The Theme of Duality in Crime and PunishmentIn Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the theme of duality is present in much of the novel. There are two conflicts: one external between a disillusioned individual and his world, the other internal between an isolated soul and his conscience (Walsh). It is the internal conflict of the main character, Raskolnikov, that is the focus of much of the novel. Raskolnikov's dual personalities are constantly in conflict with each other, provoking the inner conflict he experiences and thus creating his own personal punishment. The first of Raskolnikov's two sides is his intellectual side. This side of him is cold, unfeeling, inhumane, and displays extreme will and power. It is his side that proposes his theory. The crime was the result of his theory that some people possess extraordinary abilities while others have none. It was this intellectual side of him that drove him to plan and carry out his murder. This half of his personality is part of the reason he lives in a rundown place and is the reason he has allowed himself to fall so far from his goals. This side puts him in many difficult times throughout the novel. His extreme apathy towards everything is this side of his personality. There is also a completely opposite side of Raskolnikov. This side is his compassionate, kind, humane, compassionate and warm side. He expresses much of his conscience and performs charitable acts and fights against evil in his society. This is the side his mother wants to see and he trains himself to only let her come in contact with this side of himself....... middle of paper ...... Eventually the The good side of his personality won out and he realized he needed help. Killing someone is a crime and would do them no good (Harris). His mind was very much in tune with that of Raskolnikov, who believed he could improve humanity through justified crime. The truth is that everyone has a complex personality. No one is one-sided. The difference between Raskolnikov and us is how we choose to act on our instincts. Raskolnikov clearly did not know how to deal with his intellectual nature and therefore had to suffer punishment from him and the law. Balanced people know how to manage their emotions and their personality in a healthy way. Raskolnikov teaches us that everything man does must be done in terms of general humanity and for this reason man must learn to master his dual personality..