The Triumvirate welcomes you!
"The term triumvirate (from Latin, "of three men") is commonly used to describe a political regime dominated by three powerful individuals" (Wiki).
I'm going to start off with my evidence. I'll list the quotes to make it easy.
Pg. 64: "When he found the old woman he had felt an insurmountable repulsion for her at first glance...He got two rubles from her and went into a miserable little tavern on his way home. He asked for tea, sat down and sank into a deep thought. A strange idea was pecking at his brain like a chicken in the egg, and very, very much absorbed him."
From this I think it's clear that the initial idea to kill her was spontaneous. He just didn't like her. The fact that he does eventually kill her shows that there must be something not quite right with Raskolnikov, but, other than that, we can't really pinpoint a specific reason.
Everything after that is only his rationalization for killing her. Getting the money, helping out people, etc. are things he tells himself he's doing it for to alleviate some of the guilt he feels. There is nothing except his gut feeling telling him he wants to kill her. I guess that about does it for this post then. I thought I would have a lot more stuff, but, I guess I was wrong. Oh well.
Romanovitch overhears an officer and a student discussing the pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanovna. The student makes it clear that he despises her, saying that he "could kill that damned old woman and make off with her money" (only jokingly though) and calls her "a stupid, senseless, worthless, spiteful, ailing, horrid old woman". He adds perspective from a less hostile view (yet still condemning the woman) by stating that "a hundred thousand good deeds could be done and helped, on that old woman's money which will be buried in a monastery... Kill her, take her money and with the help of it devote oneself to the service of humanity and the good of all. What do you think, would not one tiny crime be wiped out by thousands of good deeds? For one life thousands would be saved from corruption and decay." Overall, the reader gets a general understanding that the woman is despicable (plus, she beats up on Lizaveta: "…she had a sister Lizaveta, whom the wretched little creature was continually beating, and kept in complete bondage like a small child" and "the other day she bit Lizaveta's finger out of spite; it almost had to be amputated").
These were the exact same ideas Romanovitch had. Though, his intent may have been quite different (for he never used the woman's money to help others), these were the thoughts that floated in his head while conceiving the idea to murder the pawnbroker.
Raskolnikov himself sites mixed motivations for murdering Aliona Ivanova. He begins after hearing news that Dunia is engaged to Luzhin, for his money he presumes. He feels guilty because his sister is sacrificing for him so he can afford to go to school. The original idea is to murder Aliona Ivanova and steel her money then fiance his and his families future with this and stop Dunia from marrying Luzhin. Ironically he never spends a single ruble from Aliona Ivanova on this cause. Later though, when he was confessing his crime to Sonia Raskolnikov said,
"...I ceartainly did want to help my mother... but, no thats not the real reason either... I asked myself one day this question - what if Napoleon, for instance, had happened to be in my place, and if he had not had Toulon nor Egypt nor the passage of Mont Blanc to begin his career with, but instead of all those picturesque and monumental things, there had simply been some ridiculous old hag, a pawnbroker, who had to be murdered too to get money from her trunk (for his career, you understand). Well, would he have brought himself to that if there had been no other means? Wouldn't he have felt a pang at its being so far from monumental and . . . and sinful, too? Well, I must tell you that I worried myself fearfully over that 'question' so that I was awfully ashamed when I guessed at last (all of a sudden, somehow) that it would not have given him the least pang, that it would not even have struck him that it was not monumental . . . that he would not have seen that there was anything in it to pause over, and that, if he had had no other way, he would have strangled her in a minute without thinking about it! Well, I too . . . left off thinking about it . . . murdered her, following his example." 352-353
This reasoning branched from Raskolnikov's theory that great people should transcend the law in order to make progress. His idea was that a these great people would improve society only if they could rise above it and in doing so must commit crimes, but these crimes are justified because the cause is great. He wants to be like a Napoleon who would not hesitate to kill the old pawn broker in order to advance his own plans and ideas.
" I resolved to gain possession of the old woman's money and to use it for my first years without worrying my mother, to keep myself at the university and for a little while after leaving it - and to do this all on a broad, thorough scale, so as to build up a completely new career and enter upon a new life of independence. . . ." (396)
So he is both testing himself and seeing if he can become a great figure, and trying to help his mother. Raskolnikov switches back from one justification to the other throughout the book, but I believe it was a combination. The motivation to commit the murder was to help his mother and sister and establish a life for himself, and the justification was that by acting nobly he could transcend the law and his own conscience. He is evidently not a sociopath, or as he tags it "a Napoleon" because Raskolnikov is not able to separate his human feelings from his higher motives and goals.
It seems to be that the only logical reason that Raskolnikov killed Lizaveta and Alyona Ivanovna is because of his belief in a high group of man in modern society. Since Raskolnikov had already wrote an article about how there are “extraordinary” people and “ordinary” people on this planet, then he must have already had some idea or feeling that he was one of the better people. If he never had felt this way about himself, then it wouldn’t support, or it even contradict his article and what he says to Porfiry about how the special people are conscience of the fact that they are special and would then have the “inner right” to be able to transgress morality. Raskolnikov also tends to compare himself to Napoleon, as though he is, or will be a great leader, “the crown of humanity”, and someone who will “move the world and lead it to its goal.” Therefore, he committed this crime because he believed that it was what he was supposed to do, for why was there that moment that he had overheard that Lizaveta will be leaving Alyona Ivanovna alone. Raskolnikov thinks that it was what he was supposed to do because he is (as he believes) “extraordinary”.
Although, during the time around the crime nothing is said about his idea of the two groups of humans, therefore it is a bit unclear as to exactly why Raskolnikov murdered the two sisters. The only reason that seems to be given is that Raskolnikov found it strange that he was in the right place at the right time to overhear such interesting news about Alyona Ivanovna.
There are three possible reasons advanced within the book as to why Raskolnikov committed the murder of Aliona, the pawnbroker.
1) It would be easy to try to “justify” (if one can ever justify murder) the murder of the pawnbroker by stating that Raskolnikov was hopelessly poor and desperately in need of money. This is the reason Sonia initially guesses at when she first acknowledges Raskolnikov’s deeds: “You were hungry! It was…to help your mother?” (392). Raskolnikov himself briefly toys with the idea (“To plunder, perhaps”), but ultimately he rejects it (392). The “…money was not it”, Raskolnikov did not murder the old women for the sake of stealing her money to keep himself in university and to ultimately gain a government post, as most clearly evidenced by the fact that he never even looked into her purse to see how many rubles there were (392). So horrified was he at the deed that he immediately disposed of the purse and pledges at the earliest time possible. Moreover, I think Raskolnikov is too prideful to ever steal.
2) The second possible reason for the murder and the one which he also ponders is the excuse that her death would have been for the greater good. Not only was the old pawnbroker considered spiteful and miserly by Raskolnikov, but she was largely hated by all her clients. Raskolnikov once overheard another student hypothesizing that her death could be incredibly helpful to mankind, since from her money, “a hundred, a thousand good deeds and undertakings could be done…” (66). This had a profound influence on Raskolnikov as his brain “was just conceiving the very same ideas” (66). Yet, as he latter admitted, such a reason was just an excuse.
3) The third and most plausible idea for the reason behind the pawnbroker’s murder was revealed when Raskolnikov confessed his sin to Sonia. After intense contemplation, he admitted that he committed the deed because he wanted to test if he was a Napoleon; if he had the power, the nerve to murder the old women. Raskolnikov’s is one of the most prideful and stubborn characters in the book. Thus, he heavily resented his own destitution and poverty; he sulked. While situated in “…low ceilings and tiny rooms” (398), his mind wandered and he asked himself if he was an extraordinary man, with “…a right to commit any crime and transgress the law in any way” (247). Yet, he “…felt clearly of course that [he] wasn’t Napoleon” (398). As he raves to Sonia, “I wanted to murder without casuistry, to murder for my own sake, for myself alone!” “I wanted to find out then and there whether I was a louse like everyone else or a man. Whether I can overstep barriers or not…whether I am a trembling creature or whether I have the right…” (398).
I read this book fully aware that double murder was going to be committed within the first hundred pages of the book, leaving the rest about thinking about the murders. I was on my toes for it.
Raskovnikov has been thinking about murdering the pawnbroker for a while. His trip to Alyona Ivanovna's was jittery and nervous. He freaked about his seemingly innocent hat. That level of nervousness has a guilty quality to it. It is foreshadowed during and after his watch exchange that he was thinking something completely awful. "'Oh God, how loathsome it all is! and can I, can I possibly...No, it's nonsense, it's rubbish!...And how could such an atrocious thing come into my head? What filthy things my heart is capable of. Yes, filthy above all, disgusting, loathsome, loathsome!'" (page 8) The worst thing someone could think about is murder. And while he was at her house, he was memorizing everything in it. A person without a motive to do so would not think about where the old lady kept her money.
Later, on page 62, he is more explicit about his plans. "'Good God!...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; hide, all splattered in the blood...with the axe....Good God, can it be?'" He rationalizes that he won't do it, can't do it, yet when he overhears people talking about Lizaveta (pawnbroker's sister) being away, he feels compelled to commit the act. "...he felt suddenly in his whole being that he had no more freedom of thought, no will, and that everything was suddenly and irrevocably decided" (page 65).
Raskovnikov has been thinking about killing her for a while. It is most likely because he felt like he had no other options. He had no proper clothes, hadn't ate for days, couldn't pay his rent at all, and lived like someone with no valuables at all. She was an old lady who kept money from the poor and made her sister do all of her bidding. She wasn't a good person. He wanted to get rid of someone so negative to society. (See examples above.) He related himself to Napoleon, who enforced his own set of civil laws onto people he conquered. Raskovnikov is trying to enforce his own type of civil law over the bad aspects of society.
Ok, so I just realized that I made one of those typo errors where you forget a important word so then what you wrote is the exact opposite of what you meant to say. I fixed it, so now it should make sense. :]
I honestly don’t think that one can really say exactly why Raskolnikov killed the old pawnbroker, since he himself could never really understand why the idea ever occurred to him. The old lady was certainly repulsive and not the nicest of people, but that’s no reason to kill a person. Raskolnikov himself couldn’t believe that he would actually ever go through with it, saying, “If I am so scared now, what would it be if it somehow came to pass that I were really going to do it?”(8). He doesn’t understand why he’s making the arrangements and preparing, and all the while wonders why he is.
Raskolnikov took the conversation between the student and the officer to be a strange coincidence. Since that was about when the idea first occurred to him, it was odd that he should then overhear a conversation about his idea. He also takes finding out that Lizaveta will be out at 7:00 to be a sign that he is supposed to follow through with it. Once overhearing this, “he felt suddenly in his whole being that he had no more freedom of thought, no will, and that everything was suddenly and irrevocably decided” (63).
"Post is for William, as his account is unable to post"
Raskolnikov seems to list multiple reasons for murdering the pawnbroker, including the dire need for money. Towards the end of the book, Sonia infers his exterior reason for the murder, contemplating that he was poor to the point that he went “hungry! It was…to help [his] mother?” (392)”. This, in addition to Raskolnikov’s careful notice of how Alyona stored her valuables, “So she carries the keys in her right pocket… Trunks always have keys like that” (9), shows that the driving logical reason in Raskolnikov’s mind was the need for money.
However, the main reason was his philosophical belief that some members of society could ascend moral codes of their society to make life better for the rest of the population. It seemed that he deeply believed in utilitarian values and wanted to test whether he was one such person. Essentially, he wondered if he had “a right to commit any crime and transgress the law in any way” (247) to murder “a stupid, meaningless, worthless, wicked, sick old crone” (65) in order to help the general population. Furthermore, Raskolnikov had a belief that criminals get caught because of “morbid revolutions” that causes them to become irrational. Essentially, Raskolnikov believes that his doing is not a crime and that he does not suffer the weaknesses of convicted criminals.
The final reason for Raskolnikov’s murder is his unhealthy state of mind and body. Being poor, he has probably not eaten much nor have the funds to keep himself in good health. Pair that with the poor living conditions of his area and his intellectual nature, and one can see that the rational impulses that would have inhibited from committing the crime were probably suppressed. In essence, he was partly in a delusional state.
Raskolnikov wants to murder Aliona because he wants her money. He doesn't want to get a job and make and slowly make money, he wants to gain a fortune instantly. He tells Nastasia this in his room:
"...And you want to get a fortune all at once?" He looked at her strangely. "Yes, I want a fortune." He answered firmly, after a brief pause.
Raskolnikov also hates Aliona and believes that the world would be better if she was not alive. Raskolnikov wants to murder Aliona, but it seems that he doesn't have a plan until he learns that she will be alone the next day. His only plan is that he will create a noose in his jacket to hold an axe (his murder weapon). Raskolnikov didn't even think he could go through with the murder. He never got it fully into his head that he would have to physically murder Aliona. With all of his thinking and turning the idea around in his head, he seemed very unprepared and kind of in a dream-like state.
Ech, I don't have my book on me. It's in the car, which is with my dad, so I'll post some quotes a bit later. I think the decision to kill the pawnbroker is spontaneous, but pressured by previous events. Matthew quoted a passage I wanted to get to, the one describing his "insurmountable repulsion" against her. I think this was first created by his own repulsion against his having to go to a pawnbroker for money, pawning off everything he has, and then propelled by her indignation of the items he had (observed by the extremely decreased payments she gave). Something finally just gave way and Raskolnikov killed her, in the same manner that a bottle of carbonated bottle is shaken up and subsequently explodes.
There is no simple answer for why Raskolnikov murdered the pawnbroker. The densest reasons would be that he was poor and tired; hence he was in dire need of money. His mother’s letter about Dunia’s engagement fueled the flames to his ideas. Before, in the tavern, he had overheard about the pawnbroker and her evil ways from another student. That student’s idea about murdering her and spreading her wealth for the good of society was the inspiration for the murder. In a subconscious sense he was trying to gain the money in order to prevent Dunia’s marriage to Luzhin. However, Raskolnikov believed himself to be an intellectual, a man that was far greater than the others. His paper regarding society’s rules and how great men could break them was evidence of this.
In his delirium, Raskolnikov wanted to test out his theory. The main model for his ideas was Napoleon. He believed that Napoleon could break rules that bound every other man in society, because he was great and he could bend a few guidelines in order to achieve greatness and prosperity for the whole. Raskolnikov thought that he was a Napoleon and was able to accomplish such a murder without feeling guilt or grief about the event. He was doing what needed to be done in his own mind. In the later chapters, he talks with Sonia about the murder and why he committed it. She asks him if he did it, because he was hungry and wanted to save his family. He clearly said no. He committed the murder, because he wanted to test out his theory about great men. However, he realized after he committed the murder that he was not a Napoleon, but a regular man like everyone else. The rules of society did pertain to him and he could not get away with a heinous act.
Regardless if his theory about great men being able to transcend the law is accurate, he murdered the pawnbroker to test this idea out. He also believed that he could take the money and help the poor with it. As he said before he was ridding the world of a louse and thought he would use the money to do good. I thought Raskolnikov's reason for killing the women was one of the most intriguing aspects of the book. His faulty reasoning and his path to discovering that his reasons were faulty gave the reader ideas that he/she never thought about.
‘Why’ is always such a difficult question. That’s not me trying to be deep or anything—it’s just such a multifaceted question that it’s hard to know where to approach it. As I was mulling over in class the other day, I’m not sure even Raskolnikov knows why he committed the murder of the old pawnbroker. There are several different explanations. The easy, obvious reason (because he was poor), his outward justification (because he would be exterminating a cold, evil woman), and his inner subconscious drive to prove something to himself.
This last reason is the most interesting to me. The scene in the book in which they are discussing the article Raskolnikov had written some months before shed light on his motives. The article, which describes "the psychological condition of the criminal throughout the commission of the crime,” runs parallel to Raskolnikov’s current situation in many ways.
His article and the discussion that comes with it is about Raskolnikov’s position about the nature of crime. Extraordinary people, he argues, are beyond they law. They have the right “in himself” to step over normal boundaries in order to achieve what ordinary people could not.
This idea that distinguishes extraordinary men from ordinary men seems to be at the back of Raskolnikov’s mind frequently, and the murder of the pawnbroker could be seen as some sort of .. fantasy fulfillment. Not that he fantasized about murder or anything. But he is seeking to fill the role that he set up in his article—he illustrated what it meant to be an extraordinary man, and when the opportunity presented itself that he might bypass the law and prove to be a Napoleon of sorts, he took it, almost as though he wanted to prove to himself.
I’m not sure Raskolnikov was aware of seeking some sort of role-fulfillment, or if it was a subconscious drive. For all I know, or Raskolnikov knows, for that matter, it could have been a fleeting urge, done in simple anger and disgust toward the woman who troubles him, hurt his mother, and is, in his opinion, a general nuisance to society.
I think that Raskolnikov killed the old woman to prove to himself that he can take control of his own life, and in addition to make himself feel more powerful and above other people. I think that he feels like he is one of those people with "moral permission to shed blood"(223).
After explaining his article to the police, Raskolnikov defends his actions internally saying: " 'The old hag is nothing!' ... 'Perhaps the old woman was a mistake, but she is not the point. The old woman was only a symptom of my illness. . . I wanted to overstep all restrictionsas auickly as possible... I killed not a human being but a principle!' "
The section tells me that he thought he could kill her because he was one of those 'special' people able to do whatever they want, but he also feels guilt for his actions and I think that scares him.
The book isn't super clear in my opinion about why he picked the old woman, but I think that to him she was just someone who he could blame many of his problems on: she took meaningful things from him, was wealthy, was plenty grumpy and she represented a part of his life that he couldn't/ wouldn't really control (his finances).
The main reason I found for Raskolnikov murdering the pawnbroker was his sense that he is above all other people in a mental sense. From the start of the novel, he gives off a sense of arrogance that leads to a general atmosphere that he feels that he has the superior mentality that prevents him from being effected by emotions. However, the specific reasons are very hard to pin point. There is a lot of evidence that displays Raskolnikov's bitterness towards the pawnbroker. When we are first introduced to the pawnbroker while Raskolnikov is pawning his watch, he is disgusted at her and despite his awful intentions, he feels that no one would care because she is "a stupid, senseless, worthless, spiteful, ailing, horrid old woman". Therefore, he feels that by murdering her, he is doing society a favor by riding a person that is despised by such a wide proportion of the population.
Matt: I believe it a terrible disservice to Raskolnikov's character to dismiss his murderous decision as spontaneous. Besides, There is evidence in the book to prove otherwise. When he overhears the people saying that the pawnbroker will be alone, his reaction is more or less a "finally! My chance has come!" The question is not whether or not it was premeditated, but what drove him to murder. Please forgive the absence of direct quotes, but It's the first night of Passover and after a long Seder the last thing on my mind is finding direct quotes.
Raskolnikov murders the pawnbroker with the intention of stealing her money and spending it on good causes. He believes society would be better off without a person like a pawnbroker. In the end, however, he never spends any of the money to help any causes. What a jerk, right?
Oh, and all of my evidence can be found in the book, Crime and Punishment.
I think Raskolnikov killed the pawnbroker because he believed in the concept of fullfilling the greater good, at any cost. He also felt that the sacrifice of one for this whole is more beneficial than the murder that must take place. Thus he feels that the murder is justified by the fact that the money will help the poor rather than stagnate in her closet.
This rational is stated by a stranger Raskolnikov overhears in a pub. The stranger, strangly enough, voices what Raskolnikov is thinking "we have a stupid, senseless, worthless wicked, old hag who is of no use to anybody and who actually does harm to everybody...hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives could be saved... Rescuded from a life of poverty...all with her money. Kill her, take her money, and with it's help devote yourself to the service of humanity." This takes the Robin Hood idea to a whole new, darker, level. Instead of stealing from the rich you kill the rich and give to the poor. This idea is the basis for Raskolnikov's idea to take the money from the richr and only save it for himself, a member of the poor. Thus the desire to even out the wealth of the community is why he comitted the murder.
Of the many defenses he offers throughout the book for his actions, I found Raskolnikov's impassioned confession to Sonia towards the novel's end to be most revealing of his true intentions. He makes clear in his speech to her that he acted not out of any personal need or benevolence towards his family but simply because he could act, because he felt that he ought to act due to what he sees as his superior intellect and moral code. Says Raskolnikov on the subject:
"'...I realized, Sonia, that if I waited for everyone to be more intelligent, I'd have to wait a very long time. And later still I realized that that would never be, that people would never change, that no one would ever be able to change them...That's the law of their being..That is so...And now I know, Sonia, that he who is firm and strong in mind and spirit will be their master. He who dares much is right...he who dares more than anyone is more right that any one.'" (pg. 431)
I don't believe that he ever truly intended to use the money he stole from the pawnbroker for any noble cause. I believe he took it with him when he left because he thought that he ought to take it, because that is what the humanitarian that he saw himself to be would do. He seems to think and expect a great deal of himself, and I believe it is his inability to reconcile those two versions of himself (his idealized self and his actual self) that causes him so much anguish and torment.
I think there are a few reasons as to why he killed her. I think many of these reasons added more to his reasoning as to why her life was no longer needed in his mind. Though I do believe that some of these reasons may be there to help justify his act. For example he thought she was an evil women so that the world was a better place without her. Also he felt like her monet would be better well placed if it was spread from her to the poorer. However I dont think those were the main reasons however. I think he just wanted to be a heroe, and felt like he could do it since he thoguht he was above everyone else mentally. He wanted to see if he had teh bravery to do such an act and whether he was Napoleon.
hey, sorry, but my prompt will be late. I checked the blog yesterday at around 3 and realized I didn't have my book; it's in my locker. I will do this blog as soon as I get out of school today. again, sorry about the lateness!
What I was going to say was reallly really similar to what Michelle was going to say, but less indepth.
Initially, I believe that Ros was planning on killing the pawnbroker for her money. I'm going to try referring to the book without it near me, so please bear with me while I try to recall the part. When he goes to the pawnbroker the second time, his observations were to when and where she was placing the pawned item. So he listened very closely to figure out where the valuables were placed. When he murdered the pawnbroker, he retrieved her keys to unlock the top drawer which he assumed was the drawer that she kept her money. But because he couldn't unlock it, he ransacked different areas where there were other items, and he stuffed them into his pockets. I think that was his initial intentions. However, I think the guilt got to him when he murdered Lizaveta because he appreciated her, and she was just a child that doesn't really understand anything. So he discarded anything that reminded him of money afterwards for quite some time before he finally accepted (but he still gave it away to Marmeladov's family, maybe to get rid of his guilt?). So after murdering the pawnbroker and her step sister, he realized the deed that he actually committed and felt the immense guilt that followed and broke down, never accepting any money and just throwing it away. Like when that one woman walking with a child gave him the money because they thought he was a hobo, he threw it into the river! Holy cow, that's ridiculous, he should've given that money to someone tha was actually needing it. He just threw it away. Not the smartest man in the world.
Another thing that motivated him to commit murder, he justified it as for the better of the community. Although it is not the reason why he killed her, it was a justification for the real reason of killing her. When he heard the conversation with the two men in the bar, he realized how the pawnbroker is a mean old lady. He already dispise her because of how she handles things and how she mistrusts people. The two men starts to talk about how she tricks people and how she treats Lizaveta so badly. What is so bad about getting rid of one person that is going to be the ruin of the rest of the city? There isn't really any bad at all. But he did not plan well enough, and killing Lizaveta made him go off the edge of the ledge. He killed someone who he knows is innocent and did not deserve to die. Making him ish insane.
I also think that Ros wants to see if he is a Napolean as well, to see if he is one of the extraordinary people. To kill people, but for a good cause. His article that he wrote to differentiate from the extraordinary people and the ordinary people. To discover if something is true is usually to experience it. This reason is paired with the justification that killing the pawnbroker would be for the better of the community. However, he didn't look far enough and that is what makes him an ordinary person and not an extraordinary. He didn't realize that one person's life may affect the community both good and bad, and he did not plan on killing another person. Maybe if he had only killed the pawnbroker, he would be able to feel the exhilaration of doing a good to the community, but we'll never know because he killed Lizaveta. Or maybe he wouldn't feel good about killing someone, and he'd still be in the same state that he is now.
But I really think that initially, he killed the pawnbroker because of money. And everything that he thought were justifications why he was doing it.
Ok, I'm finally posting this and I am slightly ashamed about how late it is. Sorry again!
I agree with Matthew in that a lot of the reasons Raskolnikov says are just to justify the murder after it's been done. However, my idea of why he actually killed the pawnbroker is different. The fact that he had written a paper months before the murder about how some people are "Napoleons" and thus are allowed to overstep laws shows that that idea was in his head before the murder, not just a justification thought up after. I think he does believe he is above the law in some ways. In class yesterday, when we were discussing Raskolnikov, someone mentioned how one of the main reasons he didn't want to turn himself in is that he looked down on government justice. His theory in killing the pawnbroker was about being able to overstep one's conscience and get away with it, not about getting away with a crime by not having the police find out. I agree with Michelle in this way. It corresponds with his encounter with Sonia when tells her he killed Lizaveta. I think he's being completely honest with her, something I don't think he intended to do, but ends up doing anyways.
Like some others, I don't think Dunia's upcoming marriage or his poverty was as big of factors in his decision. The fact that the pawnbroker was a despicable person helped him in his decision, but overall, I think he did want to test his theory. After spending so much time brooding, being dirt poor, and stuck by himself, bad thoughts started to dominate him and led him to his decision to kill the pawnbroker.
I believe that Raskolnikov murders the pawnbroker due to his belief that he is above all other people, and has a "superhuman" mental ability. At the beginning of the novel, Raskolnikov's arrogance suggests to the reader that he feels that he has a superior mental capability and therefore is exempt of laws and a crime's punishment. However, the specific reasons why Raskolnikov commits the murder are difficult to define.
Other theories as to why Raskolnikov commits the murder include: he did it for the money, he did it to rid the world of a despicable person, or he did it to protect Lizaveta. Although all of those are possible the most plausible reason, in my opinion, was that he wanted to test out his belief that he was "superior" and prove to himself that he does indeed have a mind akin to Napoleon's. This belief/idea clash and contrast with Raskolnikov's rational and kind side of his brain, as displayed when he gives money to Marmeladov's family and when he helps the raped girl. However, his ideals control Raskolnikov and drive him to belief that it is his fate to murder the pawnbroker.
25 comments:
I'm going to start off with my evidence. I'll list the quotes to make it easy.
Pg. 64: "When he found the old woman he had felt an insurmountable repulsion for her at first glance...He got two rubles from her and went into a miserable little tavern on his way home. He asked for tea, sat down and sank into a deep thought. A strange idea was pecking at his brain like a chicken in the egg, and very, very much absorbed him."
From this I think it's clear that the initial idea to kill her was spontaneous. He just didn't like her. The fact that he does eventually kill her shows that there must be something not quite right with Raskolnikov, but, other than that, we can't really pinpoint a specific reason.
Everything after that is only his rationalization for killing her. Getting the money, helping out people, etc. are things he tells himself he's doing it for to alleviate some of the guilt he feels. There is nothing except his gut feeling telling him he wants to kill her. I guess that about does it for this post then. I thought I would have a lot more stuff, but, I guess I was wrong. Oh well.
Romanovitch overhears an officer and a student discussing the pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanovna. The student makes it clear that he despises her, saying that he "could kill that damned old woman and make off with her money" (only jokingly though) and calls her "a stupid, senseless, worthless, spiteful, ailing, horrid old woman". He adds perspective from a less hostile view (yet still condemning the woman) by stating that "a hundred thousand good deeds could be done and helped, on that old woman's money which will be buried in a monastery... Kill her, take her money and with the help of it devote oneself to the service of humanity and the good of all. What do you think, would not one tiny crime be wiped out by thousands of good deeds? For one life thousands would be saved from corruption and decay." Overall, the reader gets a general understanding that the woman is despicable (plus, she beats up on Lizaveta: "…she had a sister Lizaveta, whom the wretched little creature was continually beating, and kept in complete bondage like a small child" and "the other day she bit Lizaveta's finger out of spite; it almost had to be amputated").
These were the exact same ideas Romanovitch had. Though, his intent may have been quite different (for he never used the woman's money to help others), these were the thoughts that floated in his head while conceiving the idea to murder the pawnbroker.
Raskolnikov himself sites mixed motivations for murdering Aliona Ivanova. He begins after hearing news that Dunia is engaged to Luzhin, for his money he presumes. He feels guilty because his sister is sacrificing for him so he can afford to go to school. The original idea is to murder Aliona Ivanova and steel her money then fiance his and his families future with this and stop Dunia from marrying Luzhin. Ironically he never spends a single ruble from Aliona Ivanova on this cause. Later though, when he was confessing his crime to Sonia Raskolnikov said,
"...I ceartainly did want to help my mother... but, no thats not the real reason either... I asked myself one day this question - what if Napoleon, for instance, had happened to be in my place, and if he had not had Toulon nor Egypt nor the passage of Mont Blanc to begin his career with, but instead of all those picturesque and monumental things, there had simply been some ridiculous old hag, a pawnbroker, who had to be murdered too to get money from her trunk (for his career, you understand). Well, would he have brought himself to that if there had been no other means? Wouldn't he have felt a pang at its being so far from monumental and . . . and sinful, too? Well, I must tell you that I worried myself fearfully over that 'question' so that I was awfully ashamed when I guessed at last (all of a sudden, somehow) that it would not have given him the least pang, that it would not even have struck him that it was not monumental . . . that he would not have seen that there was anything in it to pause over, and that, if he had had no other way, he would have strangled her in a minute without thinking about it! Well, I too . . . left off thinking about it . . . murdered her, following his example." 352-353
This reasoning branched from Raskolnikov's theory that great people should transcend the law in order to make progress. His idea was that a these great people would improve society only if they could rise above it and in doing so must commit crimes, but these crimes are justified because the cause is great. He wants to be like a Napoleon who would not hesitate to kill the old pawn broker in order to advance his own plans and ideas.
" I resolved to gain possession of the old woman's money and to use it for my first years without worrying my mother, to keep myself at the university and for a little while after leaving it - and to do this all on a broad, thorough scale, so as to build up a completely new career and enter upon a new life of independence. . . ." (396)
So he is both testing himself and seeing if he can become a great figure, and trying to help his mother. Raskolnikov switches back from one justification to the other throughout the book, but I believe it was a combination. The motivation to commit the murder was to help his mother and sister and establish a life for himself, and the justification was that by acting nobly he could transcend the law and his own conscience. He is evidently not a sociopath, or as he tags it "a Napoleon" because Raskolnikov is not able to separate his human feelings from his higher motives and goals.
It seems to be that the only logical reason that Raskolnikov killed Lizaveta and Alyona Ivanovna is because of his belief in a high group of man in modern society. Since Raskolnikov had already wrote an article about how there are “extraordinary” people and “ordinary” people on this planet, then he must have already had some idea or feeling that he was one of the better people. If he never had felt this way about himself, then it wouldn’t support, or it even contradict his article and what he says to Porfiry about how the special people are conscience of the fact that they are special and would then have the “inner right” to be able to transgress morality. Raskolnikov also tends to compare himself to Napoleon, as though he is, or will be a great leader, “the crown of humanity”, and someone who will “move the world and lead it to its goal.” Therefore, he committed this crime because he believed that it was what he was supposed to do, for why was there that moment that he had overheard that Lizaveta will be leaving Alyona Ivanovna alone. Raskolnikov thinks that it was what he was supposed to do because he is (as he believes) “extraordinary”.
Although, during the time around the crime nothing is said about his idea of the two groups of humans, therefore it is a bit unclear as to exactly why Raskolnikov murdered the two sisters. The only reason that seems to be given is that Raskolnikov found it strange that he was in the right place at the right time to overhear such interesting news about Alyona Ivanovna.
There are three possible reasons advanced within the book as to why Raskolnikov committed the murder of Aliona, the pawnbroker.
1) It would be easy to try to “justify” (if one can ever justify murder) the murder of the pawnbroker by stating that Raskolnikov was hopelessly poor and desperately in need of money. This is the reason Sonia initially guesses at when she first acknowledges Raskolnikov’s deeds: “You were hungry! It was…to help your mother?” (392). Raskolnikov himself briefly toys with the idea (“To plunder, perhaps”), but ultimately he rejects it (392). The “…money was not it”, Raskolnikov did not murder the old women for the sake of stealing her money to keep himself in university and to ultimately gain a government post, as most clearly evidenced by the fact that he never even looked into her purse to see how many rubles there were (392). So horrified was he at the deed that he immediately disposed of the purse and pledges at the earliest time possible. Moreover, I think Raskolnikov is too prideful to ever steal.
2) The second possible reason for the murder and the one which he also ponders is the excuse that her death would have been for the greater good. Not only was the old pawnbroker considered spiteful and miserly by Raskolnikov, but she was largely hated by all her clients. Raskolnikov once overheard another student hypothesizing that her death could be incredibly helpful to mankind, since from her money, “a hundred, a thousand good deeds and undertakings could be done…” (66). This had a profound influence on Raskolnikov as his brain “was just conceiving the very same ideas” (66). Yet, as he latter admitted, such a reason was just an excuse.
3) The third and most plausible idea for the reason behind the pawnbroker’s murder was revealed when Raskolnikov confessed his sin to Sonia. After intense contemplation, he admitted that he committed the deed because he wanted to test if he was a Napoleon; if he had the power, the nerve to murder the old women. Raskolnikov’s is one of the most prideful and stubborn characters in the book. Thus, he heavily resented his own destitution and poverty; he sulked. While situated in “…low ceilings and tiny rooms” (398), his mind wandered and he asked himself if he was an extraordinary man, with “…a right to commit any crime and transgress the law in any way” (247). Yet, he “…felt clearly of course that [he] wasn’t Napoleon” (398). As he raves to Sonia, “I wanted to murder without casuistry, to murder for my own sake, for myself alone!” “I wanted to find out then and there whether I was a louse like everyone else or a man. Whether I can overstep barriers or not…whether I am a trembling creature or whether I have the right…” (398).
I read this book fully aware that double murder was going to be committed within the first hundred pages of the book, leaving the rest about thinking about the murders. I was on my toes for it.
Raskovnikov has been thinking about murdering the pawnbroker for a while. His trip to Alyona Ivanovna's was jittery and nervous. He freaked about his seemingly innocent hat. That level of nervousness has a guilty quality to it. It is foreshadowed during and after his watch exchange that he was thinking something completely awful.
"'Oh God, how loathsome it all is! and can I, can I possibly...No, it's nonsense, it's rubbish!...And how could such an atrocious thing come into my head? What filthy things my heart is capable of. Yes, filthy above all, disgusting, loathsome, loathsome!'" (page 8)
The worst thing someone could think about is murder. And while he was at her house, he was memorizing everything in it. A person without a motive to do so would not think about where the old lady kept her money.
Later, on page 62, he is more explicit about his plans. "'Good God!...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; hide, all splattered in the blood...with the axe....Good God, can it be?'"
He rationalizes that he won't do it, can't do it, yet when he overhears people talking about Lizaveta (pawnbroker's sister) being away, he feels compelled to commit the act. "...he felt suddenly in his whole being that he had no more freedom of thought, no will, and that everything was suddenly and irrevocably decided" (page 65).
Raskovnikov has been thinking about killing her for a while. It is most likely because he felt like he had no other options. He had no proper clothes, hadn't ate for days, couldn't pay his rent at all, and lived like someone with no valuables at all. She was an old lady who kept money from the poor and made her sister do all of her bidding. She wasn't a good person. He wanted to get rid of someone so negative to society. (See examples above.)
He related himself to Napoleon, who enforced his own set of civil laws onto people he conquered. Raskovnikov is trying to enforce his own type of civil law over the bad aspects of society.
Ok, so I just realized that I made one of those typo errors where you forget a important word so then what you wrote is the exact opposite of what you meant to say. I fixed it, so now it should make sense. :]
I honestly don’t think that one can really say exactly why Raskolnikov killed the old pawnbroker, since he himself could never really understand why the idea ever occurred to him. The old lady was certainly repulsive and not the nicest of people, but that’s no reason to kill a person. Raskolnikov himself couldn’t believe that he would actually ever go through with it, saying, “If I am so scared now, what would it be if it somehow came to pass that I were really going to do it?”(8). He doesn’t understand why he’s making the arrangements and preparing, and all the while wonders why he is.
Raskolnikov took the conversation between the student and the officer to be a strange coincidence. Since that was about when the idea first occurred to him, it was odd that he should then overhear a conversation about his idea. He also takes finding out that Lizaveta will be out at 7:00 to be a sign that he is supposed to follow through with it. Once overhearing this, “he felt suddenly in his whole being that he had no more freedom of thought, no will, and that everything was suddenly and irrevocably decided” (63).
"Post is for William, as his account is unable to post"
Raskolnikov seems to list multiple reasons for murdering the pawnbroker, including the dire need for money. Towards the end of the book, Sonia infers his exterior reason for the murder, contemplating that he was poor to the point that he went “hungry! It was…to help [his] mother?” (392)”. This, in addition to Raskolnikov’s careful notice of how Alyona stored her valuables, “So she carries the keys in her right pocket… Trunks always have keys like that” (9), shows that the driving logical reason in Raskolnikov’s mind was the need for money.
However, the main reason was his philosophical belief that some members of society could ascend moral codes of their society to make life better for the rest of the population. It seemed that he deeply believed in utilitarian values and wanted to test whether he was one such person.
Essentially, he wondered if he had “a right to commit any crime and transgress the law in any way” (247) to murder “a stupid, meaningless, worthless, wicked, sick old crone” (65) in order to help the general population. Furthermore, Raskolnikov had a belief that criminals get caught because of “morbid revolutions” that causes them to become irrational. Essentially, Raskolnikov believes that his doing is not a crime and that he does not suffer the weaknesses of convicted criminals.
The final reason for Raskolnikov’s murder is his unhealthy state of mind and body. Being poor, he has probably not eaten much nor have the funds to keep himself in good health. Pair that with the poor living conditions of his area and his intellectual nature, and one can see that the rational impulses that would have inhibited from committing the crime were probably suppressed. In essence, he was partly in a delusional state.
Raskolnikov wants to murder Aliona because he wants her money. He doesn't want to get a job and make and slowly make money, he wants to gain a fortune instantly. He tells Nastasia this in his room:
"...And you want to get a fortune all at once?"
He looked at her strangely.
"Yes, I want a fortune." He answered firmly, after a brief pause.
Raskolnikov also hates Aliona and believes that the world would be better if she was not alive. Raskolnikov wants to murder Aliona, but it seems that he doesn't have a plan until he learns that she will be alone the next day. His only plan is that he will create a noose in his jacket to hold an axe (his murder weapon). Raskolnikov didn't even think he could go through with the murder. He never got it fully into his head that he would have to physically murder Aliona. With all of his thinking and turning the idea around in his head, he seemed very unprepared and kind of in a dream-like state.
Ech, I don't have my book on me. It's in the car, which is with my dad, so I'll post some quotes a bit later. I think the decision to kill the pawnbroker is spontaneous, but pressured by previous events. Matthew quoted a passage I wanted to get to, the one describing his "insurmountable repulsion" against her. I think this was first created by his own repulsion against his having to go to a pawnbroker for money, pawning off everything he has, and then propelled by her indignation of the items he had (observed by the extremely decreased payments she gave). Something finally just gave way and Raskolnikov killed her, in the same manner that a bottle of carbonated bottle is shaken up and subsequently explodes.
There is no simple answer for why Raskolnikov murdered the pawnbroker. The densest reasons would be that he was poor and tired; hence he was in dire need of money. His mother’s letter about Dunia’s engagement fueled the flames to his ideas. Before, in the tavern, he had overheard about the pawnbroker and her evil ways from another student. That student’s idea about murdering her and spreading her wealth for the good of society was the inspiration for the murder. In a subconscious sense he was trying to gain the money in order to prevent Dunia’s marriage to Luzhin. However, Raskolnikov believed himself to be an intellectual, a man that was far greater than the others. His paper regarding society’s rules and how great men could break them was evidence of this.
In his delirium, Raskolnikov wanted to test out his theory. The main model for his ideas was Napoleon. He believed that Napoleon could break rules that bound every other man in society, because he was great and he could bend a few guidelines in order to achieve greatness and prosperity for the whole. Raskolnikov thought that he was a Napoleon and was able to accomplish such a murder without feeling guilt or grief about the event. He was doing what needed to be done in his own mind. In the later chapters, he talks with Sonia about the murder and why he committed it. She asks him if he did it, because he was hungry and wanted to save his family. He clearly said no. He committed the murder, because he wanted to test out his theory about great men. However, he realized after he committed the murder that he was not a Napoleon, but a regular man like everyone else. The rules of society did pertain to him and he could not get away with a heinous act.
Regardless if his theory about great men being able to transcend the law is accurate, he murdered the pawnbroker to test this idea out. He also believed that he could take the money and help the poor with it. As he said before he was ridding the world of a louse and thought he would use the money to do good.
I thought Raskolnikov's reason for killing the women was one of the most intriguing aspects of the book. His faulty reasoning and his path to discovering that his reasons were faulty gave the reader ideas that he/she never thought about.
‘Why’ is always such a difficult question. That’s not me trying to be deep or anything—it’s just such a multifaceted question that it’s hard to know where to approach it. As I was mulling over in class the other day, I’m not sure even Raskolnikov knows why he committed the murder of the old pawnbroker. There are several different explanations. The easy, obvious reason (because he was poor), his outward justification (because he would be exterminating a cold, evil woman), and his inner subconscious drive to prove something to himself.
This last reason is the most interesting to me. The scene in the book in which they are discussing the article Raskolnikov had written some months before shed light on his motives. The article, which describes "the psychological condition of the criminal throughout the commission of the crime,” runs parallel to Raskolnikov’s current situation in many ways.
His article and the discussion that comes with it is about Raskolnikov’s position about the nature of crime. Extraordinary people, he argues, are beyond they law. They have the right “in himself” to step over normal boundaries in order to achieve what ordinary people could not.
This idea that distinguishes extraordinary men from ordinary men seems to be at the back of Raskolnikov’s mind frequently, and the murder of the pawnbroker could be seen as some sort of .. fantasy fulfillment. Not that he fantasized about murder or anything. But he is seeking to fill the role that he set up in his article—he illustrated what it meant to be an extraordinary man, and when the opportunity presented itself that he might bypass the law and prove to be a Napoleon of sorts, he took it, almost as though he wanted to prove to himself.
I’m not sure Raskolnikov was aware of seeking some sort of role-fulfillment, or if it was a subconscious drive. For all I know, or Raskolnikov knows, for that matter, it could have been a fleeting urge, done in simple anger and disgust toward the woman who troubles him, hurt his mother, and is, in his opinion, a general nuisance to society.
I think that Raskolnikov killed the old woman to prove to himself that he can take control of his own life, and in addition to make himself feel more powerful and above other people. I think that he feels like he is one of those people with "moral permission to shed blood"(223).
After explaining his article to the police, Raskolnikov defends his actions internally saying: " 'The old hag is nothing!' ... 'Perhaps the old woman was a mistake, but she is not the point. The old woman was only a symptom of my illness. . . I wanted to overstep all restrictionsas auickly as possible... I killed not a human being but a principle!' "
The section tells me that he thought he could kill her because he was one of those 'special' people able to do whatever they want, but he also feels guilt for his actions and I think that scares him.
The book isn't super clear in my opinion about why he picked the old woman, but I think that to him she was just someone who he could blame many of his problems on: she took meaningful things from him, was wealthy, was plenty grumpy and she represented a part of his life that he couldn't/ wouldn't really control (his finances).
The main reason I found for Raskolnikov murdering the pawnbroker was his sense that he is above all other people in a mental sense. From the start of the novel, he gives off a sense of arrogance that leads to a general atmosphere that he feels that he has the superior mentality that prevents him from being effected by emotions.
However, the specific reasons are very hard to pin point. There is a lot of evidence that displays Raskolnikov's bitterness towards the pawnbroker. When we are first introduced to the pawnbroker while Raskolnikov is pawning his watch, he is disgusted at her and despite his awful intentions, he feels that no one would care because she is "a stupid, senseless, worthless, spiteful, ailing, horrid old woman". Therefore, he feels that by murdering her, he is doing society a favor by riding a person that is despised by such a wide proportion of the population.
Matt: I believe it a terrible disservice to Raskolnikov's character to dismiss his murderous decision as spontaneous. Besides, There is evidence in the book to prove otherwise. When he overhears the people saying that the pawnbroker will be alone, his reaction is more or less a "finally! My chance has come!" The question is not whether or not it was premeditated, but what drove him to murder. Please forgive the absence of direct quotes, but It's the first night of Passover and after a long Seder the last thing on my mind is finding direct quotes.
Raskolnikov murders the pawnbroker with the intention of stealing her money and spending it on good causes. He believes society would be better off without a person like a pawnbroker. In the end, however, he never spends any of the money to help any causes. What a jerk, right?
Oh, and all of my evidence can be found in the book, Crime and Punishment.
I think Raskolnikov killed the pawnbroker because he believed in the concept of fullfilling the greater good, at any cost. He also felt that the sacrifice of one for this whole is more beneficial than the murder that must take place. Thus he feels that the murder is justified by the fact that the money will help the poor rather than stagnate in her closet.
This rational is stated by a stranger Raskolnikov overhears in a pub. The stranger, strangly enough, voices what Raskolnikov is thinking "we have a stupid, senseless, worthless wicked, old hag who is of no use to anybody and who actually does harm to everybody...hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives could be saved... Rescuded from a life of poverty...all with her money. Kill her, take her money, and with it's help devote yourself to the service of humanity." This takes the Robin Hood idea to a whole new, darker, level. Instead of stealing from the rich you kill the rich and give to the poor. This idea is the basis for Raskolnikov's idea to take the money from the richr and only save it for himself, a member of the poor. Thus the desire to even out the wealth of the community is why he comitted the murder.
Of the many defenses he offers throughout the book for his actions, I found Raskolnikov's impassioned confession to Sonia towards the novel's end to be most revealing of his true intentions. He makes clear in his speech to her that he acted not out of any personal need or benevolence towards his family but simply because he could act, because he felt that he ought to act due to what he sees as his superior intellect and moral code. Says Raskolnikov on the subject:
"'...I realized, Sonia, that if I waited for everyone to be more intelligent, I'd have to wait a very long time. And later still I realized that that would never be, that people would never change, that no one would ever be able to change them...That's the law of their being..That is so...And now I know, Sonia, that he who is firm and strong in mind and spirit will be their master. He who dares much is right...he who dares more than anyone is more right that any one.'" (pg. 431)
I don't believe that he ever truly intended to use the money he stole from the pawnbroker for any noble cause. I believe he took it with him when he left because he thought that he ought to take it, because that is what the humanitarian that he saw himself to be would do. He seems to think and expect a great deal of himself, and I believe it is his inability to reconcile those two versions of himself (his idealized self and his actual self) that causes him so much anguish and torment.
I think there are a few reasons as to why he killed her. I think many of these reasons added more to his reasoning as to why her life was no longer needed in his mind. Though I do believe that some of these reasons may be there to help justify his act. For example he thought she was an evil women so that the world was a better place without her. Also he felt like her monet would be better well placed if it was spread from her to the poorer. However I dont think those were the main reasons however. I think he just wanted to be a heroe, and felt like he could do it since he thoguht he was above everyone else mentally. He wanted to see if he had teh bravery to do such an act and whether he was Napoleon.
hey, sorry, but my prompt will be late. I checked the blog yesterday at around 3 and realized I didn't have my book; it's in my locker. I will do this blog as soon as I get out of school today. again, sorry about the lateness!
What I was going to say was reallly really similar to what Michelle was going to say, but less indepth.
Initially, I believe that Ros was planning on killing the pawnbroker for her money. I'm going to try referring to the book without it near me, so please bear with me while I try to recall the part. When he goes to the pawnbroker the second time, his observations were to when and where she was placing the pawned item. So he listened very closely to figure out where the valuables were placed. When he murdered the pawnbroker, he retrieved her keys to unlock the top drawer which he assumed was the drawer that she kept her money. But because he couldn't unlock it, he ransacked different areas where there were other items, and he stuffed them into his pockets. I think that was his initial intentions. However, I think the guilt got to him when he murdered Lizaveta because he appreciated her, and she was just a child that doesn't really understand anything. So he discarded anything that reminded him of money afterwards for quite some time before he finally accepted (but he still gave it away to Marmeladov's family, maybe to get rid of his guilt?). So after murdering the pawnbroker and her step sister, he realized the deed that he actually committed and felt the immense guilt that followed and broke down, never accepting any money and just throwing it away. Like when that one woman walking with a child gave him the money because they thought he was a hobo, he threw it into the river! Holy cow, that's ridiculous, he should've given that money to someone tha was actually needing it. He just threw it away. Not the smartest man in the world.
Another thing that motivated him to commit murder, he justified it as for the better of the community. Although it is not the reason why he killed her, it was a justification for the real reason of killing her. When he heard the conversation with the two men in the bar, he realized how the pawnbroker is a mean old lady. He already dispise her because of how she handles things and how she mistrusts people. The two men starts to talk about how she tricks people and how she treats Lizaveta so badly. What is so bad about getting rid of one person that is going to be the ruin of the rest of the city? There isn't really any bad at all. But he did not plan well enough, and killing Lizaveta made him go off the edge of the ledge. He killed someone who he knows is innocent and did not deserve to die. Making him ish insane.
I also think that Ros wants to see if he is a Napolean as well, to see if he is one of the extraordinary people. To kill people, but for a good cause. His article that he wrote to differentiate from the extraordinary people and the ordinary people. To discover if something is true is usually to experience it. This reason is paired with the justification that killing the pawnbroker would be for the better of the community. However, he didn't look far enough and that is what makes him an ordinary person and not an extraordinary. He didn't realize that one person's life may affect the community both good and bad, and he did not plan on killing another person. Maybe if he had only killed the pawnbroker, he would be able to feel the exhilaration of doing a good to the community, but we'll never know because he killed Lizaveta. Or maybe he wouldn't feel good about killing someone, and he'd still be in the same state that he is now.
But I really think that initially, he killed the pawnbroker because of money. And everything that he thought were justifications why he was doing it.
Ok, I'm finally posting this and I am slightly ashamed about how late it is. Sorry again!
I agree with Matthew in that a lot of the reasons Raskolnikov says are just to justify the murder after it's been done. However, my idea of why he actually killed the pawnbroker is different. The fact that he had written a paper months before the murder about how some people are "Napoleons" and thus are allowed to overstep laws shows that that idea was in his head before the murder, not just a justification thought up after. I think he does believe he is above the law in some ways. In class yesterday, when we were discussing Raskolnikov, someone mentioned how one of the main reasons he didn't want to turn himself in is that he looked down on government justice. His theory in killing the pawnbroker was about being able to overstep one's conscience and get away with it, not about getting away with a crime by not having the police find out. I agree with Michelle in this way. It corresponds with his encounter with Sonia when tells her he killed Lizaveta. I think he's being completely honest with her, something I don't think he intended to do, but ends up doing anyways.
Like some others, I don't think Dunia's upcoming marriage or his poverty was as big of factors in his decision. The fact that the pawnbroker was a despicable person helped him in his decision, but overall, I think he did want to test his theory. After spending so much time brooding, being dirt poor, and stuck by himself, bad thoughts started to dominate him and led him to his decision to kill the pawnbroker.
I believe that Raskolnikov murders the pawnbroker due to his belief that he is above all other people, and has a "superhuman" mental ability. At the beginning of the novel, Raskolnikov's arrogance suggests to the reader that he feels that he has a superior mental capability and therefore is exempt of laws and a crime's punishment. However, the specific reasons why Raskolnikov commits the murder are difficult to define.
Other theories as to why Raskolnikov commits the murder include: he did it for the money, he did it to rid the world of a despicable person, or he did it to protect Lizaveta. Although all of those are possible the most plausible reason, in my opinion, was that he wanted to test out his belief that he was "superior" and prove to himself that he does indeed have a mind akin to Napoleon's. This belief/idea clash and contrast with Raskolnikov's rational and kind side of his brain, as displayed when he gives money to Marmeladov's family and when he helps the raped girl. However, his ideals control Raskolnikov and drive him to belief that it is his fate to murder the pawnbroker.
Post a Comment