C&P: Downfall of Superman

In the nineteenth century, the extraordinary man theory was widely popular. There were two main schools of thought on the subject, the proponents of which were the philosophers Georg Hegel and Freiderich Neitzsche. Both philosophers believed that there were a certain, select, handful of extraordinary people in the world. Both believed that these extraordinary people were above the laws of ordinary men and did not have to submit to their moral code. However, these philosophers disagreed on the motivation of the extraordinary man. Hegel believed that the "superman" could ignore the laws as long as his actions benefited the race of man as a whole. On t

Also, there is Peter Petrovich Luzhin. Like Raskolnikov, Luzhin is an example of both theories of the extraordinary man. Going against the norm, Luzhin attempts to marry Dunia, a poor destitute girl who greatly contrasts Luzhin's wealth. He aims to be her benefactor and rescue her from poverty, a Hegelian idea. However, we also see that Luzhin ultimately wants to use his charity as a harness over Dunia. Luzhin ultimately wants to serve himself by causing Dunia to devote herself completely and utterly to him. Quite obviously, the extraordinary man theory is a central theme in Crime and Punishment. Dostoevsky spotlights the superman's failure due to his over-inflated ego and his ultimate redemption when he finds love and religion. Crime and Punishment is both a touching tale of downfall and salvation and a masterful disproof of Neitzche's doctrine.

In a way, Raskolnikov submits to both theories of the extraordinary man. What is important to understan

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