The other redemptive figure is Porfiry. Here is an intellectual man who uses his intellect for the good of man. He sees in Raskolnikov the potential of a great being who made up a theory and then was ashamed that it broke down. Porfiry is the man who recognizes that the theory is base but that Raskolnikov is far from being base. His purpose, therefore, is to make Raskolnikov see the difference between the baseness of the theory and the ever-present potential in himself. What Porfiry realizes is that any idea, if it is conceived of for the benefit of humanity, must be a human idea and must be executed by a humane person. He tries to make Raskolnikov see that the idea is base because it views a large portion of mankind as base.
Thus Raskolnikov at the beginning of the novel is a dual personality with two aspects of his personality represented by Sonya and Svidrigailov. The problem is to bring this personality into an integrated whole. This task is assigned to Sonya and Porfiry. The emphasis is that man cannot separate the humane aspect of his life from the intellectual aspect. Whatever man does must be done in terms of the betterment of general humanity.
Raskolnikov's punishment, that is the general suffering he undergoes, is a result of this split personality. It was one aspect that murdered the old pawnbroker, but it is the humane side that must suffer for the murder.
