According to many critics, Dostoevsky is a master at describing "sick souls." One of the most interesting heroes of the writer is Rodion Raskolnikov. Crime and Punishment is a novel whose character he has become, full of conflicting feelings, human torment, and the eternal search for himself.
The philosophy of the hero of the work of Dostoevsky
What crime did Raskolnikov commit? In the course of the narrative, the main character becomes more and more embittered because of his powerlessness to help people close to him. Overwhelmed by his poverty, he decides to kill the old woman-centaire, who benefited from the disaster of people. The reasons that prompted Raskolnikov to commit a crime lie not only in his poverty and helplessness. The main character longs for revenge for all the destitute and scolded, for the suffering and humiliation of Marmeladova, for every person who was brought to the brink of moral torment and poverty. Believing in his theory passionately, Rodion is outraged by the philosophy of the successful entrepreneur Luzhin, who sought to marry Raskolnikov’s sister. Luzhin is on the side of "rational egoism." Pyotr Petrovich believes that, first of all, everyone needs to take care of themselves and their own well-being. And the more rich people become in society, the richer the whole society will become. According to Luzhin’s philosophy, you need to take care of yourself only without thinking about your neighbors. Speaking about why Raskolnikov committed the crime, it should be said that Rodion, unlike Peter, “cared” for all people, striving for the universal good. And in this case, he considered the murder he committed as a way to confirm his theory.
The meaning of killing usurers
Analyzing why Raskolnikov committed a crime, it should be said that he is not an ordinary criminal. He commits the murder of the percussionist under the influence of the philosophy he created. That is, hunger and poverty are not the main causes of Raskolnikov’s crime. After the murder, he himself confirms this conclusion in his own words, saying that if he had stabbed only because of a feeling of hunger, he would have been happy from it. However, the main character reflects on the causes of the existing injustice and inequality. He comes to the conclusion that there is a rather sharp difference between the two categories of people. And while some obediently and silently submit to everything that life presents them, others - few - "extraordinary" - are the true engine of human history. At the same time, the latter can boldly and voluntarily violate moral principles and generally accepted norms without stopping before the law in order to show humanity a different path. Contemporaries hate such people, but their descendants mistake them for heroes. Raskolnikov carefully thought over the whole idea and even set out his idea a year before the murder in a newspaper article.
Crime as a challenge to society
Speaking about why Raskolnikov committed the crime, one should note his constant desire to oppose himself to “ordinary” people, who, in his opinion, are the majority in society. By his actions, Rodion challenges the conditions in which the suppression of the human personality takes place and social inequality is clearly felt . But at the same time, after committing the crime, the hero realizes that his philosophy only contributes to the strengthening of inhumanity. His protest is contradictory - opposing inequality and submission, Raskolnikov in his idea suggests, again, the right of some people to dictate their will to others. And here again it turns out that the majority becomes a “passive object”. It is this contradiction that makes up the tragic mistake that underlies the hero’s behavior. In the course of events, the character is convinced on his own experience that his rebellion, directed against inhumanity, is itself inhumane, leading to the moral death of the person.
The attitude of the hero to life after the crime
Raskolnikov manages to commit a crime. But killing leads to a result different from what he expected. Arguing about why Raskolnikov committed the crime, it should be remembered that he was guided primarily by the desire to realize his idea. But the morality of “unusual” people for Rodion was incomprehensible. And after the murder of the percussionist, the protagonist begins to see true morality and beauty not in those who are higher, but in people like Sonechka Marmeladova, who are able to maintain morality in unbearable conditions. Such people, bearing humiliation and hunger, nevertheless retain in themselves faith in life and love.
The reasons for the crime of Raskolnikov
At first Rodion is calm about the success of his murder. He believed that he was acting in the only true way. The hero is confident in his exclusivity and identity. He believes that there is nothing "like" in killing a usurer. Indeed, in his opinion, he managed to destroy only one "louse of all, the most useless." But gradually, analyzing his actions, he gives various explanations. So, for example, he says that he “wanted to become Napoleon,” he was embittered, insane, sought to help his mother, longed to confirm his own identity, rebelled against everything and everyone. As a result, the hero suffers remorse. He understands that he violated the moral law. Raskolnikov sees the cause of evil in human nature itself. Moreover, the law that allows the "powers of the world" to commit inhuman acts, is considered eternal.
Conclusion
Dostoevsky himself opposed violence. The author argues with his work with revolutionaries who are inclined to the only way to achieve happiness for a Russian person - a violation of moral principles. It seems to the protagonist that he is responsible for his actions only before himself, and the court of others is indifferent to him. In the course of the narration, the author brings the character to an understanding of the most important truths. They consist in the fact that pride is evil, the laws of life should not obey the idea of one person, and people should not be judged, and moreover, life should not be taken from them.