Comparing Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime And Punishment

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Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 19th-century novel, Crime and Punishment, traces the motif of existentialism and its relevance to a young man named Rodion Raskolnikov as he seeks to individuate himself in the midst of psychological torment he experiences following the unscrupulous cold-blooded murder of an elderly woman. Raskolnikov figuratively embodies…………… Under the pretense of altruism, Raskolnikov compels himself to kill the pawnbroker sparking his path to individuation as he is left devoid of his innate self-perception, clawing at him and further tormenting him.The notion that Raskolnikov ought to confront the darkness amalgamated with his preconceived notions of moral righteousness impel him to transcend the boundaries of the collectively held …show more content…

Consequently, with no one to concur with his ideals, Raskolnikov As the fumes of guilt continue to suffocate Raskolnikov within the confines of his psyche, he realizes the oscillatory nature of his psyche; moreover, Raskolnikov holds a certain duality within his psyche that creates disharmony and, therefore, a lack of equilibrium within his psyche. This paradoxically serves as grounds for his descent into a heightened state of psychological disunity as his diametrically opposed psyche contrives an identity crisis, exacerbating his pre-existing mental …show more content…

Initially, Dostoevsky was sentenced to death by Nicholas I (Tsar of Russia) for disseminating and engaging in conversations surrounding censored propaganda. Additionally, the Tsar did not approve of his notion to set up a printing press which would only heighten the dissemination of censored material in Tsarist. Although several progressive thinkers had established their footprint in Tsarist Russia, the works of Friedrich Nietzsche and Georg Hegel play an instrumental role in understanding the rationale behind censorship in Russia. The emergence of the Russian School of Nihilism (adapted from the works of Nietzsche) created the likes of revolutionaries such as Nikolay Chernyshevsky who served as a voice for the disenfranchised serfs and bourgeoisie of Russia, combating the hegemony of the monarchy. Furthermore, Hegel postulated the notion of a world-historical figure, describing an agent capable of overthrowing outdated ideals, structures, and ideas; moreover, figures like Napoleon embodied the concept of the world-historical figure. Therefore, the very notion of a world-historical figure was enough for it to become the subject of censorship as it was conducive to rebellion towards the monarchy. Unsurprisingly, Raskolnikov likens himself to Napoleon in the novel, perceiving himself as Hegel’s world-historical figure by toppling the hegemonic entity

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