Superior Man In Crime And Punishment

895 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What is darwin's theory of natural selection

The Superior Man
It is a time old philosophy that one man is destined to be superior over another. Since the biblical times men have lorded over each other in the assumption that they have the natural ability to be a “superhuman” over the rest of the populace, declaring others as inferior beings. In Dostoevsky Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov acts upon this philosophy of the extraordinary man, creating a potential situation of anarchy to civilization.
The philosophy of the superior has plagued society since the dawn of time, drawing men to go to the extreme to exert their dominance. This mindset allows “superior men” to kill and abuse the weaker, “inferior” men of society and feel justified in their actions. Darwin’s Theory of natural selection …show more content…

Raskolnikov was once a student and a tutor before poverty knocked him over and crippled him economically. He perceives himself a great scholar and an incredibly intelligent and clever person, causing him to become a “superhuman.” Alyona Ivanovna, an old, greedy pawnbroker who makes it her business to scam the poor out of the few rubles they possess, becomes the perfect victim of the theory of the extraordinary man. Since she is old and hordes money, she is an inferior, perceived by Raskolnikov that has plagued society giving Raskolnikov the justification to rid society of the threat to progression, the old pawnbroker. During the altercation, Alyona’s sister Lizaveta is caught in the middle of the chaos and becomes collateral damage, but even this action is justified by Raskolnikov since Lizaveta is simple and therefore is also an inferior that must be snuffed out. “…men conservative in temperament and law abiding; they live under control and love to be controlled” (261). Lizaveta falls under this principal since she lives underneath her sister’s rule and acts as a subservient being to Alyona. Raskolnikov accomplished his goal of ridding civilization of such inferiors, creating a better and happier place now that they are …show more content…

After he has committed the act, he feels guilty about how he was forced to murder another person he had not intended to kill. This is the first step that unravels the superior man theory, since he feels guilty for killing an “inferior” that he had not meant to harm. He starts to also be consumed by guilty as he reflects on the horror he had committed in the name of the principal of establishing his superiority. He is unable to shake off the guilt that is slowly consuming and destroying him, no matter how hard he works to convince himself that he was justified in ridding the world of two inferior beings. Due to the fact that he becomes ill and irrational, unable to think clearly that he was unable to take upon him the mantle of being a “superhuman”, proves that this theory is not a natural part of humankind and is despised by civilization. Humans are inherently good as seen in the scene where Raskolnikov gives money to a poor, drunk girl that had clearly been taken advantage of and was about to be taken advantage of again. This compassion can naturally; instinctually that Raskolnikov struggled with how he could do something charitable, when he was trying so hard to rise above such menial, moral laws. It is clear that the theory of the superior man is only a tool used to justify criminal action in failed attempts

Show More
Related

  • Jekyl Vs. Raskolnikov

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rodion Raskolnikov is a murderer, a damning criminal. Yet, he also has a warm heart that no one can equal. This character of paradox, of contradictions, of irony, is the true Raskolnikov. He is the Jekyll, and he is the Hyde; the zenith and the nadir. This hallowed literature of human nature provides us with important moral lessons, and at the same time helps the reader understand Dostoevsky’s philosophy on society better. Raskolnikov is not entirely a cold-blooded murderer, since he still has a feeling of love: The love towards Sofya Marmeladov. In this paper, we will go in-depth of how Sofya has an impact on Raskolnikov, by discussing their similarities and differences.

    Read More

  • Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime And Punishment

    1732 Words  | 4 Pages

    Life is a wheel rolling inexorably forward through the temporal realm of existence. There are those that succumb to its motion and there are a certain few, like Christ and Napoleon, who temporarily grasp the wheel and shape all life around them. "Normal" people accept their positions in life and are bound by law and morality. Extraordinary people, on the other hand, supersede the law and forge the direction and progress of society. Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, is the story of a group of people caught beneath the wheel and their different reactions to their predicament. One individual, Raskolnikov, refuses to acknowledge the bare fact of his mediocrity. In order to prove that he is extraordinary, he kills two innocent people. This despicable action does not bring him glory or prove his superiority, but leads to both his physical, mental, and spiritual destruction. After much inner turmoil and suffering, he discovers that when a person transgresses the boundaries of morality and detaches himself from the rest of humanity, faith in God and faith in others is the only path to redemption.

    Read More

  • Literary Techniques Used by Fyodor Dostoyevsky in Crime and Punishment

    2235 Words  | 5 Pages

    However, it soon emerges that he, despite the physical nature of his situation, has a very active mind. To reveal whether he is of a special "breed" of humans, he finds it necessary to kill, and the unfortunate subjects of his experiment are an old pawnbroker and her sister. After the murders, Raskolnikov is subject to a series of mental and emotional changes, eventually leading to his confession and, later, his arrest, trial and eight-year prison sentence.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Raskolnikov's Crime And Punishment

    1390 Words  | 3 Pages

    In order to further the discussion that socioeconomic status is correlated with an elevated level of suffering, Raskolnikov, in Crime and Punishment, experiences similar levels of suffering due to his extreme financial poverty. When explaining his theory to Porfiry, that was published in the newspaper on the social divisions of man, Raskolnikov acknowledges that the “extraordinary man has the right...to overstep certain obstacles” while the “ordinary” man will “transgress” the law, ultimately leading to an amplified level of general suffering (Dostoevsky 260-61). Some humans are more susceptible to suffering when compared to others and Raskolnikov’s situation supports a complementary idea. Because of his close relationship with poverty, Raskolnikov

    Read More

  • Egoism in Crime and Punishment

    423 Words  | 1 Pages

    After the botched crime Raskolnikov is plagued his failures.  "He was conscious at the time that he had forgotten something that he ought not forget, and he tortured himself." (107)  After he carelessly kills both women, and allows for the evidence to be found, Raskolnikov realizes he did not commit the perfect crime.  This devastates his ego, so he tries to cling to his previous self perception.  He is also plagued with feelings of guilt.  His guilt, combined with the mistakes he made during the crime, shatter his self perception of perfection.

    Read More

  • Crime and Punishment - Raskolnikov's Extraordinary Man Theory

    772 Words  | 2 Pages

    Raskolnikov holds that by a law of nature men have been "somewhat arbitrarily" divided into two groups--ordinary and extraordinary. Raskolnikov believe that the duty and vocation of the first group is to be servile, the material out of which the world and society is to be formed. The first group are the people of the present, the now. The second group, those who are extraordinary, are a step above the normal, ordinary curs. They have the ability to overstep normal bounds and transgress the rights of those who are simply ordinary. They are the prime movers--they have a right to transcend normal societal strictures to accomplish those things they have determined are valid in their conscience. Extraordinary men are the prime movers. He cites such extraordinary men as Newton, Mahomet, and Napoleon. He tells us that Newton had the right to kill hundreds of men if need be in order to bring to the world knowledge of his findings. Napoleon and other leaders created a new word. They overturned ancient laws and created new ones. They had the right to uphold their new ideal, even if it meant killing innocent men defending the ancient law. "The first class of people preserve and people the world, the second move the world and lead it to its goal." Despite these tremendous differences in his theory, and the obvious superiority that the extraordinary people are afforded, Raskolnikov maintains that both classes have an equal right to exist. This is interesting, and anyone who sees tremendous problems with this theory must realize this very important point--both classes of men and women are necessary to understand the true meaning of Raskolnikov's theory.

    Read More

  • English Essay

    1126 Words  | 3 Pages

    The poverty-stricken conditions of Russia during the time of which Crime and Punishment was written was a vital factor in bringing out the main protagonists from the novel and revealing the true nature of the protagonist. Further more, his apartment and its desolate condition serves as a metaphor to the poor conditions of Russia. The transformation of Raskolinokov from his false sense of thought of being superior or the urbermensch of the society was all brought out due to the desolate conditions of which the book took place in, proving that such background knowledge of the poor conditions is an essential contributor in character development in the novel.

    Read More

  • Comparing The Holy Bible and Crime and Punishment

    445 Words  | 1 Pages

    Although the novel begins by focusing on the crime itself, the majority of the book discusses Raskolnikov's struggle through denial and redemption after the murder has been committed. His own "greatness" leads to his denial of God, and his attempt to suppress his conscience causes insanity and sickness. However these negative consequences force him to acknowledge his rectitude and realize his need for confession.

    Read More

  • Comparison of Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov in Crime and Punishment

    574 Words  | 2 Pages

    Raskolnikov is obsessed with his “superman theory”. He is constantly trying to prove that he is part of the 10% of extraordinary people in the world. He wants to become an eminent figure such as Napoleon. At first he believed that the murders he committed would make him part of this elite class. Once he realized that he had made mistakes during the crime he began to question his theory. After much frustration he decided to go to the scene of the crime. This gave him a rush that made him feel invincible. He believed that this would prove if, or if not he was “super”. Once he realized that he wasn’t part of this class, he suffered a mental breakdown. This pushed him to confess his crime to Sonya. She helped him rationalize his crime and admit his guilt. The outcome of this conversation was that it helped him admit his fate.

    Read More

  • Gender and Evil in Crime and Punishment and The Master and Margarita

    2109 Words  | 5 Pages

    The main character in Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov, has nihilistic ideas, which ultimately lead to his own suffering. Raskolnikov, an impoverished student, conceives of himself as being an extraordinary man who has the right to commit any crime. He believes that as an extraordinary man that he is beyond good and evil. Since he does not believe in God, he cannot accept any moral laws. To prove his theory, he murders an old pawnbroker and her step sister. Besides, he rationalizes that he has done society a favor by getting rid of the evil pawnbroker who would cheat people. Immediately after the murders, he begins to suffer emotionally. Raskolnikiv “[feels] a terrible disorder within himself. He [is] afraid of losing his control…” (Dostoevsky 95). He becomes ill and lies in his room in a semi-conscious state. As soon as he is well and can walk again, he goes out and reads about the crime in all the newspapers of the last few days. The sheer mention of the murder...

    Read More

  • Comparing Crime and Punishment and Notes from the Underground

    490 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Crime and Punishment, we see Raskolnikov caught between reason and will, the human needs for personal freedom and the need to submit to authority.  He spends most of the first two parts stuck between wanting to act and  wanting to observe.  After he acts and murders the old woman, he spends much time contemplating confession. Raskolnikov seems trapped in his world although there is really nothing holding him back; he chooses not to flee and not to confess, but still acts as though he's suffocation (perhaps guilt?)In both novels defeat seems inevitable. Both characters believe that normal man is stupid, unsatisfied and confused.  Perhaps they are right, but both characters fail to see the positive aspects of humans; the closest was the scene between the narrator of Notes from the Underground and Liza.  In this scene he almost lets the human side show, rather than the insecure, closed off person he normally is.

    Read More

  • Character Development in Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

    1278 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the most profound and obvious changes in Raskolnikov’s character can be seen in the newfound appreciation for other people and human relationships he discovers at the end of the novel. When the reader is first introduced to Raskolnikov, Dostoevsky quickly makes it apparent that he has little to no regard for others, writing on the very first page that Raskolnikov was “so completely absorbed in himself, and isolated from his fellows that he dreaded meeting, not only his landlady, but anyone at all” (1). Indeed, in Raskolnikov’s mind, “to be forced to listen to [the landlady’s] trivial, irrelevant gossip […] and to rack his brains for excuses, to prevaricate, to lie” is the most loathsome thing imaginable (1). His disdain toward other people is so great that the mere thought of interacting with anyone for any length of time repulses him. On some occasions...

    Read More

  • Social Contradictions in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Notes from the Underground

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    This man is the absolute opposite of everything society holds to be acceptable. Here is a man, with intelligent insight, lucid perception, who is self-admitted to being sick, depraved, and hateful. A man who at every turn is determined to thwart every chance fate offers him to be happy and content. A man who actively seeks to punish and humiliate himself. Dostoyevsky is showing the reader that man is not governed by values which society holds to be all important.

    Read More

  • Crime and Punishment and Raskolnikov's article, On Crime

    3487 Words  | 7 Pages

    Raskolnikov's article, "On Crime," is vital to the understanding of his beliefs. This article also has a profound effect on Crime and Punishment as a whole, the subject matter being one of the main themes of the novel. The idea of the "extraordinary man" is referred to literally throughout the book, but also notable is the subconscious effect the idea has on Raskolnikov. Sometimes Raskolnikov is not even aware of this influence. It is important to note originality, or the ability to "utter a new word," as a defining characteristic of the extraordinary man. Therefore, we must take into account the presence of similar ideas, those of Pisarev, Nietzsche, and nihilism, as these might bring to light the possibility that Raskolnikov is not original, a possibility that haunts him throughout the novel.

    Read More

  • Raskolnikov’s Theory of Extraordinary Men

    1286 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Raskolnikov’s theory in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”,there are two types of people that coexist in the world; the “Extraordinary” and the “Ordinary”. The ordinary men can be defined as “Men that have to live in submission, have no right to transgress the law, because they are ordinary.”(248). To the contrary “extraordinary” men are “Men that have a right to commit any crime and to transgress the law in any way , just because they are extraordinary”(248).  Dostoevsky’s theory is evident through the characters of his novel. The main character, Raskolnikov, uses his theory of extraordinary men to justify contemplated murder.  There is a sense of empowerment his character experiences with the ability to step over social boundaries. He is led to believe the killing of the pawnbroker is done for the perseverance of the greater good. It is ironic that character who is shown to be powerful in the early stages of the novel subsequently go on to show many weaknesses.

    Read More

More about Superior Man In Crime And Punishment

Open Document