In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov’s sense of guilt serves as his primary motivation for finally confessing and serving his punishment. After murdering Alyona the pawnbroker and Lizaveta, Raskolnikov hides from the law, trying his best to avoid punishment. He would have been successful if not for his sense of guilt. Porfiry figures out Raskolnikov is the murderer because Raskolnikov “went to rent the apartment… and asking about blood… because [he is] sick of these stupidities and suspicions” (Dostoevsky 344). Instead of safely staying away from the scene of the crime, Raskolnikov’s guilty conscience force shim to return to witness the aftermath, even making him ask about the blood on the floor, which only the murderer could have
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Prior to the murders, Raskolnikov “had been in an irritable… state… [and] entirely given up attending to his daily affairs” (Dostoevsky 3). Raskolnikov rarely sets foot out of his bedroom, avoiding his landlady and barely eating. The reason why he suddenly gives up on living like the rest of society comes from Fromm, who explains that “Modern man… is on the verge of desperation. He desperately clings to… individuality; he wants to be ‘different’” (Fromm 63). Thus, Raskolnikov’s desperation to act different from society causes him to isolate himself. As one can see, his isolation does not improve his condition. Rather, isolation effectively means existential death for him because Fromm explains that modern man’s “loss of identity then makes it… imperative to conform; it means that one can be sure of oneself only if one lives up to the expectations of others” (Fromm 63). Raskolnikov purposely rejects the expectations of society, refusing human contact, untattered clothing, and even food. Thus, his lack of identity makes impossible any attempt to survive without conforming with society. While the first stage of his desire to differentiate himself from others culminates in his refusal to interact with other humans, the next stage results in his theory where he explains that some men “not only can but are fully entitled to commit all sorts of crimes… to whom the law supposedly does not apply” (Dostoevsky 258). Raskolnikov’s attempts to become different birth this theory in which some few extraordinary men have the right to commit crimes, and he attempts to push this idea onto himself, testing the theory with the murders of Alyona and Lizaveta. Ultimately, Raskolnikov’s desperation to create a new life for himself outside of the monotony of his studies and society push him to the delusion that he can be someone extraordinary. Thus, isolation prevents Raskolnikov from making up for his
Prior to the murders, Raskolnikov “had been in an irritable… state… [and] entirely given up attending to his daily affairs” (Dostoevsky 3). Raskolnikov rarely sets foot out of his bedroom, avoiding his landlady and barely eating. The reason why he suddenly gives up on living like the rest of society comes from Fromm, who explains that “Modern man… is on the verge of desperation. He desperately clings to… individuality; he wants to be ‘different’” (Fromm 63). Thus, Raskolnikov’s desperation to act different from society causes him to isolate himself. As one can see, his isolation does not improve his condition. Rather, isolation effectively means existential death for him because Fromm explains that modern man’s “loss of identity then makes it… imperative to conform; it means that one can be sure of oneself only if one lives up to the expectations of others” (Fromm 63). Raskolnikov purposely rejects the expectations of society, refusing human contact, untattered clothing, and even food. Thus, his lack of identity makes impossible any attempt to survive without conforming with society. While the first stage of his desire to differentiate himself from others culminates in his refusal to interact with other humans, the next stage results in his theory where he explains that some men “not only can but are fully entitled to commit all sorts of crimes… to whom the law supposedly does not apply” (Dostoevsky 258). Raskolnikov’s attempts to become different birth this theory in which some few extraordinary men have the right to commit crimes, and he attempts to push this idea onto himself, testing the theory with the murders of Alyona and Lizaveta. Ultimately, Raskolnikov’s desperation to create a new life for himself outside of the monotony of his studies and society push him to the delusion that he can be someone extraordinary. Thus, isolation prevents Raskolnikov from making up for his