Machine 1

Miranda Machine
Mr. Conrad
AP Literature
September 12, 2015

The Extraordinary Downfall

Crime and Punishment, written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky in mid-19th Century Russia, is a
classic Philosophical novel set in Saint Petersburg that describes the despair and turmoil of this
historical city through the life of the books fictional character Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov.
In this story, Raskolnikov is a conflicted, poverty-stricken young student who deals with the
common destitution through a psychological twist based off of Dostoyevskys own personal
fixation of the Extraordinary Man. Ultimately, this idea leads the character to an exhaustingly
split-personality of good vs evil and an eventual social self-destruction.
Following the initial introduction to Raskolnikov and his penury setting, the novel begins
with the main character contemplating whether or not to carry out the deed that is planted in his
mind. The reader does not know exactly what this exploit entails, but is given a confident
acknowledgement that Raskolnikov, the main character himself, is unsure if the outcome will be
legitimately innocent; If I am so scared now, what would it be if it somehow came to pass that I
were really going to do it? (4) The reader is then introduced to Alyona Ivanovna, an elderly
woman who is a pawnbroker. From their interaction it is visible that the two are in disagreement
with one another; however, Raskolnikov is only doing business with her to discover certain

Machine 2

whereabouts of the womans personal items. Immediately afterwards, Raskolnikov battles with a
guilty conscience: Oh, God, how loathsome it all is! and can I, can I possibly.No, its
nonsense, its rubbish! he added resolutely. And how could such an atrocious thing come into
my head? What filthy things my heart is capable of. Yes, filthy about all, disgusting, loathsome,
loathsome!and for a whole month Ive been But no words, no exclamations, could express
his agitation. (8) Continuing onto that page, Raskolnikovs split-personality is first witnessed
when he justifies his notions with: Just a glass of beer, a piece of dry breadand in one
moment the brain is stronger, the mind is stronger, and the will is firm! (8) It is apparent that
Raskolnikov is trying to convince himself to follow through with his plan; the will is what he
is destined to do. Connecting the events that have happened so far, it is presumable that the guilty
act has something to do with the elderly woman, Alyona Ivanovna.
The book continues and Raskolnikov falls into a deep mental depression, so much that he
is consistently in his room and sleeping, not wanting to socialize with anybody. He receives an
update from his family that furthers his poor self-esteem, eventually leading to one night where
he has a terrible dream. In his dream, Raskolnikov is nostalgically reminded of his childhood.
But soon the dream takes a turn for the worst and the young Raskolnikov witnesses a horse being
tortured outside of a tavern. It is at last put out of its misery and given a final strike upon the
head with a crowbar. Raskolnikov awakens and is soon overcome with the idea of how to carry
out his destructive, sadistic plan... finally giving a further explanation of Raskolnikovs evil
thoughts. Good God! he cried, can it be, can it be, that I shall really take an axe, that I shall
strike her on the head, split her skull open that I shall tread in the sticky warm blood, break the
lock, steal and tremble; all splattered in the blood with the axe Good God, can it be? (62)
The next day he carries out the murderous deed, killing not only Alyona Ivanovna, but also her

Machine 3

untimely, timid sister Lizaveta who happened to catch Raskolnikov in the act. Raskolnikov
unsuccessfully steals the items he thought he could possess and escapes the scene with
impeccable timing, almost getting caught by many unexpected visitors, only having trinkets
rather than the wanted money. This whole deed proves that Raskolnikov truly has a selfish and
ruthless heart, wanting to benefit only himself.
Even so, this malicious act is contradicted a few pages later after he goes into another
depressing fit. He was not completely unconscious, however, all the time he was ill; he was in a
feverish state, sometimes delirious, sometimes half conscious. (120) It is clearly recognizable
that the reason Raskolnikov is so ill is due to the fact that he has just murdered, not one person
but two, and is brutally torturing himself with a guilty mindset. The split-personality of
Raskolnikov wanting to be self-serving and uncaring yet shows acts of remorse and complete
compunction makes the reader doubt that Raskolnikov is a stable-minded character. The change
of personality also seems to have no motive so far, allowing one to conjecture that Raskolnikov
is just a chemically imbalanced psychopath.
Not only did Raskolnikov show significant signs of remorse for his horrible deed through
depression, but he also showed a split-personality through his persistent acts of giving. Even
though Raskolnikov was severely impoverished himself, fortunate with what little money he was
given by his Mother and Sister, Raskolnikov gave the money to others in a self-less manor. The
greatest example within the novel is when Marmeladov, a man Raskolnikov barely knew and had
interacted with only twice before, was killed; being ran over by horses and a carriage while he
was drunkenly crossing the street. Raskolnikov gives the money to Marmeladovs wife saying:
Allow me now to do something to repay my debt to my dead friend. Here are twenty
roubles, I thinkand if that can be of any assistance to you, then I in short, I will come

Machine 4

again, I will be sure to come again (188) Raskolnikov considered Marmeladov a friend he
owed a debt to even though Raskolnikov barely even interacted with him. This main event shows
Raskolnikovs split-personality by his seemingly giving nature and selfless attitude, even though
days before Raskolnikov committed a double-homicide.
All of this evidence, and many more events throughout the book, do not explain or justify
his split-personality. Why did Raskolnikov act the way he did? In the end, the truth comes out.
Raskolnikov committed the act, not because he was chemically imbalanced, but because he truly
thought that he had a right. He believed he was above the law. He thought he was like Napoleon.
Raskolnikov thought he was an Extraordinary Man; a man that could do anything he wanted,
without repercussions, because he was just blessed with that ability. According to Raskolnikovs
article within the book (stemming from Dostoyevskys own interpretation in real life, based on
the studies of German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel) this idea of a special man is
defined as such: An extraordinary man has the right that is not an official right, but an inner
right to decide in his own conscience to overstep certain obstacles, and only in case it is
essential for the practical fulfillment of his idea (sometimes, perhaps, of benefit to the whole of
humanity). (260)
Consequently, Raskolnikov believed that he was an Extraordinary Man. He believed
that he had a right to help humanity, and help himself, by killing Alyona Ivanovna and ridding
her of the wealthy power she possessed over people who were financially struggling.
Raskolnikov believed that his privilege derived from his studious talent, self-assured that he
would undoubtedly be able to outsmart others so that he may succeed in triumphant,
uncondemned, glory. However, Raskolnikovs ability to complete this goal flawlessly was
subtracted by the fact that his subconscious moral standards were stronger than his selfish

Machine 5

desires. That is where his split-personality becomes evident; Raskolnikov is mentally torn
between wanting to achieve his desires and pursue greatness by egocentric means, yet his
subconscious mind created a barrier by forcing him to be virtuous at times with remorseful acts.
In the end, Roskolnikovs way of redemption was not what he had first sought out for; a given,
justified acceptance through being blessed as extraordinary. Instead, his overwhelming guilty
conscious drives him to accept that he sinned against morality, humanity, and God.
Raskolnikovs extraordinary downfall did not come dishonorably. Rather, he kept his
reputable standards by confessing, himself, his mistake. It was I killed the old pawnbroker
woman and her sister Lizaveta with an axe and robbed them. (526) Concluding that he went to
jail in Siberia for seven years, entrapped nevermore in his mind but now in the physical sense.
He could have easily gotten away with the crime and suffered with no punishment from the law,
but he would and did briefly suffer the punishment within his mind. When he confessed his sin,
the burden was lifted and he was set free. Raskolnikov was not an Extraordinary Man; but he
was an extraordinary example of redemption.