Introduction
The “uberman” refers to an individual who is deemed to be perfect in all the spheres of his life and one with extraordinary qualities. It is used to refer to someone who is more like a superman. The concept of uberman views an individual as the solution to a certain problem. An individual who is regarded to be an uberman has the ability to bring new meaning into people’s lives and even bring new values into the society. Uberman views an individual to be superior because of their intellectual abilities and their major contributions to the society which exempts them from adhering to the moral laws. Raskolnikov attempts to fit himself into this superman profile. He murders an old pawn broker with the excuse that the end will justify the means. According to him, he will restore justice to the society by killing the old woman who had made several people in St. Petersburg suffer through her injustice acts in her pawn-broking business.
The story in Dostoevsky’s crime and punishment talks about RodionRomanovichRaskolnikov who is the protagonist in this novel. Raskolnikov is a former student who now resides in St. Petersburg. He is a handsome, proud an intelligent young man. He was fond of alienating himself from the rest of humanity.Roskalnikov killed an old pawnbroker by the name AlyonaIvanovna and her younger sister Lizaveta. Despite the fact that he felt that the act of murdering the pawnbroker was justified, he was greatly tormented by his guilty conscience.
Throughout the novel, he grapples with the urge to confess until he eventually confesses his crime to IIyaPetrovich. His confession and the testimony of the good things he did in the past earned him a lighter sentence of 8 years of hard labor instead of being sentenced to death. Sonya is Raskolnikov’s love interest who managed to convince him to confess to his crimes. Raskolnikov refused to allow Luzhin, a government official to marry Dunya, his sister as he felt that he was not worthy of his sister. PulcheriaAlexandrovna, Raskolnikov’s mother became delirious after his arrest and she eventually died (Dostoevsky, 2008).
Raskolnikov portrays the concept of the uberman in his article. According to his article, human beings were divided into ordinary and extraordinary people. PorfiryPetrovich, the magistrate in charge of his murder case tried to make sense of what he meant by ordinary men have to obey the laws to the latter whereas extraordinary men can transgress the law as they please. He explains that men who were considered to be extraordinary had the inner right to make a decision to breach certain laws in order to fulfill whatever purpose they wanted He gives an example of people like Isaac Newton who would have gotten out of their way to kill a hundred or more people if that would have been the only way he could successfully make his discoveries.
Another example to justify his point was that of Solon, Mahomet and Napoleon who were all legislators. In order for them to make a new law, they had to transgress the previous ones even if their quest would cost the lives of innocent people. The extraordinary individuals who commit crimes and other injustices to achieve their goals would still be worshipped and praised by the society for generations to come because of their remarkable contributions and achievements. .
Raskolnikov indeed fits into the profile of the uberman. Raskolnikov displays the concept of the “uberman” when he kills the old pawnbroker. AlyonaIvanova had committed several injustices to people and Raskolnikov equated his act of murdering her to that of saving humanity. He felt that he was a superman because he had saved mankind from all the atrocities she would have committed against them .
Raskolonikov’s isolation from the rest of humanity depicts his state of being an uberman. He was intelligent and proud and this made him feel superior from the rest of the human race. Unlike the rest of the human race who according to him existed to perpetuate the human species, he existed in order to bring good to the society. He wanted to bring a change even if this would mean breaking the laws of morality.Raskolnikov’subermanoutlook, hinders him from appreciating those around him like Razumikhin, PulcheriaAlexandrovna and Dunya. Even though he loved his mother and sister, his uberman outlook prevented him from appreciating whatever efforts they made to assist him overcome his troubled state.
The concept of ubermanis clearly brought out from Raskolnikov’s association to Sonya. Raskolnikovwas drawn to Sonya because he felt that she was not a conformist to social norms. Sonya had gotten into prostitution in order to fend for her family because of the extreme situation of poverty that faced them.Her act is exemplary because it would not have been necessary if her father would have been able to control his drinking habit. She had exuded selflessness by going out of her way to do whatever it took to improve her family’s situation. It is safe to say that Raskolnikov fell in love with Sonya because he had finally met someone whom he felt was in the same category as he was in the human realm. Sonya was not bothered by the crimes of Raskolnikovbut was rather after his heart. She visited Raskolnikov in jail relentlessly.
Raskolnikov’s refusal that Luzhin should marry Dunya brings out the concept of the uberman. Raskolnikov felt that no man was good enough for his sister. He felt that Luzhin was not worthy of his sister and was completely against their engagement. This is probably because of his strong belief in his ‘superman’ identity (Dostoevsky, 2008).His heroic view of himself made him feel that Luzhin was nothing close to the man he wanted his sister to get married to.
Conclusion
The concept of uberman has indeed led several people to go against the moral laws in achieving what they believe is worthwhile. Raskolnikov has exuded this trait in his behavior. The desire to change the society has led him to commit murder. “Uberman” gives people the confidence to battle with their conscience even in the face of the most serious atrocities. Renowned individuals like Isaac Newton and Napoleon are believed to have relied on this concept while conducting their work. Even though immoral acts committed with uberman as the justification for such acts may be criticized, at the end of the day such individuals will be worshipped for their heroic contributions in the society.
References
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. New York: Cosmo Incorporation. 2008. Print.
Frank, Joseph. The Making of Crime and Punishment. U.S.A: Stanford University Press, 1994. print.
Travis, J. and C. Visher. Prisoner Reentry and crime in America. New York, NY: Cambridge, 2005. Print.
