Raskolnikov and the Overman
Poster Number
40
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
World Languages & Cultures
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Scott Shinabargar
Abstract
This paper draws parallels with Nietzsche’s overman, as described in his work Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and the ideas of the extraordinary man in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. In following the character Raskolnikov through his murder of an innocent woman and his struggle with believing that he is an extraordinary human himself, the paper explores the ideas of a higher being and whether this achievement is actually possible. It looks at how exactly Raskolnikov fails to achieve extraordinary status, both in his own eyes and in the eyes of Zarathustra, and compares Zarathustra’s idealistic take on war and murder with the realism of the murders in Crime and Punishment. After an in-depth study of these factors, the paper concludes that achievement of the overman is not possible, at least in the complete sense.
Course Assignment
Prometheans and Punks, HONR 232H, Scott Shinabargar
Start Date
22-4-2016 2:15 PM
End Date
22-4-2016 4:15 PM
Raskolnikov and the Overman
Richardson Ballroom
This paper draws parallels with Nietzsche’s overman, as described in his work Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and the ideas of the extraordinary man in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. In following the character Raskolnikov through his murder of an innocent woman and his struggle with believing that he is an extraordinary human himself, the paper explores the ideas of a higher being and whether this achievement is actually possible. It looks at how exactly Raskolnikov fails to achieve extraordinary status, both in his own eyes and in the eyes of Zarathustra, and compares Zarathustra’s idealistic take on war and murder with the realism of the murders in Crime and Punishment. After an in-depth study of these factors, the paper concludes that achievement of the overman is not possible, at least in the complete sense.
