Crime & Punishment - in the context of teachers straight-forward definition of: existentialism

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Crime and Punishment and the Existentialist Raskolnikov

Existentialism is the belief that an individual 's perception of reality is variable to his power to see the world how he sees fit . An existentialist is not a votary of extant established norms , rather he comes off on a tangent against structures and signs he considers absurd and highly questionable . The only way such an individual is able to define himself is by creating idiosyncratic distinctions between reality engendered by society and reality formed by his own

opinions and inclinations . He neither subscribes to nor aligns himself to the normative standards . Instead , he eschews the grand discourses of essentialism and universalism among men . There can really be no one-size-fits all criteria in determining individuality . But just as there are minute differences in the characters of men cut across different cultural and social spheres , ensconced in different time and context , there are as many strangers and aberrant behavior in society On this regard , Raskolnikov , despite his bourgeoisie education and upbringing , his apparent (dis )belief in law and , his subscription to his own brand of justice and most importantly , his peculiar ideas manifesting and culminating to murder , leans more toward an existentialist reading of his character than anything else

Likewise , Crime and Punishment can be seen not as a diatribe of the mechanical operations of law , criminal justice and society but as a novel that adumbrates the myriad ways in which an individual brought up normally in society eventually turns into a stranger of its ideals customs and traditions . In other words , the power of society and culture to shape an individual 's thought sometimes does not exert enough persuasive pressure , or perhaps exerts too much of such pressure , to ensure that every person acts in conformity to its and structure More often than not , social and structure yield to the strength of personal determination as shown by Raskolnikov disregard for the consequences of his actions . It seems then that an individual like Raskolnikov , who is quite far removed from the generally accepted reality , invites a closer existentialist reading of his character to understand why he committed the murder

Raskolnikov is just like any other person in society at cursory glance The fact that he is an academic scholar , an intellectual of sorts and has published his works in scholarly journals , Raskolonikov remains the cut-and-dried figure of the average idealistic student trying so desperately to make a mark in society and the academic world . Later in the novel , it is revealed that the strong opinions he holds are actually grounded on a deeply-seated , perhaps tangentially off objection to the norms of society (Dostoyevsky 83 . He argues from a skewed perspective inasmuch as he maintains the idea that the so-called great people of the times have the license to do as they in to bring into fruition the great achievements of humanity . Evincing his brand of existentialist persuasion , with respect to his ideas of justice , he...