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Analysis of Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment
Psychological development of Raskolnikov in Dostoyevsky crime and punishment
Analysis of Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment
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In the novel Crime and Punishment, the so-called "extraordinary man" theory plays an important role. Raskolnikov, downtrodden, and psychologically battered, believes himself to be exempt from the laws of ordinary men. It is this creedo that makes him believe he has the right to murder Alyona Ivanovna.
In the nineteenth century, the extraordinary man theory was widely popular. There were two main schools of thought on the subject, the proponents of which were the philosophers Georg Hegel and Freiderich Neitzsche. Both philosophers believed that there were a certain, select, handful of extraordinary people in the world. Both believed that these extraordinary people were above the laws of ordinary men and did not have to submit to their moral code. However, these philosophers disagreed on the motivation of the extraordinary man. Hegel believed that the "superman" could ignore the laws as long as his actions benefited the race of man as a whole. On the other hand, Neitzsche believed that the superman broke the laws in order to benefit himself alone.
In a way, Raskolnikov submits to both theories of the extraordinary man. What is important to understand is why Raskolnikov believes himself to be extraordinary. Firstly, Raskolnikov's perilous financial state and near destitution cause him to be pushed to the edge of sanity. Secondly, the natural arrogance that stems from possessing a great intellect (which Raskolnikov does) causes Raskolnikov to believe that he is above everyone else. In respect to his crime, one can look at it from both the Hegelian and Neitzschean point of view.
For the first five sections of Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov takes a Hegelian view of his crime. He convinces himself that he killed Alyona Ivanovna because she was a bloodsucking leach on the body of the poor. Raskolnikov believes he is doing mankind a service by removing the dishonest and unfair pawnbroker. It is not until part six that Raskolnikov admits to himself that his ultimate motive was Neitzschean. He finally admits to Sonia that he killed Alyona just to see if he could do it. He wanted to know whether he was a "Napoleon," able to commit an evil act and walk away with no remorse. In short, Raskolnikov killed Alyona not because she was dishonest and he needed money, he killed her simply to benefit his ego.
In some ways, the extraordinary man theory also applies to Svidrigailov and Luzhin.
...ce are the main components of the impedance of a biological tissue. BIA measures the impedance or resistance using a faint electric current through the body. Body composition is estimated using the difference in the conductivity of the electric current between extracellular fluid and body tissues since impedance is higher in fat tissue, which contains lesser fluid in the tissue than lean body mass. The reliability and validity of BIA testing to estimate lean body mass and total body fat among haemodialysis patients are proved by several studies (Chertow et al., 1995, Frstenberg & Davenport, 2011). However, this method is not available for people who had a medical device implantation such as a pacemaker or an impedance cardioverter defibrillator since these medical equipments may have interfered by BIA testing due to the use of an electric current through the body.
The first two stanzas, lines 1-10, tell the readers that Plath, for thirty years, has been afraid of her father, so scared that she dares not to “breathe or Achoo.” She has been living in fear, although she announces that he’s already dead. It is obvious that she believes that her father continues to control her life from the grave. She says that she “has had to kill” him, but he’s already dead, indicating her initial promise to forget him. She calls him a “bag full of God,” telling us that she considers her father a very strong, omnipotent being, someone who is superior in her eyes.
Deep down, Raskolnikov’s motives behind his deed amount to something profound in the end, how he rejects his past and learns much from it. Santangelo’s criticism touches on the meaning of Raskolnikov’s motives, but seems incomplete in terms of the impact their resolutions have on the end of the novel and Dostoyevsky’s message. This is where the motives transform into greater meanings. How does Raskolnikov redeem himself at the end? Is there one choice that explains the action? Each of his choices alone and together are gripping because seldomly is a person’s emergence from transgression the product of a single force. All results are intertwined with unfathomable levels of choice that begin subliminally but come down to a conscious decision. Dostoyevsky had the audacity to expose the root complexity of human emotion, then show how it can consciously choose its ending, happy or unhappy. Raskolnikov’s redemption was a public, pragmatic, individual, and ideological
He concerns himself not with the process of murder, but with the impact murder leaves on the psychology of the criminal, suggesting that actual imprisonment counts, so little and much less terrible than the stress, doubt, fear, despair and anxiety of trying to avoid punishment. The working of Raskolnikov mind after the killing, the intense guilt and half-delirium state in which guilt throws him, enables the reader to understand this character as an embodiment of beliefs and characteristics that impels him to commit his crime, and provides a clear picture of the character within the context of the events that took place in the novel
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.
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.
Thich Nhat Hanh begins by stating that we are often aware of suffering, however that is not enough. We need to be aware and peace and happiness in order to create peace. He also mentions that today, humans have a very difficult time being alive in the present moment. We are constantly looking to the future for our next goal or our next to-do list to accomplish in order to make us happy. We are always saying, “I will be happy when…” looking ahead of ourselves. According to Hanh, we need to refocus on ourselves and a way to do that is through meditation. Through meditation we can be with ourselves, breathe, smile and become peace all of which make peace in the world, unlike war and violence.
Yahil, Leni. The rescue of Danish Jewry, test of a democracy.. [1st ed. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1969. Print.
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.
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...
...oire of poetry with a male personage acting as an opposing force. Her work is full of content hinting at her mental instability, yearning for her deceased father, and her desire to end her life. It can be understood that Plath had a sort of Elektra complex obsession with her father. In her personal life, it caused several suicide attempts (one every decade of her life) and her to seek another male to fill the role of her missing father. It was not until she encountered the poet Ted Hughes that Plath thought she had met her soul mate; it was also because of this fiery relationship that Plath tragically ended her life when she ended her seven-year marriage to Hughes after discovering his illicit affair. Ultimately, in her desperate and distressed state, Plath ended her life; she could not face her inner demons, and no one could truly offer her the support she sought.
De Ridder, Karin A. A., Et Al. "High School Dropout And Long-Term Sickness And Disability In Young Adulthood: A Prospective Propensity Score Stratified Cohort Study (The Young-HUNT Study)." BMC Public Health 13.1 (2013): 1-9. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.
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.
Most gangs are created to form a sense of power and control. All types of problems are presented to the youths of today growing up in major cities. Before being so eager to jump to conclusions, we must try to understand these problems, or we will never find a solution to them.
By the end of Dostoyesky’s Crime and Punishment, the reader is no longer under the illusion of the possible existence of “extraordinary” men. For an open-minded reader, and even perhaps the closed-minded ones too, the book is a journey through Raskolnikov’s proposed theory on crime. It is a theory based on the ideas that had “been printed and read a thousand times”(313) by both Hegel and Nietzsche. Hegel, a German philosopher, influenced Dostoyesky with his utilitarian emphasis on the ends rather than the means whereby a superman existed as one that stood above the ordinary man, but worked for the benefit of all mankind. Nietsche’s more selfish philosophy focused on the rights to power which allowed one to act in a Hegelian manner. In committing his crime, Raskolnikov experienced the ultimate punishment as he realized that his existence was not that of the “extraordinary” man presented in his theory. In chapter five of part three in Crime and Punishment, this theory is outlined by its creator, Raskolnikov. Such an innovative theory would clearly have placed him in the “extraordinary” category, but when he fails to meet its standards, by submitting to the common law through his confession, the theory crumbles right before the reader’s eyes.