How Is Raskolnikov Extraordinary

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Maxx Mainzer Donahoo-D English 112 November 19, 2015 The “Extraordinary” Man In the novel Crime and Punishment, the protagonist Raskolnikov is caught in a battle between himself and his conscious to prove that he is different; that he is more than just the mediocre inhabitant of St. Petersburg. Raskolnikov envisions himself as much more than an ordinary person. He sees himself as an extraordinary person; a “superman”. He believes he has the uniqueness to set himself above the moral rules that govern the rest of humanity. Raskolnikov thinks that he can perform these tasks as an extraordinary man and walk away from it indifferent and unchanged. Raskolnikov’s mental state causes him to be obsessed with the impression that he is an extraordinary…show more content…
He writes an article on how extraordinary men have a “new word” to bring to society and that it is their duty to do whatever it takes to show society this new word, even if that means stepping above the law. But Raskolnikov never actually steps back to reflect on the murder he committed to see if his crime served a purpose or if his murder was extraordinary. He simply convinces himself that because he thought in the same way he perceives an extraordinary man to think, that he himself is a “superman” for society. He constantly ignores the fact that he acts out of impulse and in an ill state of mind. Raskolnikov, unlike extraordinary men, has no “new word” to deliver to society, thus making him an ordinary man. He views himself as the hero, when in reality, he is a…show more content…
As he lies in bed one night, he vacillates between his motives for the crime, seeking a rational justification to prove that he is extraordinary. He argues back and forth with himself, muttering “the little old crone is nonsense! She was a mistake, but she’s not the point! The old woman was merely a sickness...I was in a hurry to step over...it wasn’t a human being I killed, it was a principle! So I killed the principle but I didn’t step over, I stayed on this side...All I managed to do was kill. And I didn’t even manage that, as it turns out...a principle” (Dostoevsky 274)? As he argues back and forth with his conscience, he reassures himself that the murder was an extraordinary crime because he killed the “principle”, not the person. Raskolnikov thinks that because he killed Alyona for a reason, that he stayed on the good side of morality. His actions are a clear display of his excuses and insecurity about his ego, truly showing how different he is from his “superman”

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