Nicole Chen Santiago AP Literature October 24, 2013

Rodion Raskolnikov: reactions and reasons

! , a novel by Russian author Feodor Dostoevsky, sets the perfect background for the aspects and primitive human instincts proposed in Sigmund

Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents. According to Civilization, primal human nature contains insatiable desires for destructive acts and theories such as killing and discontent over man’s painful existence. However, contemporary laws and societies frown upon excessive inclination of the aforementioned desires, resulting in the basis of human discontent (also described by Freud as “guilty conscience”) and the basis of Rodian

Romanovich Raskolnikov’s descent into neurosis.

!Freud presents civilization as the mediator of peace, the only repressor of man’s desire to kill. Guilty consciences only exist because civilization attempts to stress the importance of love and unity, the opposites of natural tendency. This conflict between basic instinct and societal conditioning is very emphasized on Raskolnikov’s reactions, words, and actions. Raskolnikov is deemed separate from society due to his tendency to emotionally overreact to situations. In the beginning of the novel, Raskolnikov finds himself preoccupied with the idea of murdering an old pawnbroker that many hate. While other students merely joke on the subject, Raskolnikov seriously contemplates it. After the actual murder, Raskolnikov tells himself that “it wasn’t a human being [he] killed” (Dostoevsky).

Raskolnikov’s initial reaction to the killing clearly stems from his most elementary instincts, proving Freud’s theory of man’s desire to kill. His earliest response to the killing was not one of remorse as we expected, but instead one of adrenaline. It is only until later that the conditioning of society gradually appears and leads to Raskolnikov’s transition into a neurotic. Nicole Chen Santiago AP Literature October 24, 2013

!Raskolnikov eventually starts to feel remorse for his actions as he starts to fall in love with Sonya, the object of his sexual desire. As mentioned above, guilt originates from civilization’s conditioning on the need of love. As Freud says, “the commandment, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself', is the strongest defense against human aggressiveness” (Freud).

Although Raskolnikov does act on his primal instincts, he has also been conditioned since birth to fancy love in his life. In relation to Civilization, guilt and neurosis is the price that we as humans pay to achieve acceptance in society, but is also the reason behind

Raskolnikov’s deteriorating mind. Raskolnikov sacrifices his conscious freedom in order to satisfy his desire of love and with Sonya. In a way, he also sacrifices his physical freedom

- he was sent to prison after he confessed to the murder of the pawnbroker and her sister - in order to gain repentance from the Russian society and to achieve achieve acceptance with others. In short, he accepts guilt because it is what society expects of him. As predicted by Freud, societal conditioning and human remorse have become the suppressors of the freedom to fully express and act on basic human instincts. After all,

Freud endorses the idea that the hearts of mankind are irrevocably hostile, but that it is the purpose of civilizations’ existence to curb the hostility, hence Raskolnikov’s confession.

!In Civilization, Freud mentions that Raskolnikov’s drives and reactions can be fully defined by Freud’s interpretation of civilization, as Raskolnikov’s actions are instinctive.

Raskolnikov is Freud’s definition of a neurotic; someone who is unable to withstand the restrictions of society and hence becomes the victim of emotional stress. Raskolnikov is painted as the image of one stuck between his instincts and his social conditioning; a man trapped within the bounds of repression. As a neurotic, Raskolnikov has less control over his emotions than the norm, meaning that he reacts more according to his compulsions and natural urges. He is the most instinctually uninhibited characters in Crime and Nicole Chen Santiago AP Literature October 24, 2013

Punishment and thus is the character whose motives and incentives can be elucidated using Freud’s theories.

!Raskolnikov’s neurosis appears in every page of the novel - a foreseen consequence of society’s repression. An example that appears multiple times in the novel is the article that Raskolnikov wrote in his student days. In the article, Raskolnikov propounds that some men have the “perfect right to commit breaches of morality and crimes, and that the law is not for them” (Dostoevsky). This belief causes Raskolnikov to gain an air of superiority (He believes himself to be “extraordinary”), thus affecting his interpersonal relationships with others (he is shown to be estranged from others at the beginning of the novel): a common symptom of mental illness. Aside from this,

Raskolnikov is also shown to react irrationally to accusations or challenges. When his friend Razumikhin expresses his simple concern over Raskolnikov’s health, Raskolnikov describes his emotions as “mounting” and says that he “could not repress it” (Dostoevsky).

His sporadic and bipolar personality is also noted by those in his proximity to be one minute “unconscious and delirious” and the next minute well enough to carry solo “sprees somewhere till midnight” (Dostoevsky) - again broadcasting his removal and distance from others.

!Raskolnikov is also proved to have suffered insomnia and agitation. Again, his irregular habits and periodical outbursts come up. By the time the novel starts,

Raskolnikov had already dropped out of university and was preoccupying himself by drinking and creating a concept of the pawnbroker’s death - he has lost pleasure in normal activities (school). On top of all that, the maid of Raskolnikov’s landlady, Natasya, is noted to have mentioned Raskolnikov’s refusal to eat the food she brings in. In precis,

Raskolnikov comprises of all of the symptoms of one with a personality disorder - based Nicole Chen Santiago AP Literature October 24, 2013 not only the examples provided in this paragraph but also the examples from the former.

He is a victim of mental disorders, bestowing more foundation of his label as a neurotic.

!There is no doubt that Rodion Raskolnikov’s neurosis is a result of Freudian human nature - repression that results in irregular cognitive thoughts and behavior. He kills two women “on principle” and repents his actions due to his discovery of love all in the span of two hundred pages. However, his actions are justified and explained by the Freudian theories presented Civilization and Its Discontents. Every step he took was because of his natural inclinations as a man and every decision a reflection of the natures predicted by

Freud. Raskolnikov acts the way he does because nature has trained him to do so. Primal human nature is the cause of his discontent and deeds. Nicole Chen Santiago AP Literature October 24, 2013

Works Cited

Freud, Sigmund. Civilization and its Discontents. First American Edition. New York: !W.W. Norton & Company., 1962. eBook. !.

Dostoevsky, Feodor. Crime and Punishment. Second Edition. New York-London: W.W. !Norton & Company, 1975. Print.