Crime and Punishment Rodion Romanovitch Term Paper

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First, the old pawnbroker may be viewed an evil person who is actually harming society by her vile and cynical grasp on the poor citizens who come to her for pawning. According to Hegel, any harmful segment of society should be removed. Therefore, Raskolnikov reasoned that by murdering the old pawnbroker, he would be removing a harmful thing from society.

Next, Hegel believed that the ends justified the means, i.e., if the ends are noble, then the means may be justified. Using this rationale, the old pawnbroker has a lot of money which will be wasted upon useless masses and requiem services after her death. With this money, Raskolnikov would be able to complete his education without being cramped and the may devote himself to the service of humanity.

Lastly, Hegel argued that one small crime may be wiped out by thousands of good deeds. Raskolnikov could use the money that the old pawnbroker squeezed out of the poor people, and by distributing it among families, hundreds of people would be saved from destitution and ruin.

THE NIETZSCHEAN SUPERMAN

Unlike Hegel's conception of a superman, Nietzsche believed that a superman does not exist for the benefit of society, but rather for his own personal gratification. In other words, the Nietzschean superman's aims are not prompted by any type of nobility, but rather by a desire for self-gratification.

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According to Nietzsche, a superman is the one who possesses the strongest will and is able to make his desires and his power dominant over others.

The test of Nietzschean superman is that he must stand completely alone and must not allow his will to be influenced by the wishes of others. It is this assertion of the will that isolates man from society and leaves him in complete solitude. Consequently, when Raskolnikov attempts to assert his will, he finds himself cut off from the rest of humanity. This dreadful solitude is what prompted Raskolnikov's confession.

CONCLUSION

Throughout Crime and Punishment, Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov struggled with his two personalities. On the one hand, Raskolnikov focused on his quest for power and self-will, as illustrated by his cold, intellectual, detached side. The other side of Raskolnikov's personality was his warm, humane compassionate side which suggested meekness and self-submissiveness. What is truly tragic is that in his quest to become an extraordinary man, Raskolnikov lost sight of what makes seemingly ordinary men so truly extraordinary, their ability to place their own needs and wants above their own self-interests......

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