Sacrifice, Forgiveness and Mercy in B. Prus’s Lalka (The Doll)

Abstract

In 1876 E. Orzeszkowa pointed to four components of the concept of compassion. They are: forgiveness, mercy, sacrifice and charity.

The present article is concerned with the problem of sacrifice, forgiveness and mercy in B. Prus's Lalka. The categories mentioned above, that are important to various degree for various protagonists of the novel, reveal the writer's ethical sensibility at the time when he worked on the novel about Wokulski. Analysis of these values makes one realize that Prus – the positivist looked for their legitimization in Christian ethics, however, the results of this quest were not always optimistic.