Intellectualism In Crime And Punishment By Fyodor Dostoyevsky

â€Å"Intellectualism is the view that regards the intellect as superior to the will, and that the intellect is the basic factor, both in the universe and in human conduct.† Intellectualism, accompanied by pride, can often cause one to isolate themselves from those they view to be of lesser worth. Those who think highly of themselves tend to believe they can do things that are socially unacceptable in the eyes of others because they believe the moral standards set to guide humanity don’t apply to them. The often justify this with the belief they are doing what’s for the greater good. A prime example of this manifests in the novel Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The main character, Raskolnikov, illustrates how one’s pride and†¦show more content†¦He attempts to justify the murder of Alyona because she is a burden to those living in St. Petersburg, however, this contradicts his reasoning for killing Lizaveta, as he had only killed her s o he wouldn’t get caught. Upon completing the crime and nearly getting away with it, Raskolnikov does not feel the sense of achievement he expected. After murdering Alyona and Lizaveta Ivanovna, Raskolnikov is tormented by the vast sense of guilt he feels. His guilt is most notable when it was pointed out by Zossimov who notes that at the mention of the murders alone seems to visibly affect Raskolnikov. He also almost nearly confesses to the crime multiple times, once in Part II: Chapter VI, to a police inspector. He also seems to faint at the mention of the murders, this occurring a multitude of times, once in Part II: Chapter I and again in Part III: Chapter III. Throughout Part II: Chapters I-VI Raskolnikov suffers delirium, weakness, and anxiety. This entire scenario is proving to take a toll on his mental state and physical well being. It also shows that he is not apart of the â€Å"superman echelon† mentioned in his article On Crime. It does show how he lacks th e mere self control it takes to prevent himself from being caught. He has an ongoing struggle between wanting avoid suspicion and wanting to confess. This internal conflict causes him to act in an unstable manner, sometimes trying to come off as innocent and otherShow MoreRelated Dostoevskys The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment3948 Words   |  16 PagesGod Answers the Questions Presented by Dostoevskys The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   In Dostoevskys novels pain and some heavy burden of the inevitability of human suffering and helplessness form Russia. And he depicts it not with white gloves on, nor through the blisters of the peasant, but through people who are close to him and his realities: city people who either have faith, or secular humanists who are so remote from reality that even when they love humanity