The Impracticalities of Radical Social Ideologies; An analysis of Crime and Punishment

In contrast to the officer's belief that everyone bears the fundamental right to existence,
the student espouses a theory that people should be judged by their contributions to society,
allowing for the reduction of Alyonas humanity which in effect deals Raskolnikov a carte
blanche as he no longer feels that he must grapple with the morality of the murder. The logical
reasoning of the student soon breaks down when Raskolnikov commits the crime, demonstrating
that mild support for radical ideas and a lack of emotional introspection can easily lead to
anothers destructive and self-destructive actions. Logical, arithmetic reasoning and a strong
contrast between Alyonas louse character and the hard working youth serve to underscore the
treacherous power behind a simple argument for social justice. Through this contrast and
abstraction of consequences of the crime, the student convinces Raskolnikov that Alyonas death
is warranted under the guise of the betterment of humanity which allows Raskolnikov to
negate his conscience, ultimately revealing the futility and danger of objective logic in the
absence of moral consideration.
The idealistic resolution put forth by the student entices Raskolnikov to commit the crime
because he thinks he will be able to become a saviour for society; a position of leadership and
power he always wanted. Raskolnikov desires acting as a patriarchal figure and the students
projection reflects that possibility through the killing of Alyona in that: you can devote yourself
to the service of all mankind and the common cause (Dostoevsky 65). The emphasis on all
mankind and the common cause allows Raskolnikov to believe that murder is universally
good without needing to include Alyonas perspective which would not correspond with the
former. Based on the idea that Alyonas death would catapult Raskolnikov to becoming
patriarchal in combination with Raskolnikovs own desperation for respect and self-respect, the

crime becomes tenable. In addition, without the discussion of the possibility of becoming a
prisoner or worse, Raskolnikov saturates himself with positive reinforcement and goes
headstrong into a murder he ends up regretting.
The oversimplification of the effect of the murder further convinces Raskolnikov that the
murder must be a moral duty for self-achievement and public empowerment. Due to the students
belief that Alyona is eating up someone elses life (Dostoevsky 65) and her death could help
lives be saved from decay and corruption (Dostoevsky 65), Raskolnikov's feels that her murder
would be more than equitable. The student focuses his argument solely on the potential benefits
of Alyonas death and omits the possible downfalls such as Lizavetas livelihood disappearing or
the effect on Alyonas customer base. Such perversion of the act and consequences of murder
combined with Raskolnikovs fixation of being a leader and helping others guarantees him
killing Alyona. Because Raskolnikov sees Alyonas death as a preemptive strike to protect him
and others, he can begin to think of the murder as a panacea and her survival as a liability. This
reversal of the significance of Alyonas death foments action and highlights the total lack of
moral and emotional consideration by Raskolnikov.
The students judgment of Alyona on the basis of her social contributions instead of
universal morals makes it easy to target her and paint her as useless, consequently dehumanizing
her which gives power to vile acts under the guise of social betterment. Alyonas depiction as
No more than the life of a louse, a cockroach, and not even that much (Dostoevsky 65) serves
to convince Raskolnikov of Alyonas life being unimportant and worthless. Since Alyona has
been metaphorically reduced to an insect, her life becomes an obstacle while her death becomes
irrelevant and a positive good to the killer and those who would be affected by her. By throwing

out the idea of equal treatment of all peoples and judging Alyona specifically on presumed social
value, Raskolnikov can finally overcome his conscience.
The simplicity of the students ethical and logical argument demonstrates the damaging
potential of internalizing fervent desires (such as becoming a patriarch) as comes to fruition
when Raskolnikov ruins himself and others by murdering Alyona. Raskolnikov works with the
students ideas to justify that his motive to commit the crime does not belong to a selfish attitude,
rather a selfless one. A previously noble sentiment of self-sufficiency and public aid which led
him to be generous and patriarchal was swiftly turned into a weapon of destruction. This
instability in Raskolnikov is his worst character flaw as it leads him to leave his family and acts
as the root cause of his everlasting illness. Only when Raskolnikov rids himself of the belief that
he must be the ultimate patriarch can he return to society, to love, and ultimately to his true self.