The famous classic work of FM Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment" is the history of a student who decided on a terrible crime. In the novel, the author touches upon many social, psychological and philosophical questions that are relevant to modern society. The theory of Raskolnikov has been showing itself for several decades.
What is Raskolnikov's theory?
The protagonist, as a result of long meditations, came to the conclusion that people are divided into two groups. The first are individuals who can do whatever they want without paying attention to the law. To the second group, he included people without rights, whose lives can be neglected. This is the main essence of Raskolnikov's theory, which is also relevant for modern society. Many people consider themselves superior to others, breaking laws and doing whatever they like. In the example, you can bring majors.
Initially, the protagonist of the work perceived his theory as a joke, but the more he thought about it, the more realistic the assumptions seemed. As a result, he divided all the people around him into categories and evaluated only according to his criteria. Psychologists have already proved that a person can convince himself of different things, thinking about them regularly. Raskolnikov's theory is a manifestation of extreme individualism.
The reasons for the creation of Raskolnikov's theory
Not only lovers of literature, but also specialists in various fields, carefully studied Dostoevsky's work in order to highlight the social and philosophical origins of Raskolnikov's theory.
- To the moral reasons that prompted the hero to commit a crime, one may include the desire to understand which category of people he belongs to and the pain for the humiliated poor.
- There are other reasons for the emergence of Raskolnikov's theory: extreme poverty, the concept of life injustice and the loss of one's own landmarks.
How did Raskolnikov come to his theory?
The main character throughout the whole novel tries to understand what caused the terrible act. The theory of a strong personality Raskolnikov confirms that in order for most people to live happily, a minority must be destroyed. As a result of long reflection and consideration of different situations, Rodion came to the conclusion that he belongs to the highest category of people. Lovers of literature put forward several motives that prompted him to commit a crime:
- the influence of the environment and people;
- the desire to become great;
- the desire to get money;
- dislike of a harmful and useless old woman;
- desire to test your theory.
What does Raskolnikov's theory bring to the disadvantaged?
The author of Crime and Punishment wanted in his book to convey suffering and pain for all of humanity. Almost every page of this novel traces poverty, loneliness and stiffness of people. In fact, the novel, published in 1866, has much in common with modern society, which increasingly manifests its indifference to the neighbor. The theory of Rodion Raskolnikov confirms the existence of disadvantaged people who do not have a chance to live a decent life, and so-called "leaders of life" with a large purse.
What is the contradiction of Raskolnikov's theory?
The image of the protagonist consists of some inconsistencies that can be traced throughout the work. Raskolnikov is a sensitive person who is not alien to the grief of others, and he wants to help those in need, but Rodion understands that he can not change the ways of life. However, he offers a theory that completely contradicts life principles .
Finding out what the mistake of Raskolnikov's theory is for the hero himself, it is worth noting the fact that he expected that she would help break the deadlock and begin to live in a new way. In this case, the hero achieved the perfect opposite result, and he falls into an even more hopeless situation. Rodion loved people, but after the murder of the old woman, he simply can not be with them, this applies even to the mother. All these contradictions show the imperfection of the theory advanced.
What is the danger of Raskolnikov's theory?
If we assume that the idea put forward by Dostoevsky through the thoughts of the protagonist has become large-scale, the result for society and the world as a whole is very lamentable. The point of Raskolnikov's theory is that people who excel at some other criteria, for example, financial opportunities, can "clear" the road for their own good, doing whatever they want, including murder. If many people lived on this principle, the world would simply cease to exist, sooner or later, the so-called "competitors" would destroy each other.
Throughout the novel, Rodion is experiencing moral torments, which often take different forms. Raskolnikov's theory is dangerous because the hero tries in every possible way to convince himself that his act was right, because he wanted to help his family, but for himself he did not want anything. A huge number of people commit crimes, thinking in this way, that does not justify their decision.
Pros and cons of Raskolnikov's theory
At first, it may seem that there are no positive sides to the idea of dividing society, but if all bad consequences are discarded, then there is still - the desire of a person to be happy. Raskolnikov's theory of the right of a strong personality shows that many are striving for a better life and are the engine of progress. As for the minuses, there are more of them, and they are important for people who share the views of the protagonist of the novel.
- The desire to divide all into two classes, which can have terrible consequences, for example, such representations are identical to Nazism. All people are different, but they are equal before God, therefore the desire to become higher than others is wrong.
- Another danger that the theory of Raskolnikov brings to the world is the use of any means in life. Unfortunately, many people in the modern world live by the principle "the end justifies the means", which leads to terrible consequences.
What prevented Raskolnikov from living according to his theory?
The whole problem lies in the fact that creating in his head an "ideal picture" Rodion did not take into account the features of real life. You can not make the world better by killing another person, no matter who he was. The essence of Raskolnikov's theory is understandable, but it was not taken into account that the old woman was only the initial link in the chain of injustice and, removing it, it is impossible to cope with all world problems. People who try to cash in on the misfortunes of others are not right to call the root of the problem, because they are only a consequence.
Facts confirming the theory of Raskolnikov
In the world, you can find a huge number of examples where the idea proposed by the protagonist of the novel was applied. You can recall Stalin and Hitler, who sought to cleanse the people of unworthy people, and what the actions of these people led to. The confirmation of Raskolnikov's theory can be seen in the behavior of the rich youth, the so-called "majors", who, not paying attention to the laws, ruined the lives of many people. The very same hero, in order to confirm his idea, commits murder, but in the end he understands the horror of the deed.
Raskolnikov's theory and its collapse
The work not only appears, but also completely refutes the strange theory. To change his decision, Rodion has to endure many mental and physical torments. Raskolnikov's theory and its collapse occurs after he sees a dream, where people destroy each other and the world disappears. Then he begins to gradually return the faith in good. In the end, he understands that everyone, regardless of their situation, deserves to be happy.
In explaining how Raskolnikov's theory is refuted, it is worthwhile to cite one simple truth: happiness can not be built on crime. Violence, even if it is possible to justify it with any high ideals, is evil. The hero himself admits that he killed not an old woman, but destroyed himself. The collapse of Raskolnikov's theory was visible even at the very beginning of her proposal, since it would not be possible to justify the manifestation of inhumanity.
Is Raskolnikov's theory alive today?
However sad it may sound, the idea of dividing people into classes exists. Modern life is tough and the principle "the strongest survivor" forces many to commit acts that do not correspond to morality . If you conduct a survey, who lives today according to the theory of Raskolnikov, then each person, most likely, can lead to the example of some personalities from his environment. One of the main reasons for this state of affairs is the importance of money that rules the world.