Term Paper 1 - Madie

Term Paper

In Crime and Punishment, the main character, Raskolnikov, has many different relationships with the other characters however, none are so unique as that between Raskolnikov and Sonia. Their relationship is so different from that of any other characters because for the first time it seems that Raskolnikov has found somebody who he can find solace through, and Sonia has found someone who does not look down upon her. They place a certain trust in each other and begin to seek each other out in times of need. What makes their connection closer is that although they lead different lives, they ultimately have the same troubles and conflicts. Both Raskolnikov and Sonia want and need to provide for their families. Furthermore, they both struggle with the same internal conflicts of guilt and sin that come from Sonia’s prostitution and Raskolnikov’s murderous act. The two characters find parts of their lives, the tormenting parts, that parallel each others. 

Unlike Raskolnikov’s other relationships with characters in the novel, his connection with Sonia is more intimate and trusting. Throughout the novel, Raskolnikov seeks refuge from his own guilt with her. He finds comfort in her company, and although at first she seems frightened by his late night visits and outbursts, she finds herself strangely enjoying them as well. Sonia, faced with similar feelings of guilt and despair, finds solace in God, by staying religious and praying often. For her, this is a way to cope with her own conflicts of helping her family and herself. In Raskolnikov’s case, it is Sonia who becomes his saviour, as he uses her to find his own solace. This point is further shown when he confesses to her that he was the murderer. He finds comfort in her company, and she offers him relief from his tormenting guilt. This unique relationship is not seen between any other characters in the novel, and is a positive relationship for both of the characters. The two characters are able to use this relationship to overcome their own inner troubles and conflicts. For Sonia, Raskolnikov makes her feel like a bigger person when he stands up for her when she is accused of theft, and also when he says “I did my sister an honor by sitting her next to you.” For the first time, Sonia gains the respect of somebody, and is not judged for her line of work. In Raskolnikov’s case, Sonia offers an outlet to stop himself from going mad. She helps him cope with his guilt of the murders by acting as his saviour and guiding him in the right direction. As the book continues they slowly become closer, finding more things that connect them. 

Alex's term paper part 1

In Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s world-renowned novel Crime and Punishment, Dostoyevsky explores the inner thoughts of a criminal by providing insight into the mind of the novel’s protagonist, Raskolnikov, after committing the most horrendous crime- murder. Dostoyevsky addresses the idea of redemption through both physical and (especially) mental suffering. Throughout the course of the novel, Raskolnikov’s overbearing amount of guilt is extremely evident. This is most likely due to the fact that Dostoyevsky primarily focuses on the way the murders force Raskolnikov to deal with his tormenting sense of guilt, rather than focusing on the actual consequences of committing murder. By elaborating on Raskolnikov’s self-inflicted punishment rather than his imprisonment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky suggests the idea that one’s true punishment serves as the psychological downfall that results from battling his or her guilty conscience, and this itself is significantly worse than trial and imprisonment.

In order to cope with his extreme amount of guilt, Raskolnikov attempts to justify his vicious acts with the belief that it was what the extraordinary man would do. The theory of the "extraordinary man" plays a vital role in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. At the beginning of the novel, a demoralized and psychologically battered Raskolnikov, classifies himself as a “superhuman” and therefore, believes himself to be exempt from the laws of ordinary men. It is this ideology that makes Raskolnikov believe he has the right to murder Alyona Ivanova and her innocent sister, Lizaveta.

The extraordinary man theory that motivates Raskolnikov is derived from German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s concept of the Übermensch. According to Nietzsche, an Übermensch (which literally means Overman when translated into English) is a human who has battled modern values and overcome the flaws and weaknesses of humanity.  This superhuman should have the ability to control and create fear amongst others, causing society to either idolize or fear them. In Friedrich Nietzsche’s 1883 book Thus Spake Zarathustra, Nietzsche (through Zarathustra) illustrates this concept when he says: 

I teach you the overman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him? All beings so far have created something beyond themselves; and do you want to be the ebb of this great flood and even go back to the beasts rather than overcome man? What is the ape to man? A laughing stock or a painful embarrassment. And man shall be just that for the overman: a laughing stock or a painful embarrassment…

When Raskolnikov was first introduced to Nietzsche’s concept of the Übermensch, he became infatuated with the idea of becoming extraordinary. Crime and Punishment alludes to several historical figures as examples of supermen. Such examples, including Napolean, serve as role models for Rodion Raskolnikov. 

Gabriel's term paper part 1

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a novel that has made a significant impact on society for its profound and complex themes and the twisted mentality of a sociopathic criminal. Raskolnikov, the protagonist of the story, appears to be a man whose mind does not function as the rest of society does. As a result, this drives him to commit the dreadful crime of stabbing and taking the lives of two innocent women. Although he constantly attempts to convince himself that he did this as a favor to society, it is evident that he feels as if he is above society – as if he had the right to play God. This is known as the superman theory, which occurs when a person feels he is superior to others for no apparent reason. This crime drives Raskolnikov to become tortured by an exponentially worsening guilt that he faces every moment of every day. This guilt drives him to further alienate himself from society, and also drives him to act irrationally. He becomes so overwhelmed with guilt that he becomes critically ill on multiple occasions. He faces extreme paranoia daily and is constantly anxious and worried about covering up the evidence and hiding the truth from others who attempt to help him. Raskolnikov’s true punishment in the story is in fact his psychological punishment – his overwhelming guilt that slowly leads him to his downfall.

From the beginning of the novel, it was evident that Raskolnikov had a different thought process than others. He did not see the world as others did, which led him to be unable to function in society. As a result, he alienated himself from others. He did this with the sensation that mankind was inferior to him; that no one could understand him. This feeling drove him to feel as if he had the right and authority to rid the world of the pawnbroker. He spent a lot of time scheming the ultimate plan and contemplating whether or not he should follow through with it. When he finally built the courage, he decided to follow through with his plan and stab her at her own house. However, her sister unfortunately came in and witnessed the murder, which made Raskolnikov freak out and kill her too. Killing the pawnbroker’s sister confirms the fact that he knew he was doing wrong and he knew he was guilty of a terrible crime in his subconscious, whether he wanted to know it or not. This is the first of countless acts supporting his devastating burden of guilt. He proceeds to attempt to cover up all the evidence by disposing of his knife and clothes, further emphasizing his guilty conscience. While hiding the evidence, he displays intense paranoia right from the start as he realizes the potential consequences if he were to be caught. He then decides to alienate himself more than before, but for different reasons. Previously, he simply did not wish to associate himself with society. Now, he fears for his life that he will be imprisoned or even executed. However, what he does not realize is that his punishment as already begun: the psychological torment that he must endure greatly surpasses any form of imprisonment or physical punishment that he could potentially face.

Madie's Thesis

In the book Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoevsky, there are many charatcers with which Raskolnikov has relations with, however none are so elaborate and intruging as that between Raskolnikov and Sonia Marmeladov. Their trust in each other and their closeness is something that Raskolnikov does not have with any other character, and thus makes this relationship important for him. They both have smililar charateristics and undergo the same hardships; sin and wanting to provide for their families. Their relationship is unique because it is the only intimate relationship that Raskolnikov has with another character.

Not sure if thsi is the right direction or if this will have enough substance behind it for a paper. Let me know what you think.

-Madie

Alex's Term paper part 1

In Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s world-renowned novel Crime and Punishment, Dostoyevsky explores the inner thoughts of a criminal by providing insight into the mind of the novel’s protagonist, Raskolnikov, after committing the most horrendous crime- murder. Dostoyevsky addresses the idea of redemption through both physical and (especially) mental suffering. Throughout the course of the novel, Raskolnikov’s overbearing amount of guilt is extremely evident. This is most likely due to the fact that Dostoyevsky primarily focuses on the way the murders force Raskolnikov to deal with his tormenting sense of guilt, rather than focusing on the actual consequences of committing murder. By elaborating on Raskolnikov’s self-inflicted punishment rather than his imprisonment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky suggests the idea that one’s true punishment serves as the psychological downfall that results from battling his or her guilty conscience, and this itself is significantly worse than trial and imprisonment.

In order to cope with his extreme amount of guilt, Raskolnikov attempts to justify his vicious acts with the belief that it was what the extraordinary man would do. The theory of the "extraordinary man" plays a vital role in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. At the beginning of the novel, a demoralized and psychologically battered Raskolnikov, classifies himself as a “superhuman” and therefore, believes himself to be exempt from the laws of ordinary men. It is this ideology that makes Raskolnikov believe he has the right to murder Alyona Ivanova and her innocent sister, Lizaveta. Raskolnikov’s point of view on the idea of the “superhuman” is shown through the article he wrote and titled “On Crime.” This article, which was published in a magazine, argues Raskolnikov’s opinion that some extraordinary people are better than the others, and this superiority gives them the right to commit murder in addition other crimes. The article displayed the immoral and corrupt side of Raskolnikov’s personality, which made it relatively easy for others to point fingers when hypothesizing whom the true killer is. However, over the course of this 19^th century Russian novel, Raskolnikov develops conflicting thoughts on whether or not he truly qualifies as one of the proclaimed “super humans.” Raskolnikov’s inability to rid himself of the guilt he feels over murdering the Ivanova sisters is enough to prove to him that he is not a superhuman, but nonetheless, Raskolnikov remains unwilling to accept the idea that he is just as average as the rest of society.

Alex's theme

In my opinion, Crime and Punishment is primarily a book about suffering. However, the internal suffering that Raskolnikov endures is a direct result of the murders he committed. The most intriguing aspect of the novel (in my opinion) is the extraordinary man theory, which Raskolnikov uses to justify his violent acts. This theory states that there are two types of men in the world, ordinary and extraordinary. The extraordinary ones, like himself, are superior humans who have the right to violate the law, under certain circumstances, in order to benefit mankind. Raskolnikov’s theory even states that an extraordinary man has the right to commit murder if the act is beneficial to the less fortunate. I would really like to focus my term paper on Raskolnikov’s theory of the superhuman, which I believe is a combination of the Hegelian Superman Theory and the Nietzschean Superman Theory (I will elaborate more on these in my term paper). Part of the Ubermenshe theory that interests me is the idea that even though both Raskolnikov and Nietzsche are claiming that these "uber" and "extraordinary" men have the right to kill whoever they want, what makes these kind of people "extraordinary" in the first place? While the majority of people view Hitler as insane, others might classify him as “extraordinary” because of the way he was able to conform a massive group of followers. Obviously I will elaborate further on Friedrich Nietzsche, Georg Hegel, and other theories/philosophers that contributed to Raskolnikov’s Superman theory one way or another, but this was just an initial idea for my paper. What do you guys think? I hope you like it. 

Madie's Theme

Throughout the book, there has been a different relationship between Sonia and Raskolnikov. I think for my paper it would be interesting to explore their relationship and why it is so special. He confesses the murder to her, and seems to have a connection with her that he shares with no other character. From the beginning, they seem to have a connection - they both try to support their families and they both have "sinned". Sonia becomes Raskolnikov's primary support while he struggles to cope with the guilt, and she sees the good in him. Even when he tells her of his crimes, she sees the good in him is bigger than the bad and she doesn't leave him. Their relationship is very different from that of the other characters, and I think it would be interesting to explore. I'm not sure if this will be a good topic or not, but let me know what you think.

Gabe's theme

After thinking back to all the vents that have occurred in the story, I feel like the major theme that was discussed in the story was the psychological punishment that Raskolnikov had to face. This is most likely going to be the theme I use for my research paper because the author mainly focusses on the psychological punishment rather than the actual punishment. It was evident from the first page that Raskolnikov was a little off compared to the rest of society. As a result, he committed two murders based on his theory that he is superman and everyone else is inferior to him. He wanted to make himself feel powerful and above mankind, and as a result he is tortured by an exponentially worsening guilt that he faces every moment of every day. This guilt drives him to further alienate himself from society and also drives him to do and say things that a rational person would not do or say. He becomes so overwhelmed with guilt that he becomes critically ill on multiple occasions. He faces extreme paranoia daily and his constantly anxious and worried. He over thinks everything he does and says, which creates suspicion in multiple characters later on. At times he may even attempt to commit good deeds, possibly to ease his guilt, such as when he helps the Marmeladovs. What do you guys think? I am going to try to find more details but this is just an initial idea. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Gabriel Magalhaes

Gabe's response to Alex's Part 5 Ch. 4

I think it is safe to say that we are all equally shocked at this confession. We had all seen it coming for a while, but the fact that he actually went through with it and had the courage to own up to his mistakes and will confess publicly shows a major change in character and supports the fact that Raskolnikov is seeking redemption. I agree with Alex that he was taking small steps to express his guilt: first by confessing to Sonya who is understanding and sympathetic, then confessing to the world. To add to what Alex said about Sonya being understanding of people making mistakes, I feel as though Raskolnikov can actually relate to Sonya in a sense, which allows him to feel more comfortable with her than anyone else. They both made terrible mistakes in life, the only difference is that Sonya's intentions were pure and his were selfish. I think Raskolnikov sees Sonya as a role model in a way, because she is able to live with herself despite her mistakes and be happy at the end of the day. I agree with Alex -- it was surprising to see that Sonya still promised to remain by his side and support him after not only confessing to the murders, but also to his sick motive regarding his feeling of superiority and his desire to prove himself right. I do disagree with Alex on one area. I truly believe that Raskolnikov is telling the truth regarding his intentions of feeling superior like Napoleon. If he is brave enough to confess to the murders, I doubt that he would so much more ashamed of the fact that he lives in poverty and was mistreated that he had to lie about his motive. Either way, it is relieving to see that he is making progress and will soon confess publicly in order to relieve himself of this terrible guilt that he has been feeling and seek forgiveness from God.

Gabriel Magalhaes

Gabe's reaction part 5 chapter 4

This chapter was the true turning point in the novel. After all of this, Raskolnikov finally opened up to someone (Sonya) and confessed. However, his confession contradicts his original motive for killing the pawnbroker. He stated earlier in the story that the only reason why he committed the crime was to rid the world of such a terrible, hated person. Now, he admits that his sole motive as to why he did this was because he wanted to do something daring in order to feel exceptional. He feels as if all of human kind is inferior, and he feels as if he is too good for society. In order to justify this and support his thinking, he feels as though he has the authority to kill someone and get away with it. It is a truly despicable act, but the fact that he is finally making a connection with another human being and receiving sympathy shows that he is in fact on the same level as the other humans. I was a little shocked at Sonya's understanding and minimal horror after hearing the confession. However, I do believe that she is an excellent influence on Raskolnikov because she convinces him to accept his fate and confess publicly in order to receive forgiveness from God. I also like how she gives him one last chance to make things right by himself instead of turning him in. I feel like this further supports Raskolnikov on the slow progress he is making in order to be a better person. Raskolnikov's confession allows me to see some good in him. I realize that he is psychologically troubled and that he took the lives of two innocent people in order to satisfy his sick theory of being superior to mankind, but it is evident that he does have a conscience and has been traumatized ever since the beginning of the story. Raskolnikov will eventually go to prison, but only this time it will be physical. He has been stuck in this emotional prison for a very long time, which I believe is far worse than anything he will face in prison.

Gabriel Magalhaes