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Abstract: The origins and collapse of the theory of Rodion Raskolnikov in Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment". Raskolnikov's theory in the novel "Crime and Punishment" by F.M. Dostoevsky How many theories in crime and punishment briefly

The theoretical basis of Raskolnikov's idea

It is no coincidence that Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky pays so much attention to the description of Raskolnikov's theory in the novel Crime and Punishment. It is not a figment of the imagination of a great writer. Among Dostoevsky's contemporaries there were many young educated people who were fond of Nietzsche's ideas. It was his teaching that gave rise to such beliefs, popular among young people trying to find a way out of a humiliating beggarly situation. The work of a talented writer raised the actual problems of modern society. Crime, drunkenness, prostitution - the vices generated by social inequality, swept over Russia. Trying to get away from the terrible reality, people were carried away by the ideas of individualism, they forgot about the eternal moral values ​​and commandments of the Christian religion.

The birth of an idea

The protagonist of the novel by F. M. Dostoevsky, possessing extraordinary abilities, dreaming of a great future, is forced to endure poverty and humiliation. This adversely affected the psychological state of the hero. He leaves his studies at the university, locks himself in his stuffy closet and ponders a plan for a terrible crime. An accidentally overheard conversation seems to Raskolnikov a strange omen. Separate thoughts and phrases repeated the theses of the article "On Crime", written by him for the newspaper. Fascinated by the idea, a young man decides to bring the theory to life.

The right of a strong personality to crime

What was the famous theory of Raskolnikov? People, according to the student, from birth are divided into two categories. Some belong to the upper class of the chosen "having the gift or talent to say a new word in their midst." They are destined for an unusual fate. They make great discoveries, make history, drive progress. A person like Napoleon can commit crimes for the sake of a higher goal, expose others to mortal danger, step over blood. They are not afraid of the law. They have no moral principles. Such individuals of the human race may not think about the consequences of their behavior and strive to achieve their goal no matter what. They are "entitled". The rest of the mass of people is material, "serving solely for the birth of their own kind."

Testing the theory with life

Possessing exorbitant pride, Raskolnikov ranked himself among the elect. The murder of a greedy old woman by a young man is a test of the theory on himself. The “Chosen One” easily crosses over blood in order to benefit all of humanity later. Feelings of regret, remorse are unknown to such a person. So says the protagonist of the novel. Life puts everything in its place. Rodion Raskolnikov, having committed a terrible crime, finds himself in painful isolation. He, having crossed the moral line, is unhappy, excommunicated from communication with his relatives, doomed to loneliness. “I didn’t kill the old woman, I killed myself,” exclaims Raskolnikov. The murder puts a kind and noble young man on a par with such vicious personalities as Svidrigailov and Luzhin. After all, they also ignored moral laws, lived, thinking only about their own well-being. “We are one field of berries,” Svidrigailov says to the hero. The experiences of the protagonist are the most terrible punishment and proof of his delusions. Only by repenting of his deed and turning to God, Raskolnikov collects his “split” soul, finds peace and happiness. The devotion and love of Sonya Marmeladova make you forget about your delusions and be reborn for a new life.

The Lessons of a Brilliant Romance

Terrible Consequences

The inhuman theory of Raskolnikov, based on the idea of ​​egoism and individualism, is inhumane. No one is given control over other people's lives. By committing such acts, a person violates the laws of morality, the commandments of Christianity. “Thou shalt not kill,” the Bible says. It is no coincidence that the smart Porfiry Petrovich, trying to understand the conclusions of Rodion Raskolnikov, is interested in how to distinguish an unusual person. After all, if everyone thinks they are special and starts breaking the law, chaos will begin! The author of the theory does not have an intelligible answer to this question.

Who is guilty

Who is to blame for the fact that smart, kind, noble people were carried away by such ideas, crippled their lives, ruined their souls. Dostoevsky tries to answer this question with his novel. Social inequality, the miserable situation of most of the working people, "humiliated and insulted" pushed people onto this criminal and immoral path.

Kindness is the basis of life

In the novel Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov's theory fails. This helps to understand that a person is not a “trembling creature”, but a person who has the right to life. “You can’t build happiness on someone else’s misfortune,” says folk wisdom. Relations between people should be based on kindness, mercy and faith in God, the novel of the great writer convinces us.

The description of the theory of the protagonist of the novel and the proof of its inconsistency will be useful for 10 classes when writing the essay "Raskolnikov's theory in the novel" Crime and Punishment "".

Artwork test

The basis of the plot of the novel by F. Dostoevsky was the theory of the protagonist of the work of art. The system by which Rodion Raskolnikov decided to divide people into groups led him to the most terrible crime - murder.

Raskolnikov's theory in the novel "Crime and Punishment" has many reasons, the reader and the author want to understand them. Complicated conclusions help to understand the social problems of the past era, to avoid mistakes in the future.

Theory of division of people according to Raskolnikov

Rodion is trying to understand the people who surround him. He studies them as a person who has knowledge in biology, psychology, history, and jurisprudence. The foundations of various sciences can be distinguished in the theoretical provisions of the system of dividing people into groups. It is difficult to find something in common with the currents of progressive and negative currents. Theory is purely the development of the character of the novel. Before his research, no one had tried to distribute people in such a way. The provisions of Raskolnikov's theory are considered in several episodes. All people are divided into two types:

  • lower (ordinary);
  • actually.

What are the differences in the ranks of human distribution?

First group

The theoretician of the lowest category calls ordinary, ordinary people, "material" for creating one's own and another species. Such individuals are obedient, blindly subject to laws, their main content is conservative. They are humiliated, but for them it is habitual and imperceptible. Rodion calls them "a trembling creature." Both words help to imagine such a person: he is afraid of everything around, bows to the strong, does not have his own opinion, obeys circumstances, not trying to change his existence.

Second group

Actually, a person has a talent, a special gift, he can say a new word, change the environment. A group of such individuals easily commits crimes, there are no laws for them, they deny submission. Human crimes are not the same type. They step over the dead, they are not afraid of blood. For the sake of the idea itself, a person has the right to commit a crime. Rodion Romanovich calls them "having the right." They are strong and confident in their rightness, use the strength of character, decide destinies, even change the course of the history of the whole country, and not just their own. Raskolnikov wants to become Napoleon in the sense of conquest and rise above humanity.

Weaknesses of the theory

Scientific reflections have a number of provisions that doom the theory to failure. Nature itself tells Raskolnikov the fallacy of the system of distributing people into species. Before the crime, there is a dream about the death of a horse. Memory returned to Rodion the pages from his life, where he may have witnessed the beating of a good animal with a whip. Raskolnikov, who thinks through all the details of the murder of a person, suffers from the sight of a miserable "nag" dying under the blows of a cruel whip. Another proof of the absurdity of the theory is the attitude of the young man towards those who have to be attributed to the highest group - Luzhin and Svidrigailov. Luzhin lives only in self-love, he even replaces love with a simple calculation, he is not afraid to slander a person for his own benefit. Svidrigailov believes that everything is possible for a person. He commits many crimes, they remain unproven, and he is clean before the law. He harasses women, girls, drives people to suicide, he himself ends his life in the same way, that is, he goes against God even in death. Rodion Raskolnikov moves from theoretical positions to practice after receiving a letter from his mother. The young man cannot help his family, but is looking for ways. Poverty pushes him to crime.

Rodion's disappointments

Having committed a murder thought out to the smallest detail, Rodion begins to explore himself according to his own theory. He understands that the crime did not make him a superior species. He remained a “trembling creature”, tormented by what he had done. The life of a "lice", as the young man called the old pawnbroker, should not have worried. In fact, everything has become completely different. Raskolnikov could not become great and step over ordinary people. Before him opens the way to the abyss, in which people like Svidrigailov feel great, or to be closer to Sonya Marmeladova, who preserves the purity of her soul. Rodion begins a new path, the author says nothing about his future. He leaves the reader the opportunity to develop a new plot, a completely different story.

Introduction

The novel "Crime and Punishment" was written and published by F.M. Dostoevsky in 1866, that is, shortly after the abolition of serfdom and the beginning of a change in the socio-economic system. Such a breakdown of social and economic foundations entails an indispensable economic stratification, that is, the enrichment of some at the expense of the impoverishment of others, the liberation of human individuality from cultural traditions, traditions and authorities. And as a result, crime.

Dostoevsky in his book denounces bourgeois society, which gives rise to all kinds of evil - not only those that immediately catch the eye, but also those vices that lurk in the depths of the human subconscious.

The protagonist of the novel is Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, in the recent past, a student at St. Petersburg University, found himself on the verge of poverty and social decline. He has nothing to pay for living, the wardrobe is so worn out that it is a shame for a decent person to go out into the street in it. You often have to go hungry. Then he decides to commit murder and justify himself with the theory of "ordinary" and "extraordinary" people, which he himself invented.

Drawing the miserable and wretched world of the St. Petersburg slums, the writer traces step by step how a terrible theory is born in the mind of the hero, how it takes possession of all his thoughts, pushing him to murder.

The essence of Raskolnikov's theory

Raskolnikov's theory is far from an accidental phenomenon. Throughout the 19th century, disputes about the role of a strong personality in history and its moral character did not stop in Russian literature. This problem became the most discussed in society after the defeat of Napoleon. The problem of a strong personality is inseparable from the Napoleonic idea. “Napoleon,” says Raskolnikov, “it wouldn’t have occurred to him to be tormented by the question of whether it was possible to kill an old woman, he would have slaughtered without any thought.”

Possessing a sophisticated analytical mind and painful pride. Raskolnikov quite naturally thinks about which half he himself belongs to. Of course, he likes to think that he is a strong personality who, according to his theory, has the moral right to commit a crime in order to achieve a humane goal.

What is this goal? The physical destruction of the exploiters, to which Rodion ranks the malicious old woman-interest-bearer, who profited from human suffering. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with killing an old woman and using her wealth to help poor, needy people.

These thoughts of Raskolnikov coincide with the ideas of revolutionary democracy popular in the 60s, but in the theory of the hero they are bizarrely intertwined with the philosophy of individualism, which allows for "blood according to conscience", a violation of the moral norms accepted by most people. According to the hero, historical progress is impossible without sacrifice, suffering, blood, and is carried out by the powerful of this world, great historical figures. This means that Raskolnikov dreams of both the role of ruler and the mission of a savior. But Christian, self-sacrificing love for people is incompatible with violence and contempt for them.

The protagonist believes that all people from birth, according to the law of nature, are divided into two categories: "ordinary" and "extraordinary". Ordinary must live in obedience and have no right to transgress the law. And the extraordinary have the right to commit crimes and transgress the law. This theory is very cynical in terms of all the moral principles that have evolved over many centuries with the development of society, but Raskolnikov finds examples for his theory. For example, this is the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, whom Raskolnikov considers “extraordinary”, because Napoleon killed many people in his life, but his conscience did not torment him, as Raskolnikov believes. Raskolnikov himself, retelling his article to Porfiry Petrovich, noted that “an extraordinary person has the right ... to allow his conscience to step over ... other obstacles, and only if the fulfillment of his idea (sometimes saving, perhaps for all mankind) requires it” .

According to Raskolnikov's theory, the first category includes conservative, orderly people, they live in obedience and love to be obedient. Raskolnikov claims "that they must be obedient, because this is their purpose, and there is absolutely nothing humiliating for them." The second category is breaking the law. The crimes of these people are relative and varied, they can "step even over a corpse, through blood" in order to fulfill their goals.

Conclusion: having created his theory, Raskolnikov hoped that his conscience would come to terms with his intention to kill a person, that after committing a terrible crime he would not torment, pester, exhaust his soul, but as it turned out, Raskolnikov doomed himself to torment, unable to cope with his in kind.

FYODOR DOSTOYEVSKY (1821-1881)

PHILOSOPHICAL AND SOCIAL ORIGINS OF THE THEORY OF RODION RASKOLNIKOV

The protagonist of the novel is Rodion Raskolnikov, a half-educated student who vegetates ("he was tormented by poverty") in St. Petersburg on the top floor in a room that resembles either a closet, or a coffin, or a doghouse: "His closet was under the very roof of a high five-story building and looked more like a closet than housing. The hostess, from whom he rented this closet, lived on the floor below, and every time he left the house, he had to pass by the owner's kitchen, with the door almost always wide open ... And every time he passed by, he was seized some painful and timid feeling, of which he was ashamed and from which he grimaced painfully. He owed a lot to his mistress and was afraid to meet her.”

The reader immediately notices a striking contrast between Rodion’s beautiful appearance and his miserable clothes (“He was so poorly dressed that another, even accustomed to everything, person would be embarrassed to go out into the street in such rags during the day”).

It seems that he constantly justifies his surname, his soul is “split” to such an extent. In fact, this is a kind person: he gives the last money to the Marmeladny family, stands up for an unfamiliar girl, saving her from the encroachments of a lustful husband, later, already in the process of investigation, it turns out that, risking his life, he saved the children from a burning house. How did it happen that such a person

was able to lower the ax on the heads of defenseless women? After all, he was aware of all the enormity, all the disgust of his act: “Oh God! what a mess this is! And really, really I ... no, this is nonsense, this is nonsense! he added emphatically. - And really such horror could come to me in a head? However, my heart is capable of dirt! The main thing: filthy, disgusting, disgusting, disgusting! .. And I, for a whole month ... (Dostoevsky emphasizes the acute internal struggle that went on in Rodion's soul. - Years.). But he could not express his excitement in words or exclamations. The feeling of immense disgust, which began to oppress his heart even when he was just going to the old woman, now reached such strength and such expressiveness that he did not know where to go from his anguish.

Raskolnikov's theory, its inhuman meaning

Rodion Raskolnikov reveals the essence of his theory in a conversation with the investigator Porfiry Petrovich, when he explains the "idea" outlined by him in an article published earlier. In his opinion, humanity is divided into two unequal parts: "trembling creatures" and "those who have the right." The lowest category (“trembling creatures”) is the general mass, the purpose of which is to be law-abiding citizens, a kind of “building material” of history. The highest category (“those who have the right”) is called upon to lead and direct the human general, unable to independently change his life. Such people destroy the present in the name of the future, oppose the conservative masses, the established way of life, old traditions and laws. Raskolnikov came to the conclusion that they are outside good and evil (subsequently, F. Nietzsche chose the name "Beyond Good and Evil" for his work). Human ethical standards do not concern them, therefore, according to Raskolnikov, an “extraordinary” person has the right ... that is, not an official right, but he himself has the right to allow his conscience to step over ... over some obstacles, and only in that case only when the fulfillment of her intention (sometimes, perhaps, saving for all mankind) requires it. Here the terrible word "murder" ("blood", "death") is cunningly replaced by the "smooth" and inefficient formula "some obstacles", but this does not change the essence of the matter.

S. Kosenkov. Illustration for F. Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment".

Mid 20th century

Let us note that such “verbal balancing act” is also applied below with respect to the “soothing-scientific” word “percentage”. This is how the shameful essence of all the brutal “theories” hidden behind convenient words and formulas like “step over ... over some obstacles” instead of the direct one - “kill a person” or “a certain percentage of people must go” instead of “someone must die” is debunked ". And it is precisely the one whose mind is also poisoned by such a theory that does this - Raskolnikov. This is how he sympathizes with the grief of a drunken girl who has just been saved from the encroachments of a lustful stranger: “Poor girl! She will come to her memory, she will cry, then her mother will find out ... First she gives a slap in the face, and then she hangs, painfully and in disgrace, maybe she will drive her away ... But if she doesn’t, they will sniff out Daria Frantsivni anyway, and my girl will start roaming back and forth. And there will soon be a hospital (and this is always with those who live with very honest mothers and take a walk in secret from them), well, then ... and then again the hospital ... wine ... taverns ... and another hospital .. in two or three years she was crippled, and in total she lived nineteen or eighteen years at the most ... "But suddenly Rodion forgets about compassion and instantly becomes a cynic: "Pah! And let! This, they say, is how it should be. Some percentage, they say, should go every year ... somewhere ... to hell, apparently, in order to refresh the rest and not interfere with them. Percent! And wonderful, indeed, they have these words, they are so soothing, scientific. It is said: the percentage, therefore, there is nothing to worry about. Whenever there was some other word, well then ... it would, perhaps, not be so calm ... But what if Dunechka somehow gets into the percentage! When not in one, then in another? .. " Consequently, any non-human "theory" applied to a native person (in this case, to Dunya's sister) ceases to be attractive, reveals its bestial essence. Returning directly to Raskolnikov's theory, we note that the novel shows a sharply negative attitude of the author not only to the fact of the crime, but also to his theory as a philosophical construction. Hidden with beautiful phrases about the need to renew the life of society (and behind Raskolnikov, there are “those who have the right”), this theory is brutal and inhumane in its very essence. So, at a moment of emotional stress, Rodion, sick and irritated by a conversation with Sonya Marmeladova, breaks through about the true motives for the emergence of his theory: “Will and power, and most importantly power! Over all these trembling creatures and over the whole anthill! .. That's the goal! Remember this! This is my advice to you!" Perhaps someone will say that this thought was expressed by a sick person and she did it out of spite, but all the same - the spoken word has some incomprehensible property to come true.

V. Vilner. Illustrations for F. Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment". 1960s

Raskolnikov's theory has philosophical, social and psychological roots. Let's start with the fact that it is based on "unfinished ideas" that "hung in the air" somewhere in the middle of the 19th century, at the time of the creation of the novel. In the epilogue, the author compares them with terrible trichin viruses that lead humanity to self-destruction. The sick Raskolnikov “felt that the whole world was doomed to the victim of some terrible, unheard of and unprecedented plague-moral ulcer. People became obsessed and crazy. But never, never did people consider themselves as smart and unshakable in the truth as the infected thought. They never considered their judgments, their scientific conclusions, their moral convictions and beliefs more adamant. Entire villages, entire cities and peoples became infected and went crazy. a student with an officer (and students and officers are the intellectual part of society), perfectly illustrates Rodion’s theoretical reasoning and encourages action. Raskolnikov considers Napoleon, indifferent to the fates and lives of others in an effort to make Europe happy with freedom, as a specific example of an “extraordinary person” in an effort to make Europe happy with freedom. resonates with the principle “the end justifies the means”, which is attributed either to the Italian politician of the 16th century Machiavelli, or to the Jesuits.

Dostoevsky's novel was written in 1866, so Raskolnikov's theory cannot be identified with the idea of ​​Nietzsche's "superman", formulated later. However, they have a common philosophical basis and arose on a common soil - in the mindset of the middle of the 19th century. At that time, A. Schopenhauer's philosophy of individualism was known in Europe and Russia. Consonant with the philosophy of rationalism (a rational, non-moral vision of reality), it gave rise to immoral "arithmetic": what weighs more - a trifling evil grandmother or thousands of good deeds and the benefit of millions of people ? We have already seen something similar in Stendhal's novel Red and Black, when Julien Sorel literally repeats the mentioned phrase of Machiavelli: “The end justifies the means; if I were not such an insignificant speck of dust, but had at least some power, I would have ordered three to be hanged in order to save the lives of four. Consequently, such thoughts existed then not only in Russia, but also in France, and throughout Europe. However, Dostoevsky considered this unacceptable, because there is only one answer to them, the Christian “Thou shalt not kill!”

Ad Fontes

Napoleon needed not conquest, but war itself as a means of excitement, as intoxication. Napoleon's circulation was abnormal and extremely slow. Only in battle did he feel good, his pulse began to beat evenly and at a normal speed.

Fyodor Dostoevsky is also interested in the social causes of the emergence of anti-human philosophy. A deadly idea is born in a coffin-like room (cupboard, closet, sea cabin), and not in a normal human dwelling. Remember, Raskolnikov is dressed in such a way that the other would "advise" to go out into the street, he does not pay for the apartment and often goes hungry. The family, trying to "bring to the people" Rodion, first drove itself into bondage to Svidrigailov, taking a salary in advance, and then Dunya, for the good of her brother, is ready to sacrifice herself and become the wife of the cynical, vile businessman Luzhin.

Leading in the novel is the motif of the hopelessness of human existence in the inhuman conditions of the then society and the problem of finding a way out of it. Talking about the social roots of the theory of permissiveness is impossible only on the example of the fate of Raskolnikov. The storyline of the Marmalade family can be a separate social novel. And the fate of Sonya Marmeladova is a symbol of the suffering of all mankind. Hungry children, a terminally ill mother, a father's drunkenness through the feeling of this hopelessness - such a family portrait is in fact a portrait of an entire era. Such pictures raise a storm of protest in the soul of Rodion, who feels his weakness and inability to help even his closest relatives. Hence the irritation with Razumikhin's proposal to earn a living by lessons or translations, and Nastya's challenge: “They pay for children with coppers. What can you do for a penny, he said reluctantly, as if answering his own thoughts. - Would you like all the capital at once? - He looked at her with surprise. “Yes, the entire capital,” he answered firmly, after a pause.

M. Shemyakin. Sketches for the ballet "Crime and Punishment". 1985, 1964

To understand the social origins of the idea of ​​individualistic protest, the image of St. Petersburg in the novel is of great importance. Dostoevsky created a typical picture of the life of the petty-bourgeois poor and petty officials. These are taverns where people seek oblivion from a difficult existence, trying in vain to drown all their problems in vodka. These are dirty streets, where moral dirt also reigns. This angry and mocking crowd is having fun with someone else's grief and someone else's mediocre (remember Raskolnikov's dream about how Kolya scored his filly). This is horrendous poverty, constant dependence on a usurer, such a Russian Gobsek. The gloomy poor districts are perceived even more terribly against the backdrop of the luxury of Nevsky Prospekt. Such a Petersburg is a fertile and allegedly carefully prepared soil for the germination of thoughts similar to Raskolnikov’s theory, especially among thinking people, those who are able to feel not only their own, but also the general grief (see below “Dostoevsky’s Petersburg”).

Ordinary people ("trembling creatures")

Unusual people ("those who have the right")

Big mass

One in a thousand or even one in a million

These are conservative people, material for procreation

Destroyers who are endowed with the talent to bring a new word to humanity

Protect the world and multiply it numerically

Move the world forward and lead it to the goal

The masters of modern They despise, persecute and execute unusual people, and subsequently, in the future, they bow before them and erect monuments to them

Hosts of the future

They do not have the right to overstep the law, they must adhere to the established rules

They have the right to transcend the law, in particular through blood, in the name of the idea that brings salvation to mankind. Establish new laws that ordinary citizens must adhere to

However, this is an incomplete picture of the origins of the theory. “Both the life, and character, and worldview of the hero - everything was reflected in his theory” (M. Kachurin). A person with a different psychology would not be able to build a logically harmonious and vitally contradictory

theory. Razumikhin is also an individualist, but he sees a way out in reasonable and honest entrepreneurship, support and assistance to the desperate Raskolnikov. The theory arises as an attempt to find a way out of difficult living conditions and at the same time as revenge on society, punishment for the “rulers of life”, gradually turning into a desire to rise above people. And the inhuman essence of “permission of blood according to conscience” is debunked, both in the philosophical and social, and in the moral and psychological aspects.

Raskolnikov's article outlining his "theory" appeared in the newspaper two months before he heard the conversation between the officer and the student and he had a plan to kill the old pawnbroker. He did not know about the release of the article that Raskolnikov wrote six months ago, when he left the university, and therefore the newspaper, to the editorial office of which Rodion turned to have it printed, no longer seemed. The main differences between "trembling creatures" and "those who have the right", as Raskolnikov understood them, are presented in the table.

The famous classic work of F. M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment" is the story of a student who decided on a terrible crime. In the novel, the author touches on many social, psychological and philosophical issues that are relevant to modern society. Raskolnikov's theory has been manifesting itself for more than a dozen years.

What is Raskolnikov's theory?

The protagonist, as a result of long reflections, came to the conclusion that people are divided into two groups. The first includes individuals who can do whatever they want, regardless of the law. To the second group, he attributed 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 please. An example is the majors.

Initially, the protagonist of the work perceived his own theory as a joke, but the more he thought about it, the more real the assumptions seemed. As a result, he divided all the people around him into categories and evaluated only according to his own criteria. Psychologists have already proven that a person can convince himself of various things by thinking about them regularly. Raskolnikov's theory is a manifestation of extreme individualism.

Reasons for creating Raskolnikov's theory

Not only lovers of literature, but also experts in various fields carefully studied Dostoevsky's work in order to highlight the social and philosophical origins of Raskolnikov's theory.

  1. The moral reasons that prompted the hero to commit a crime include the desire to understand what category of people he belongs to and pain for the humiliated poor.
  2. There are other reasons for the emergence of Raskolnikov's theory: extreme poverty, the concept of life's injustice and the loss of one's own guidelines.

How did Raskolnikov arrive at his theory?

The protagonist himself throughout the novel is trying to understand what caused the terrible act. Raskolnikov's theory confirms that in order for the majority to live happily, the minority must be destroyed. As a result of long reflections and consideration of various situations, Rodion came to the conclusion that he belongs to the highest category of people. Literature lovers put forward several motives that prompted him to commit the crime:

  • the influence of the environment and people;
  • desire to become great;
  • the desire to get money;
  • dislike for a harmful and useless old woman;
  • desire to test their own 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 mankind. On almost every page of this novel, poverty and the rigidity of people can be traced. In fact, the novel, published in 1866, has much in common with modern society, which is increasingly showing its indifference to its neighbor. The theory of Rodion Raskolnikov confirms the existence of disadvantaged people who do not have a chance for a decent life, and the so-called "masters of life" with a big wallet.

What is the contradiction of Raskolnikov's theory?

The image of the protagonist consists of some inconsistencies that can be traced throughout the entire work. Raskolnikov is a sensitive person who is not alien to the grief of those around him, and he wants to help those in need, but Rodion understands that it is not in his power to change the way of life. In doing so, he proposes a theory that completely contradicts .

Finding out what the mistake of Raskolnikov's theory for the hero himself is, it is worth noting the fact that he expected it to help get out of the impasse and start living in a new way. In this case, the hero has achieved the exact opposite result, and he finds himself in an even more hopeless situation. Rodion loved people, but after the murder of the old woman, he simply cannot be near them, this applies even to his mother. All these contradictions show the imperfection of the proposed theory.

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, then the result for society and the world as a whole is very deplorable. The meaning of Raskolnikov's theory is that people who are superior to others in some criteria, for example, financial capabilities, can “clear” the road for their own good, doing whatever they want, including committing murder. If many people lived according to this principle, then the world would simply cease to exist, sooner or later, the so-called "competitors" would destroy each other.

Throughout the novel, Rodion experiences moral torment, which often takes on different forms. Raskolnikov's theory is dangerous because the hero is trying in every possible way to convince himself that his act was right, because he wanted to help his family, but he did not want anything for himself. A huge number of people commit crimes by thinking in this way, which in no way justifies their decision.

Pros and cons of Raskolnikov's theory

At first it may seem that there are no positive aspects to the idea of ​​​​dividing society, but if you dismiss all the bad consequences, then there is still a plus - a person’s desire to be happy. Raskolnikov's theory of the right of a strong personality shows that many strive for a better life and are the engine of progress. As for the minuses, there are more of them, and they matter to people who share the views of the protagonist of the novel.

  1. The desire to divide everyone into two classes, which can have terrible consequences, for example, such ideas are identical to Nazism. All people are different, but they are equal before God, so striving to be superior to others is wrong.
  2. Another danger that Raskolnikov's theory brings to the world is the use of any means in life. Unfortunately, many people in today's world live by the principle that the end justifies the means, with dire consequences.

What prevented Raskolnikov from living according to his theory?

The whole problem lies in the fact that, creating the “ideal picture” in his head, Rodion did not take into account the features of real life. You can't make the world a better place by killing another person, no matter who they are. The essence of Raskolnikov's theory is clear, but it was not taken into account that the old pawnbroker was only the initial link in the chain of injustice, and by removing it, it is impossible to cope with all the world's problems. People who try to profit from the troubles of others, it is not correct to call the root of the problem, because they are only a consequence.

Facts confirming Raskolnikov's theory

In the world you can find a huge number of examples where the idea proposed by the protagonist of the novel was applied. One can recall Stalin and Hitler, who sought to cleanse the people of unworthy people, and what the actions of these people led to. Confirmation of Raskolnikov's theory can be seen in the behavior of wealthy youth, the so-called "majors", who, ignoring the laws, ruined the lives of many people. The protagonist himself commits a murder to confirm his idea, but in the end he understands the horror of the act.

Raskolnikov's theory and its collapse

In the work, not only appears, but also completely refuted a strange theory. To change his mind, Rodion has to go through a lot of mental and physical torment. 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 faith in goodness. As a result, he understands that everyone, regardless of their position, deserves to become happy.

Finding out how Raskolnikov's theory is refuted, it is worth citing one simple truth as an example - happiness cannot be built on crime. Violence, even if it can be justified by some lofty ideals, is evil. The hero himself admits that he did not kill the old woman, but destroyed himself. The collapse of Raskolnikov's theory was visible at the very beginning of her proposal, since the manifestation of inhumanity could not be justified.

Does Raskolnikov's theory live today?

No matter how sad it may sound, but the idea of ​​dividing people into classes exists. Modern life is tough and the principle of "survival of the fittest" leads many to do things that are not consistent. If you conduct a survey of who today lives according to Raskolnikov's theory, then each person, most likely, will be able to cite some personalities from his environment as an example. One of the main reasons for this state of affairs is the importance of money, which rules the world.