How does existentialism relate to crime and punishment

All I could do was kill! A principle? Why was that innocent fool Razumikhin abusing the socialists? There is a crowd present in this dream, as well. Instead of participating, disapproving, or being shocked, however, they are laughing at him. Porfiry asked Raskolnikov what happens when an ordinary man mistakes himself for an extraordinary man.

Raskolnikov thus articulates what has already begun to happen to him — his inability to get very far — and foreshadows his own doom. Eventually, he can no longer endure the psychological and existential sufferings and is driven to confession and to the acceptance of social punishment.

Dostoyevsky deconstructs the dominant ideologies of the time, using the medium of the choices and the psyche of the criminal Raskolnikov. He examines the ways in which many of the major contemporary philosophies fail to explain the cultural phenomena of criminality. In the refutation of those philosophies, he creates an essentially existential novel.

Works Cited Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Suffolk: Penguin, Remember: This is just a sample from a fellow student. Starting from 3 hours delivery. Sorry, copying is not allowed on our website. We will occasionally send you account related emails. This essay is not unique.

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Your time is important. Get essay help. Crime and deviance criminological concepts Essay. Existentialism believes that individuals are entirely free and must take personal responsibility.

It also reacts to philosophy. Existentialism is often established among culture in the way there are identified by the dress code, food and religion. Behaviorism influence and the application of treatment The second school. The protagonist of the novel, Meursault, is an ordinary employee in Algeria.

Meursault behaves contrary to society. Existentialism is a philosophy that is often analyzed through literature. Franz Kafka is a key example of the limitless nature of this theme as his many works are divisive in how they connect with existentialism.

Kafka is a unique storyteller and his stories have captivated generations since their publications. His background is important in understanding his seeming detachment from his writing.

Though Raskolnikov is allowed to make his own decisions he ended. Sinclair is drifting through a swirling, gray mass of humanity. Alone is also how we must act. It is only when we make our own decisions and act for ourselves that what we do has meaning. Hesse puts the existentialist framework to work for him by using it to highlight the need for independence and spiritual self-reliance.

The world of St. Petersburg is, without a doubt, a strange and hostile place for Raskolnikov. He stumbles along and things constantly happen around him. He repeatedly wakes up with people in his room.

He sees things in the street, such as the drunken rape victim early in the story, or a prone Marmeladov, that cause him to lose his cool. More and more, he finds himself doing crazy things without regard for logic or even common sense. People in this world confound him. He has no idea what they are up to, and he is constantly paranoid that people are plotting against him. His guilty, delirious inner world combines with the crazy, chaotic outer world to make Raskolnikov into a raging, feverish, maniac.

He is not just any raging, feverish, maniac, though. He is an aloof raging, feverish, maniac. He considers himself better than those around him, and his superior mentality drives his antisocial behavior. His antisocial behavior, in turn, gives the character and story a feeling of being alone. Not only is the world crazy, but also Raskolnikov is separated from it and everyone in it, at least until the very end of the book.

Finally, Dostoyevsky uses this chaotic world to drive his story along. Things are constantly happening by coincidence, and Dostoyevsky moves the plot forwards at a dizzying pace, forcing Raskolnikov to act.