“There is a superhero in all of us; we just need the courage to put on the cape” (Meah Asad, 16 Inspirational quotes). This is a quote from the DC Superman movie, which is about a man who tries to save people using his powers. He tries to save people using his powers but sometimes his judgments between right and wrong are very much skewed because he believes the most important thing is saving many people regardless of the results or harm he causes to an individual or a small group of people.
This is directly like the Superman theory. In fact, we could say it is very likely the movie could be derived from this theory because of so many similarities. Hence, the basic explanation of the superman theory is that it is the belief that there are extraordinary people on earth whose responsibility is ensuring the survival of others in the world (Dostoyevsky, Part 3). A superman cannot differentiate right from wrong in normal standards instead they only do things that they think are right (Joshua Andrew Campbell, Prezi) and they do not get punished for the crimes they commit.
Dostoyevsky uses Raskolnikov to portray and describe a superman in Crime and Punishment.
He shows Raskolnikov as someone who wants to free the society from a great disturbance and a cruel and bitter old woman. Raskolnikov believes that committing murder will be the option for the society he lives in. He is just like a superman in this sense because he wants to ensure the survival and happiness of the people around him.
He doesn’t care if he transgresses upon the law and normal moral codes of a society because it will be for the greater good. He kills the old pawnbroker because of this conviction of freeing his community from her cruelty.
Despite this portrayal of Raskolnikov in the book, it can be noticed that Dostoyevsky does not fully support the Superman theory. He shows Raskolnikov falling so ill after committing the crime and feeling guilty to the point that he becomes delirious (Dostoyevsky, Part 2). He shows in a way that Raskolnikov cannot handle the responsibility that comes with being a Superman because of his conscience. He depicts Raskolnikov getting so ill to such extent to show that most humans are just ordinary and there really is no extraordinary person who can handle such guilt from committing murder without either confessing or maybe even committing suicide.
He shows that being a Superman is truly not possible in the world today because no one can truly handle the consequences. He also shows that there will surely be consequences even when you think you are doing something for the good of other people (Dostoyevsky, Part 2). He shows Raskolnikov being tortured by his mind (Dostoyevsky, Part 2) until he decides to finally confess and redeem himself from the grave sin he has committed (Dostoyevsky, Part 6). He also describes how weak the human mind is and how we sometimes cannot handle the consequences of the evil deeds that we sometimes commit.
Dostoyevsky also uses Razumikhin to portray what normal people would think of the idea of a person who is above the law. He shows his disbelief and discontent when he says, “What do you mean? That can’t be right?” (Dostoyevsky, Part 3 Ch 5). Razumikhin is a perfect example of how people will react to hearing about this great Superman theory. He clearly voices his displeasure at such a theory and doesn’t seem to understand the concept even after Raskolnikov tries to explain what he means by his article. He claims that something is clearly wrong and does not see a reason for an uncontrollable person like Superman.
In addition, Utilitarianism is a helper to the Superman theory. Utilitarianism is the attempt to distinguish between right and wrong by measuring a decision based on its calculated worth (An Analysis of Raskolnikov’s Utilitarianism in Crime and Punishment). It is mostly the theory that the right path of action is the one that ensures the most happiness for the most people (Haines Jilly, Crime and Punishment). Just like the superman theory, utilitarianism promotes the idea of not caring about the moral codes of their society but what a person believes is right. They both encourage the act of doing what is best for the people regardless of the consequences. They are both the idea of does the end justify the means. (Lee Mackenzie, Crime and Punishment).
In Crime and Punishment, it is noticed that Dostoyevsky shows an example of utilitarianism during the part of the two men who were talking about the positive and negative side of killing the old pawnbroker (Haines Jilly, Crime and Punishment). They said to kill her and take her money and then do good things for mankind which will erase their guilt (Dostoyevsky, Part 1). They even go as far saying, “For one life, thousands of lives saved from decay and corruption” (Dostoyevsky, Part 1). This conversation between both men convinces Raskolnikov that the old pawnbroker was no longer needed on earth. It convinces Raskolnikov that many people hated the woman so much and that her mere existence was becoming a detriment and liability to the society. It can be noticed that utilitarianism in this novel helped give way to a person wanting to become a superman and murdering someone. This is how closely related these two theories are, they both believe that eradicating someone for the good of the society is morally and intellectually right.
However, in the novel, Raskolnikov is not the only example of a Superman that Dostoyevsky portrays. If looked carefully upon, it can be noticed that Svidrigailov is another example of a man who the Superman theory applies to. He is shown to be in love with Dunya even though he has a wife and is portrayed as a man who wants to get anything his heart desires. The superman theory applies to him a little bit because he gave up his life so that Dunya could finally be happy and she and her family could have peace. He realizes after discussing with Dunya and even threatening her that she could never love him regardless of whatever grand feelings he had for her. This is an example of the superman theory because Svidrigailov in a way gives up his life for the satisfaction, fulfillment and happiness of other people.
Furthermore, there are various reasons why a superman is cherished and at the same time loathed. He/she is cherished because they save the world and preserve people happiness. They make sacrifices from their own life to save a home, society, city and even the whole world if they can. They believe in doing anything to ensure another people happiness. While ensuring other people happiness is a great thing if done the wrong way it can bring about a lot of hatred. People despise the superman theory because of the belief that the normal human moral and legal codes are inexistent when it comes to saving people. They believe that it encourages and gives an excuse to criminals and so many other people who are just looking for a way to get revenge on people that they hate.
In conclusion, the superman theory has both a good and bad effect on the society. It has good intentions for the world, but the problem is how it will be carried out and if the citizens of the world can handle the problems it may bring about. Most importantly, we learn from the Superman theory is that a superman will always be present in a society and will always try to solve the problems of the people. The main question is will he be to handle the moral and legal consequences and the weight of his conscience when he does something against the law? The answer to this question may never be known but should and will always weigh on people minds for as long as it can.
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