Alex's Term Paper (2000 Words)

Alex Balogh

Mr. Shapiro

April 2013

Extraordinary Man Theory in Crime and Punishment

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 of all crimes- 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 “over man” 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 Napoleon, serve as role models for Rodion Raskolnikov.

Raskolnikov’s convoluted understanding of Nietzsche’s Übermensch theory is shown through an article he wrote as a student titled “On Crime.” This article, which, to Raskolnikov’s surprise, was published in a magazine, argues that:

An “extraordinary” man has…an inner right to decide in his own conscience to overstep certain obstacles, and only in case it is essential for the practical fulfillment of his idea (sometimes, perhaps, of benefit to the whole of humanity)…In short, I maintain that all great men or even men a little out of the common…must from their very nature be criminals—more or less, of course. Otherwise it’s hard for them to get out of the common rut; and to remain in the common rut is what they can’t submit to…Men are in general divided by a law of nature into two categories, inferior (ordinary)…and men who have the gift or the talent to utter a new word…The first category, generally speaking, are men conservative in temperament and law-abiding; they live under control and love to be controlled…The second category all transgress the law; they are destroyers or disposed to destruction according to their capacities. The crimes of these men are of course relative and varied; for the most part they seek in very varied ways the destruction of the present for the sake of the better. But if such a one is forced for the sake of his idea to step over a corpse or wade through blood, he can, I maintain, find within himself, in his conscience, a sanction for wading through blood—that depends on the idea and its dimensions, note that…The first category is always the man of the present, the second the man of the future. The first preserve the world and people it, the second move the world and lead it to its goal. (Dostoevsky 247-249)

Simply put, “On Crime” states Raskolnikov’s opinion that the common man is a weak human being who is incapable of controlling society. Some extraordinary people, however, are more powerful than the common man, and it is these supermen who shall determine the fate of society. These extraordinary men can violate the rules and laws of society in order to refrain from becoming ordinary, and according to Raskolnikov, this essentially gives all extraordinary men the right to commit murder in addition other crimes. Raskolnikov’s fear of remaining ordinary and not living up to the achievements of the idolized Napoleon drive him to murder Alyona and Lizaveta Ivanova.

The article displayed the immoral and corrupt side of Raskolnikov’s personality, which made it relatively easy for others to point fingers at him when hypothesizing whom the true killer is. For example, the article causes detective Porfiry Petrovich to grow extremely suspicious of Raskolnikov, which is apparent when he states “Surely you couldn't have helped fancying yourself as an 'extraordinary' man... And, if so, could you bring yourself…for some service to humanity… to overstep obstacles? For instance, to rob and murder?” (Dostoyevsky 253). Raskolnikov’s immense guilt and fear of getting caught result in his 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 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. The mental breakdown that Raskolnikov faces due to his severe guilt results in several irrational thoughts, such as the idea that by murdering the pawnbroker, he was contributing to the greater good of society. When discussing the murders with his sister Dunya, Raskolnikov responds angrily towards the public’s reaction to the murders:

Crime? What crime! ...I killed a vile, harmful louse, an old hag of a moneylender for no use to anybody, for whose murder one should be forgiven forty sins, and who bled poor people dry. Can that be called a crime? I don’t think about it and I have no desire to wipe it out. (Dostoyevsky 491)

In addition, several other aspects of the novel support Raskolnikov’s failure to “become a Napoleon” and live up to the standards of an extraordinary man. Guilt and penance are exhibited in his character even before the murders are committed. The simple thought of murdering the pawnbroker produces a “feeling of intense repulsion, which had begun to oppress and torture his heart while he was on his way to the old woman… (the feeling) had taken such a definite form that he did not know what to do with himself to escape from his wretchedness” (Dostoyevsky 11). Raskolnikov’s aversion to his future actions does not correspond with the idea of a superhuman. Moreover, he asks himself  “If I am so scared now, what would it be if it somehow came to pass that I were really going to do it?” (Dostoyevsky 11). Thereby indicating that because, Raskolnikov fears the consequences of his actions, he falls into the category of an ordinary man. In contrast, supermen do not burden themselves by fearing the repercussions of their behavior.

Additionally, when Raskolnikov finally follows through with his plan and murders the pawnbroker, he is plagued by guilt causing his psychological condition to deteriorate rapidly. Immediately after the murders, Raskolnikov falls ill. Both his physical and mental health are on a rapid decline due to his guilt over the murders. Raskolnikov’s judgment is even more irrational than before resulting in foolish and inane acts, such as volunteering information to the police and claiming that he knows who the true murderer is, forgetting to pick up his pawned items, failing to keep his composure at the slight mention of the murders, and writing “On Crime,” which definitely draws attention to Raskolnikov’s involvement with the murders. The fact that Raskolnikov cannot handle the liability and guilt that has resulted from his actions causes Raskolnikov to contemplate the idea of confession. This further indicates that Raskolnikov completely contradicts that of an extraordinary man. Likewise, Raskolnikov contends that an extraordinary man must be self-reliant, depend on no one, and be able to survive when cut off from society (Dostoyevsky 276). At first, Raskolnikov’s pride separates him from society. After the murders, however, Raskolnikov’s isolation takes a turn for the worse. Immediately following the murders, Raskolnikov becomes tormented with uncertainty, responsibility, and doubt. His beliefs and actions make it impossible to relate to others and as a result, Raskolnikov sets himself apart from the masses. However, Raskolnikov’s alienation contributes to his rash judgment. Unlike the depicted Übermensch, Raskolnikov longs for companionship and acceptance. He periodically confides in Sonya, eventually informing her of his wrongful actions because he could no longer bear the burden that resulted from keeping the murders a secret (Dostoyevsky ####). Sonya’s acceptance of the truth ultimately serves as a primary motivating factor in Raskolnikov’s confession to the authorities. Her understanding of Raskolnikov’s sins proves that the act of confession will end his dreadful solitude and he will once again become a part of society. Raskolnikov’s longing for communion proves that he does not fulfill his own requirements of superiority.

Other factors disproving Raskolnikov’s extraordinariness include the fact that practically all of Raskolnikov’s ideas are unoriginal. He admits that he often questions his actions “wondering whether Napoleon would have done it or not” (Dostoyevsky 398). However, constantly trying to live up to another extraordinary superhuman does not qualify Raskolnikov as a superhuman, himself. On page 232, Raskolnikov thinks to himself, “does Napoleon crawl under an old woman’s bed?” It is somewhat ironic that Raskolnikov attempts to prove his superiority simply by doing what other extraordinary men have done because trying to fit the mold of previous supermen actually eliminates Raskolnikov from being one. In order to be extraordinary, Raskolnikov’s ideas and motives must be genuine and original. Copying Napoleon and other supermen of the past basically proves that Raskolnikov does not fall into the category of “people with new ideas, people with the faintest capacity for saying something new” (Dostoyevsky 25#).

Raskolnikov states that extraordinary men have the right to step over the laws of the common man if it is for the purpose of benefiting society. Therefore, simply killing without a cause does not qualify Raskolnikov as an Übermensch. His murders must serve a true purpose, but what exactly was Raskolnikov’s motive for murder? Throughout the novel, Raskolnikov (in addition to the reader) ponders the reasoning behind his actions before reaching the root cause of his behavior. At first, Raskolnikov justifies the murders by telling himself that he desperately needs the money and that murdering Alyona Ivanova benefits society by getting rid of such a wretched and callous person. He states, “it was simple arithmetic: to kill one worthless, harmful, and rich being, in order to use money to make many beautiful but poor people happy” (Dostoyevsky 489). Despite his claims, Raskolnikov’s actions and behaviors completely oppose his reasoning. First off, the amount of money that Raskolnikov stole was extremely small, and would not have been enough to improve his quality of living or to make the poor happy. Furthermore, Raskolnikov did not even use the stolen money. Rather, he buried the money and any other stolen items to get rid of any evidence linking him to the murders. Additionally, Raskolnikov’s claims that Alyona Ivanova was a “worthless being” and a harmful louse that was “for no use to anybody” (Dostoyevsky 489-491) is discredited by the amount of guilt he felt over her murder. Raskolnikov asks “what value has the life of that sickly, stupid, ill-natured old woman in the balance of existence?” (Dostoyevsky 84). However, if Alyona’s life really were as worthless as Raskolnikov originally stated, he would not have felt physically and emotionally sick after committing the crime. When Raskolnikov tries to establish a rational explanation for his behavior, he admits to himself that,

The old woman was only a symptom of my illness…I wanted to overstep all restrictions as quickly as possible…I killed not a human being but a principle! Yes, I killed a principle, but as for surmounting the barriers, I did not do that; I remained on this side… The only thing I knew how to do was kill! And I could not do that properly either (Dostoyevsky 233).

The aforementioned self-confession is the first time that Dostoyevsky indicates to the audience that Raskolnikov is finally starting to realize that he exhibits the qualities of the common man.