Egoism in Crime and Punishment :: Crime Punishment Essays

Egoism in Crime and penalisation      An egocentric attitude can be seen in Fyodor Dostoyevskys Crime and Punishment.  Dostoyevskys teen Raskolnikov is staggeringly arrogant.  Raskolnikov commits a murder and a failed robbery in the story.  His locomote in overcoming his ego can be seen through his initial crime, abnegation of failure, and acceptance of mistakes.       Raskolnikov commits his initial crime out of arrogance.  The old hag is nothing.... I killed not a human being, he says. (245)  Raskolnikov feels that he has justification for sidesplitting the pawn broker.  He thinks that the char charwoman has no reason to live.  He believes that the woman is less than a human, and that he is a superior being.  Raskolnikov thinks that he has a right to kill.       After the botched crime Raskolnikov is plagued his failures.  He was conscious at the time that he had forgotten something that he ought not forget, and he torment him self. (107)  After he c arelessly kills both women, and allows for the evidence to be found, Raskolnikov realizes he did not commit the perfect crime.  This devastates his ego, so he tries to cling to his anterior self perception.  He is also plagued with feelings of guilt.  His guilt, combined with the mistakes he made during the crime, rupture his self perception of perfection.         When Raskolnikov surrenders he accepts his mistakes and rejects his self-centered attitude.  It was I who killed the old woman and her sister, Lizaveta, with an axe, and robbed them, Raskolnikov confesses. (476) With his surrender he not only accepts his methodical mistakes in the capital punishment of the crime, but he sees something beyond himself.  He begins to see the magnitude and repugnance of his act.  He had taken a life.  By realizing the immorality of his crime and reject ing his self glorifying mind set, Raskolnikov accepts his own humanity.         In Dostoyevskys Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikovs initial crime, failure, and acceptance of mistakes are his road to overcoming his ego, as well as self discovery.