Crime and Punishment Rodion Romanovitch

Crime and Punishment

Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov is one of the most emotionally and intellectually tormented characters in Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. What is most fascinating about Raskolnikov is that he would sometimes act in one manner and then suddenly act in a manner that was completely contradictory. Throughout Crime and Punishment, it is as if Raskolnikov is facing an internal struggle reminiscent of that of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One side of Raskolnikov's personality is his cold, intellectual, premeditated, and detached, emphasizing power and self-will. The other facet to Raskolnikov's personality is his warm, humane compassionate side which implies meekness and self-submissiveness.

In this paper, several theories of an extraordinary or superman are analyzed and discussed. First, Raskolnikov's theories of the differences between extraordinary and ordinary men are examined. Next, Hegel's theories regarding a superman are outlined. Lastly, Nietzsche's conceptions of what makes an individual a superman are analyzed.

RASKOLNIKOV'S THEORY of an EXTRAORDINARY MAN

According to Raskolnikov, individuals were divided into two categories, extraordinary men and ordinary men. Ordinary men are inferior and may do nothing but reproduce their own kind. The ordinary man has to live in submission and has no right to transgress the law.

Extraordinary men have the right to commit any crime and to transgress the law in any way. What makes an individual is extraordinary is that he has the gift or talent to utter a new word. It is the extraordinary men who forge civilization onward to new heights of achievements. Since these achievements are important and ultimately benefit all mankind, the extraordinary man has this inner right to decide in his own conscience whether or not to overstep the law or any obstacle that stands in the way of the practical fulfillment of his idea.

Raskolnikov constantly used Napoleon as a point of reference, implying that Napoleon was above the common laws of humanity because he had the daring to commit various acts in order to complete his plans. In committing the murder of the old pawnbroker, Raskolnikov was attempting to prove himself to be a man by proving that his will was strong, i.e., that he was a real man of power. From this premise, Raskolnikov reasoned that a man may commit a crime if it served a noble end.

THE HEGELIAN SUPERMAN

Raskolnikov's views about the ordinary man vs. The extraordinary man were influenced by two prominent philosophers, George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche. Under Hegel's theory, a superman is an individual that stands above the ordinary man, but works for noble purposes, i.e., for the benefit of all mankind. In the context of Raskolnikov's murder of the old pawnbroker, Hegel's theories may be used to justify Raskolnikov's actions.

First, the old pawnbroker may be viewed an evil person who is actually harming society by her vile and cynical grasp on the poor citizens who come to her for pawning. According to Hegel, any harmful segment of society should be removed. Therefore, Raskolnikov reasoned that by murdering the old pawnbroker, he would be removing a harmful thing from society.

Next, Hegel believed that the ends justified the means, i.e., if the ends are noble, then the means may be justified. Using this rationale, the old pawnbroker has a lot of money which will be wasted upon useless masses and requiem services after her death. With this money, Raskolnikov would be able to complete his education without being cramped and the may devote himself to the service of humanity.

Lastly, Hegel argued that one small crime may be wiped out by thousands of good deeds. Raskolnikov could use the money that the old pawnbroker squeezed out of the poor people, and by distributing it among families, hundreds of people would be saved from destitution and ruin.

THE NIETZSCHEAN SUPERMAN

Unlike Hegel's conception of a superman, Nietzsche believed that a superman does not exist for the benefit of society, but rather for his own personal gratification. In other words, the Nietzschean superman's aims are not prompted by any type of nobility, but rather by a desire for self-gratification. According to Nietzsche, a superman is the one who possesses the strongest will and is able to make his desires and his power dominant over others.