Reason and Emotion in Crimen and Punishment

Throughout the entire semester we have talked several times about reason versus emotion. So, since this is my last blog I would like to end up by showing how Dostoevsky shows this duality in humans and how when an individual is not able to achieve a balance between his or her two parts, an internal crisis will drive the individual into chaos, but when he or she is able to maintain the balance, it will lead him or her to progress.
Dostoevsky portrays his thoughts about the duality of human nature in Crime and Punishment mostly by transforming the main character of his novel. Raskolnikov tries to be a purely rational human being until he is in Siberia. This rational part is what makes him write his article about ordinary and extraordinary men. In this time, he does not feel any compassion or esteem for life; he is just thinking in a machiavellian way. The ends, not the means, are what truly matter for him. Therefore, it is completely logical for him that if one will be able to make a greater good for the rest, he or she will overstep his or her obstacles, no matter the cost. This ideology justifies his crime, and makes him believe that he has not done anything wrong. However, after he commits the crime he gets sick and starts to rave. These are signs of how his rationality is weakening and is letting emotions invade him. He starts to be seriously confused about what he wants to do and what he is able to do. This does not let him reason but instead makes him feel conflicting emotions in short periods of time. It also makes him question himself about the real motives of the murder. His rational part assures that what he did was for a good cause, but his emotional part does not let him feel confident about it.
Everything starts to change when he undertakes his way to Calvary. His dream when he is in the hospital makes clear to him that this superhuman would be a plague for society. If everyone were to try to be like him, it would be impossible for society to exist. Raskolnikov also finds a light of hope in his dream, which is the road of redemption and the possibility to start a new life. This new hope is symbolized by Sonia and the life they will have together after seven years. At last, he is saved and anxious to live because he is able to achieve such balance between his emotional and rational dimensions.