"The extraordinary... have the right to commit all kinds of crimes and transgress the law in all kinds of ways, for the simple reason They are extraordinary." [1] Dostoyevsky's main characters fall into two philosophical categories. The first group maintains that man is not equal, but divided into two groups: the ordinary and the extraordinary. Ordinary people are trapped in the laws and traditions of society, existing only to reproduce their own. The extraordinary, on the other hand, have the moral right to break the law if their transgression is for the good of humanity. The second group believes that all people are equal and that there is no ubermensch, or superior man, who has the right to harm others for personal gain. Dostoyevsky opposed Ubermensch's theory, revealing it in his depiction of the characters. Those who advocated the idea of ​​a Superman seemed negative while their opponents were viewed with admiration. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Svidrigalov in Crime and Punishment, and Fyodor Karamazov in The Brothers Karamazov, were proponents of the idea of ​​Superman. Svidrigalov is the epitome of this extreme philosophical vision. His only goal was to satisfy his physical desires, regardless of the means necessary to achieve his goals. Rumors circulated linking him to the death of a servant as well as the suicide of a fourteen-year-old deaf-mute girl. “One day the girl was found hanging in the attic,” Peter Petrovich said. "The verdict was suicide... but a later report revealed that the child had been cruelly outraged by Svidrigalov." [2] He was known to have mistreated his wife and was suspected of beating her, which ultimately led to her death. He insisted, however, that they had a good relationship, at least by his definition. “In our seven years together, I only used the switch twice in total (not counting a third time, which was extremely ambiguous anyway),” he explained to Raskolnikov. [3] Svidrigalov stopped at nothing in his attempt to seduce Sonia, Raskolnikov's sister, and even tried to blackmail her, but without success. Fyodor Karamazov engaged in irresponsible activities just like Svidrigalov. His life consisted of drinking, debauchery and mistreatment of his wives. "Primitive patriarch that he is, he begins by stealing them from their families or raping them; then he soon abandons them in pursuit of yet other women." [4] He neglected his children when they were babies, leaving them to be raised by relatives. Karamazov is insensitive and selfish, manifesting this by ridiculing his second wife in the presence of their sons and depriving his eldest son of his inheritance. The narrator describes him as “a contemptible, vicious and at the same time insane man”. [5] Similar to Svidrigalov's involvement with the deaf-mute girl, Karamazov allegedly raped a mentally retarded woman who died after giving birth. The whole town was talking... about Lizaveta's condition and trying to find out who had done the wrong. her. Then, suddenly, a terrible rumor spread throughout the city that it was only Fyodor Karamazov. [6]Dostoyevsky paints a negative portrait of these two men: the representations of the ubermensch. Svidrigalov and Karamazov do not put anyone before themselves and are only concerned with realizing their selfish aspirations. They are “terribly vital and vitally dreadful,” writes Harold Bloom. [7] Machiavellian in their vision, they believe that all means arejustified as long as they contribute to achieving the desired result. Dostoyevsky uses these characters to show the destruction that results from one man believing he is superior to another, morally free to do anything, even if it results in the death of an innocent person. On Dostoyevsky's use of Svidrigalov and Karamazov, Ernest Simmons writes: "Ideas...play the central role in his novels. His main characters are often ideas embodied, and he seems to care less about the lives of his characters than about the ideas they represent. [8] By portraying Svidrigalov and Karamazov as entirely negative characters, Dostoyevsky reveals his disapproval of the idea of ​​the ubermensch. Alyosha in The Brothers Karamazov acts as a foil to Karamazov and Svidrigalov. Instead of pursuing selfish desires, he devotes himself to helping others. For Alyosha, no person is more important than another, everyone has the same value, regardless of their social position. He got much of his philosophy from Father. Zosima, a holy monk who lived at the monastery. Fr. Zosima was once asked about her views on equality. “Shall we sit our servants on the sofa and offer them tea?” he was asked. To the questioner, this scenario was absurd. Servants were considered inferior to their employers and would never have had the opportunity to share tea with them. However, to everyone's surprise, Fr. Zosima replied: "Why not, at least sometimes." [9] Alyosha applied this way of thinking by accepting people for their quality of character rather than their wealth or social class. He befriended Gruchenka, who many shunned because of her reputation as a prostitute. “You have to love people without reason, like Alyosha does,” she said to her cousin. [10] Alyosha also had a strong relationship with children. Kolya, a boy who idolized him, observed that "Alyosha treated him exactly like an equal and then he spoke to him as if he were an adult." [11] Alyosha even shows love and respect towards Karamazov, his father. The fact that he does not judge the amoral man who tormented his mother and abandoned him and his brothers reveals his strength of character. Alyosha brought with him something his father had never known before: a complete lack of contempt towards him and a constant attitude. a kindness, a completely natural and unaffected devotion towards the old man who so little deserved it. [12] Alyosha treated everyone with equality and generosity – he is Dostoyevsky's ideal character. Dostoyevsky showed two extremes with Karamazov and Svidrigalov, and Alyosha. Because Karamazov and Svidrigalov live as supermen whose priority is to satisfy their selfish desires, they are portrayed negatively by the author. Alyosha, who is the exact opposite, presents himself as a moral hero. But although these characters help reveal Dostoyevsky's feelings on the idea of ​​Ubermensch, his views are best exhibited with Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment, a character who firmly believes in the idea of ​​a superior man, but changes more late in opinion. Raskolnikov is a former student. in a largely uncultured St. Petersburg. He is intelligent and clearly knows it. Raskolnikov begins to believe that, because he is intellectually superior to the common man, he has the right to break the law if he decides that his illegal act would improve society. “It divides man into two main groups: the trembling multitude of ordinary men and the daring minority of exceptional individuals who have the right to transgress the conventional rules of social law and custom. » [13] However, although Raskolnikov's idea was analyzed and after reflection.. 729.