The Extraordinary Man in Crime and Punishment Essays - Philosophy

The Extraordinary Man in Crime and Punishment In the novel Crime and Punishment, the so-called "extraordinary man" theory plays an important role. Raskolnikov, who is extremely psychologically battered, believes himself to be exempt from the laws of ordinary men. It is this concept that subconsciously makes him believe he has the right to murder Alyona Ivanovna. The extraordinary man theory is widely popular. From the way that Raskolnikov sees it, the extraordinary man has the right to commit any crime and to break the law in any way because he is extraordinary. That isn't saying that legally it is a right, but rather an inner right to decide in one's own conscience whether to violate the law or any obstacle that stands in the way of the satisfaction of their idea. There are two main schools of thought on the subject, and two philosophers - Georg Hegel and Freiderich Neitzsche - bore the ideas. Both philosophers believed that there are a certain and select handful of extraordinary people in the world. They also believed that these extraordinary people were above the laws of ordinary men and did not have to submit to typical morality. However, these philosophers disagreed on the motivation of the extraordinary man. Hegel believed that the extraordinary man could ignore the laws as long as his actions benefited the race of man as a whole. On the other hand, Neitzsche believed that the extraordinary man broke the laws in order to benefit himself alone. In a way, Raskolnikov submits to both theories of the extraordinary man. It is important to understand why Raskolnikov believes himself to be extraordinary. Firstly, Raskolnikov's poor financial state and near poverty cause him to be pushed to the edge of sanity. Secondly, the natural arrogance that comes from possessing a great intellect (which Raskolnikov does) causes Raskolnikov to believe that he is above everyone else. In respect to his crime, one can look at it from both the Hegelian and Neitzschean point of view. For the first part of Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov takes a Hegelian view of his crime. He convinces himself that he killed Alyona Ivanovna because she was an enemy to the poor. Raskolnikov believes he is doing mankind a service by removing the dishonest and unfair pawnbroker. However, he eventually may come to understand that, in short, Raskolnikov killed Alyona not because she was dishonest and he needed money, but he killed her simply to benefit his ego. Quite obviously, the extraordinary man theory is a central theme in Crime and Punishment. Dostoevsky spotlights the extraordinary man's failure due to his over-inflated ego and his ultimate redemption. Crime and Punishment is both a touching tale of downfall and redemption and a masterful disproof of Neitzche's and Hegel's teachings.