mind over matters

Raskolnikov's dream, chapter v, Crime and Punishment.

Mikolka is the embodyment of the violent urges that surge from Raskolnikov's id. By creating a character to house this part of himself he disconnects his guilt administrator ( the superego) from his violence inclined id.

He shouted from the cart – 'and this brute, mates is just breaking my heart, I feel as if I could kill her. She's just eating her head off. I'll make her gallop! She'll gallop!' he picked up the whip, preparing himself with relish to flog the little mare.

Mikolka acts as a separate entity with his own set of id, ego and superego. Deeply disturbing is his superego (depicted as the crowd of on lookers) who seems to bend to the will of his id or are completely dismissed as Mikolka's ego justifies his actions as socially acceptable because they are within the rights of every capitalist.

'Don't meddle! It's my property, I'll do what I choose.'

Two lads in the crowd snatched up whips and ran to the mare to beat her about the ribs. 'Hit her in the face, in the eyes, in the eyes,' cried Mikolka.

Raskolnikov's internalized superego exerts no control over Mikolka in this detached state. Reducing himself to the helplessness of a child he allows Mikolka to have the power to maim and destroy.

Mikolka stood on one side and began dealing random blows with the crowbar. The mare stretched out her head, drew a long breath and died.....the poor boy beside himself, made his way through the crowd to the sorrel nag, put his arms round her bleeding dead head and kissed it.

Facilitating the rise in power of the id born killing urges inside him, Raskolnikov prepares himself for his ultimate act of cruelty.

'Can it be, can it be, that I shall really take an axe, that I shall strike her on the head, split her skull open, tread in the warm sticky blood, break the lock, steal and tremble; hide all spattered in the blood...with the axe.....good god, can it be?'

Posted in: Crime and Punishment on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at at 1:34 PM 0 comments