Crime and Punshiment

To begin I would like to say how enamored I am with Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment , it is one of my favorite works of literature that I have ever read for a class. Dostoevsky creates a very unique character in Raskolnikov. His ideas of superior and inferior people are radical and very unique, no one else seems to share his views. He states in his article "I only believe in my leading idea that men are in general divided by a law of nature into two categories, inferior (ordinary)...and men who have the gift or the talent to utter a new word" (261).  Raskolnikov is unaware of the beliefs held by others as well as social norms. He commonly walks around in dirty clothing talking to himself. It seems as if Raskolnikov is, at least in the beginning of the novel, uninfluenced by others. Like I talked about in my last blog post, Raskolnikov's ability to resist conformity appears to stem from insanity. His moods are extremley volatile and he often blacks out and regains consciousness somewhere without knowing how he got there. As the novel continue Raskolnikov's emotions conflict between guilt and the feeling that he, being superior, had the right to commit murder. I believe that the guilt he is feeling only comes from his new interaction with others like Sonia, Razumihin, and his mother and sister who have come to town. They are susceptible to social norms and don't believe murder is justifiable and this belief translates to Raskolnikov. Before Raskolnikov began associating with all these people, he lived in a a state of isolation and felt that he had the right to murder because he was superior. I believe Dostoevsky would agree with the idea that individuality is possible through isolation and, again, insanity, but, when in the presence of others, it becomes almost impossible to retain. Raskolnikov's case makes me believe that individuality is not always a good thing but, possibly, a hindrance in the pursuit of happiness and justice.