In 1886 philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche published Beyond Good and Evil. In this piece Nietzsche defines what he believes is wrong with society and who must change it. He writes that an extraordinary man must save society from its perpetual decent into irrelevance. There are only a few of these extraordinary men in the world, Nietzsche believes. The story Crime and Punishment author Fyodor Dostoevsky’s place the main character Raskolnikov in situations where the outcome of his actions will tell if he is one of the chosen.
Friedrich Nietzsche defines an extraordinary man as one that embodies a free sprit, independence, and the ability to accept the truth. Nietzsche breaks down man in Beyond Good and Evil in order to be able to distinguish the herd man from the superior. He first states, “A living thing seeks above all to discharge its strength - life itself is will to power (intro, BG, pg13)", which means that every man wants to become powerful. However Nietzsche believes that we as society have put the wrong people in powerful positions. Society has failed in elevating those who truly are qualified to rule. The qualified or extraordinary are continually blocked in their efforts. Society has sup
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However after overhearing a conversation between a student and a police officer, which states that, she is “a stupid, senseless, worthless, spiteful, ailing, horrid old woman, not simply useless but doing actual mischief (CP, pg63)”. He sees himself, as one of Neitzsche’s few. The extraordinary will be selfish and want what’s best for he or she. Another example of how he is weak is that he can not accept that this is the truth of his society. He doubts that his desires for murder are right. Riding oneself of rationality will provide for a conscience that will never be swayed. The murder scene unfolds first when he gives her with a fake cigarette case wrapped with a difficult knot in order to distract her. If he really were extraordinary he would left the town by now. This conscience will allow the chosen man to make decisions with no the use of rationality. Never once will he worry about the effect of his decisions on others. These words help reaffirm Raskolnikov’s desire to kill Alyona. He then goes to Alyona's apartment to commit the murder. However he did not act on his thoughts right away.
After reading this scene Raskolnikov appears to be an ordinary rather than the extraordinary man.
Approximate Word count =
1296
Approximate Pages =
5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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