What does it mean “to be in one’s right mind”? In Crime and Punishment, the “Crime” is committed in Part I, and the “Punishment” comes hundreds of pages later, in the Epilogue. In between, Dostoevsky delves into the inner world of Raskolnikov, exploring doubts, paranoia, despair, fear, and, most prominently, madness.
From the very beginning, Raskolnikov is on the brink of mental collapse. He talks to himself in public, lies in bed alone all day, and barely eats. He walks meaninglessly around Petersburg, and he often does not remember where he goes or what he does. The most defining component of Raskolnikov's character is his obsession with his own theory of the ordinary and the extraordinary. This theory becomes the framework of his existence, and influences his every thought. In his theory, the entirety of the human race is divided into two categories: ordinary and extraordinary. In this theory …show more content…
The idea of an Übermensch or an extraordinary man is not unique to Crime and Punishment, and instead has strong ties with Hitler and the Nazi regime. While our country’s own constitution holds that “all men are created equal” most people will admit that certain individuals such as Einstein and Tesla are more apt than the average man. However, while some men are better than others, do those “extraordinary men” have a right to commit any crime? Take Napoleon as an example. It was Napoleon Bonaparte during the Haitian Revolution, not Hitler and the Nazis 140 years later, who first used gas chambers as a method of mass execution, murdering up to 100,000 black slaves with extreme efficiency. However, this initial military success is what enabled him to bring public education, military reform and economic success to France, a country of twenty eight million. Does the sacrifice of 100,000 justify the salvation of twenty eight million? According to Raskolnikov and Utilitarianism,
From the very beginning, Raskolnikov is on the brink of mental collapse. He talks to himself in public, lies in bed alone all day, and barely eats. He walks meaninglessly around Petersburg, and he often does not remember where he goes or what he does. The most defining component of Raskolnikov's character is his obsession with his own theory of the ordinary and the extraordinary. This theory becomes the framework of his existence, and influences his every thought. In his theory, the entirety of the human race is divided into two categories: ordinary and extraordinary. In this theory …show more content…
The idea of an Übermensch or an extraordinary man is not unique to Crime and Punishment, and instead has strong ties with Hitler and the Nazi regime. While our country’s own constitution holds that “all men are created equal” most people will admit that certain individuals such as Einstein and Tesla are more apt than the average man. However, while some men are better than others, do those “extraordinary men” have a right to commit any crime? Take Napoleon as an example. It was Napoleon Bonaparte during the Haitian Revolution, not Hitler and the Nazis 140 years later, who first used gas chambers as a method of mass execution, murdering up to 100,000 black slaves with extreme efficiency. However, this initial military success is what enabled him to bring public education, military reform and economic success to France, a country of twenty eight million. Does the sacrifice of 100,000 justify the salvation of twenty eight million? According to Raskolnikov and Utilitarianism,