raskolnikov’s soul, and when our eyes finally fall upon the above paragraph in the novel’s epilogue, we experience the lifted weight right along with the characters. In a sense, we are baptized, through our imaginations, into Raskolnikov’s death, and we are raised with him in his joyful realization of unconditional love. This is what makes literature great – when we are transformed with the characters.

Resurrection by love is a primary theme of the Harry Potter novels, and as such, it flows from the tradition of great literature. It is the sacrificial love of Harry’s mother that saves and protects him against the murderous intentions of Voldemort. As Voldemort (which literally means, “flees from death”) selfishly attempts to maintain his own life at any cost, including the taking of the lives of others, self-sacrifical love remains the saving grace of each novel, as well as the only power that can undo the Dark Lord. We can add to the love of Harry’s mother the willingness of Ron to sacrifice himsef in the wizard’s chess game; Harry’s frequent choices to put himself in mortal danger for the sake of others; Dumbledore’s injuries and eventual death as he attempts to destroy Voldemort’s horcruxes; and, I’m certain, a myriad of other examples.

In anticipation for the release of Half-Blood Prince, I wrote a quick summary of the resurrection theme in the first five books. After the release of HP6, I tried to pinpoint the precise resurrection scene of that novel, though I think it is more complex than the other five. In each book we, the readers, are taken through the struggle with Harry and are baptized into a figurative death and resurrection, rejoicing and being lifted up with him year after year at Hogwarts.

From Raskolnikov to Gandalf to Aslan to Harry Potter, the struggle with death and the power of love to resurrect challenges us and offers us hope that death will not be the end, that there are white shores under a swift sunrise, where we will travel further in and further up into eternal joy. The literary portrayal of resurrection by love points us to the great hope of the only one who had victory over death, in whose love and sacrifice we find our only hope and greatest joy.

Not only that, but it points us to hope in this present life. Raskolnikov’s new birth would result in newness of life in his remaining days in prison, and joy with Sonya on the other side. So all who are in Christ are given the hope of newness of life in the present.