Marya Character Analysis in Demons

Marya is Lebyadkin’s sister and Nikolay’s wife. Nikolay married Marya in Petersburg about five years before the story takes place. Nikolay keeps their marriage a secret, in part because he seems to have married her out of a desire to entertain himself and his friends. Marya is physically disabled and is depicted as mentally unstable. Fedka approaches Nikolay about murdering Marya early in the novel. Nikolay says he doesn’t want Fedka to kill her but then gives Fedka money in a way that he (Nikolay) acknowledges could be interpreted as a down payment for Fedka’s murder-for-hire scheme. Fedka then murders Marya and her brother Lebyadkin while he sets part of the town on fire. Pyotr arranged the murder so he could blackmail Nikolay by saying that he was complicit in the crime. Nikolay later reveals that while he didn’t want the murder to happen, he feels guilty for it because he knew it would happen and did nothing to stop it.

Marya Quotes in Demons

The Demons quotes below are all either spoken by Marya or refer to Marya. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

‘You got married out of a passion for inflicting torment, out of a passion for feeling the pangs of conscience, out of moral carnality […] When you bit the governor’s ear, did you feel a surge of carnality? Did you feel it? You idle, footloose son of a landowner, did you feel it?’

‘You’re a psychologist,’ Stavrogin was growing increasingly pale, ‘although you are partly mistaken about the reasons for my marriage…’

Related Characters: Nikolay (speaker), Shatov (speaker), Marya

Page Number and Citation: 282

Explanation and Analysis:

‘Nikolay Vsevolodovich, Nikolay Vsevolodovich, this cannot be, perhaps you’ll give it some more thought, you won’t want to lay hands on… What will people say, what will the world say?’

‘Oh, I’m hardly afraid of your world. After all, I did marry your sister then, when I felt like it, after a drunken dinner, on a bet for wine, and now I’m going to proclaim it for all to hear — why not, if it amuses me now?’

Related Characters: Lebyadkin (speaker), Nikolay (speaker), Marya, Varvara, Shatov

Page Number and Citation: 296-297

Explanation and Analysis:

‘Lizaveta Nikolayevna, really and truly, you can grind me in a mortar, but he’s innocent; on the contrary, he’s been crushed and is raving, as you can see. He’s not guilty of anything, of anything, even in thought! It’s all the doing of robbers who will certainly be found in a week and punished by flogging. It’s all the fault of Fedka the Convict and the Shpigulin workers; the whole town is chattering about it, and that’s why I am too.’

‘Is that so? Is that so?’ Liza was waiting, all atremble, for the final verdict.

‘I didn’t kill them and I was against it, but I knew they would be killed, and I didn’t stop the killers. Step away from me, Liza,’ Stavrogin said, and he went into the drawing room.

Liza covered her face with her hands and went out of the house.

Related Characters: Pyotr (speaker), Liza (speaker), Nikolay (speaker), Lebyadkin, Fedka, Marya

Page Number and Citation: 589

Explanation and Analysis:

‘[…] Yesterday on the bridge one little demon offered to kill Lebyadkin and Marya Timofeyevna to solve the problem of my lawful marriage and leave no traces of it behind. He asked for three silver roubles as an advance, but let it clearly be known that the whole procedure would cost no less than fifteen hundred. There’s a calculating demon for you! A bookkeeper! Ha, ha!’

[…]

‘[…] It was just Fedka the Convict, a robber who’s escaped from hard labour. But that’s not the point. What do you think I did? I gave him all the money in my wallet, and he’s now utterly convinced that I gave him an advance!’ […]

‘You ran across him at night and he made you an offer like that? Can you really not see that they’ve completely entangled you in their net!’

‘Oh, let them!’

Related Characters: Nikolay (speaker), Darya (speaker), Lebyadkin, Pyotr, Marya, Fedka

Related Symbols: Demons, Demons

Page Number and Citation: 325

Explanation and Analysis:

What’s he doing there?’

‘He’s putting out the fire, Your Excellency.’

‘That’s impossible. The fire is in people’s minds, and not on the roofs of houses. Pull him down and leave everything!’

Related Characters: Andrey (speaker), Lebyadkin, Pyotr, Marya

Page Number and Citation: 571

Explanation and Analysis:

A curious fact had come to light: on the very outskirts of the quarter, on a piece of empty ground, beyond the vegetable gardens, no less than fifty paces from the other buildings, stood a small wooden house that had just been built, and this isolated house had caught fire almost before all the others, at the very beginning of the conflagration. […] As it turned out, the house had caught fire on its own and independently, and therefore suspiciously. But the main thing was that it had not actually burned down, and inside it, towards dawn, surprising things were discovered […] there were tenants in the house — a captain who was well known in the town, his sister and an aged servant of theirs; and these tenants — the captain, his sister and the servant — all three of them had had their throats cut during the night, and had evidently been robbed.

Related Characters: Fedka, Pyotr, Nikolay, Marya, Lebyadkin

Page Number and Citation: 572

Explanation and Analysis:

Suddenly someone shouted: ‘It’s Stavrogin’s woman!’ Then: ‘It’s not enough for them to commit murder, they have to come and look!’ Suddenly I saw someone’s hand raised above her head from behind, and then it came down; Liza fell. Mavriky Nikolayevich let out a dreadful cry and rushed to help her, hitting with all his strength a man who was trying to block his way. But at that very instant the tradesman grabbed him from behind with both hands. For some time it was impossible to make anything out in the scuffle that ensued. Liza seemed to get up, but fell again from another blow.

[…]

As an eyewitness, albeit a distant one, I had to give evidence at the inquest: I stated that everything had happened quite accidentally, the work of people who, though perhaps incited, were scarcely aware of what they were doing as they were drunk and disorderly. I hold this opinion even now.

Related Characters: Anton (speaker), Mavriky, Nikolay, Lebyadkin, Fedka, Marya, Liza

Page Number and Citation: 597-598

Explanation and Analysis:

Marya Character Timeline in Demons

The timeline below shows where the character Marya appears in Demons. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...sullen today because he recently got into a fight with Lebyadkin. Lebyadkin beats his sister, Marya, who experiences seizures. When she has those seizures, Lebyadkin uses a whip to assault her.... (full context)

...wants to see that woman. Anton asks who she means, and Liza says Lebyadkin’s sister, Marya. Anton feels like being entrusted with a secret by Liza is sacred. He says that... (full context)

Anton goes to see Shatov in the hopes that Shatov will help him see Marya. When Anton arrives, Shatov is with Aleksey and a man named Shigalyov. Aleksey and Shigalyov... (full context)

Anton and Shatov go to see Lebyadkin’s sister, Marya. Marya sits alone in one of the two dark, dingy rooms where she lives with... (full context)

...matter with a single explanation. He asks Shatov if he knows what kind of woman Marya is. Shatov says that Lebyadkin wouldn’t dare say. Lebyadkin seems on the verge of saying... (full context)

...then, they hear footsteps, and they’re surprised to see Liza enter arm in arm with Marya. (full context)

...then spoke up and said that the woman was from the Lebyadkin family. It was Marya. Marya said she wasn’t a Lebyadkin, but her brother was. Liza then approached Marya and... (full context)

Varvara, Marya, and Liza return from the cathedral and arrive at Varvara’s house where Anton, Stepan, and... (full context)

...to catch Anton’s eye. Everyone becomes distracted to the point that they momentarily forget about Marya. (full context)

...tell her what she’s talking about. Praskovya says she has been receiving anonymous letters about Marya. Varvara almost faints. Darya then enters the room. Marya says that Darya seems much more... (full context)

...ago claiming that Nikolay had lost his mind. The letter warned of a woman fitting Marya’s description and said that that woman would play an “extraordinary role” in Varvara’s life. Varvara... (full context)

...offers Lebyadkin a seat. He sits down and thanks Varvara for looking after his sister, Marya. He doesn’t seem drunk but like someone who has just woken up after days spent... (full context)

...Before Varvara says anything else to Nikolay, she asks him if it is true that Marya is his wife. A gasp spreads through the room. Marya then moves to greet Nikolay.... (full context)

...other person present. Pyotr then begins to explain how Nikolay became involved with Lebyadkin and Marya. (full context)

Nikolay first met Marya and Lebyadkin five years ago in Petersburg. At that point, Nikolay was dejected and found... (full context)

...the time and was friends with Nikolay, told Nikolay that he shouldn’t play games with Marya. Nikolay told Aleksey that he in fact respected Marya greatly and thought she was better... (full context)

...after hearing Pyotr’s account of the events in Petersburg. She thinks that Nikolay’s treatment of Marya is evidence of his lofty soul. Pyotr then says that when Nikolay left Petersburg four... (full context)

Lebyadkin also treats the money Nikolay gives as a gift to Marya as something that is owed to him (Lebyadkin). Lebyadkin objects to Pyotr’s statements, and Pyotr... (full context)

...Nikolay says he takes it that everyone has heard the full story about him and Marya by now. He says that when he left, it occurred to him that he should... (full context)

...Nikolay and Liza had an affair in Switzerland and that Nikolay “dishonored” Liza. Lebyadkin and Marya leave town the day after the events at Varvara’s house. Anton and Stepan are also... (full context)

...of the next week. Anton goes to see Liputin, who tells him that Lebyadkin and Marya are across the river in the suburb of Gorshechnaya. Liputin also says that Liza has... (full context)

...voluble nature. Pyotr also tells Nikolay that he has arranged a place for Lebyadkin and Marya to stay and gives the address to Nikolay. Pyotr says that “our people” are waiting... (full context)

...Nikolay makes his way through the streets. He arrives at the house where Lebyadkin and Marya once lived. Shatov opens a window in the attic and asks who’s there. Nikolay says... (full context)

...her and Nikolay weren’t true. Nikolay then asks Shatov if he hit him because of Marya, and Shatov says yes. Nikolay says that Shatov knows, then, that he (Nikolay) is lawfully... (full context)

Nikolay says that he and Marya were married in Petersburg four years ago and that he plans to announce the marriage... (full context)

...was in the U.S. Nikolay says he has to ask Shatov for a favor concerning Marya. (full context)

...he spoke those words but that he never harmed children. Shatov accuses Nikolay of marrying Marya out of a desire to inflict pain on others. Shatov says that despite himself, he... (full context)

...Lebyadkin invites him inside and says he’s been waiting for him. He also says that Marya is awake in the next room. Nikolay sits with Lebyadkin. Lebyadkin hasn’t had a drink... (full context)

Nikolay says that he plans to make his marriage to Marya public in the coming days. At that point, it will no longer be necessary to... (full context)

...longer rely on Nikolay’s payments. Nikolay then says that he needs to go speak to Marya. (full context)

Marya is asleep when Nikolay goes into her room. When she wakes up, she is in... (full context)

Nikolay then proposes a plan where he and Marya would go live in the mountains of Switzerland together. Marya says that the plan is... (full context)

...the house and walks in the rain with his umbrella. He keeps thinking about what Marya said about a knife. When Nikolay reaches the bridge, he finds Fedka waiting for him.... (full context)

...him when “the end comes.” She then asks if Nikolay will announce his marriage to Marya today. Nikolay says he won’t announce it today, tomorrow, and maybe not the day after... (full context)

Nikolay says that yesterday, Fedka approached him and offered to kill Lebyadkin and Marya and leave no trace. He asked for a three rouble advance but made it clear... (full context)

...to duel and says he can’t believe that Nikolay wants to make his marriage to Marya public. Nikolay scowls at Pyotr and walks away. (full context)

...the Society’s plans to the governor. Pyotr says the money will help “take care” of Marya (implying that he would have Marya killed). Nikolay says that he has no intention of... (full context)

...accomplices in a crime. Nikolay says that Fedka approached him asking for money to kill Marya as well. He suggests that Pyotr is trying to catch Nikolay committing a crime and... (full context)

...Nikolay says that it’s true that he is Lebyadkin’s relation, as he married Lebyadkin’s sister Marya five years ago. People in the room are shocked, including Nikolay’s mother, Varvara. When Anton... (full context)

...confirmed. Anton then goes to see Shatov and asks him if he plans to see Marya. Shatov says no, but Anton later learns that Shatov goes to see Marya and finds... (full context)

...manages to put it out before the fire spreads, thus preserving the building. Inside, Lebyadkin, Marya, and a servant are dead. Their throats have been cut, and Marya’s body has been... (full context)

Pyotr tells Nikolay that Lebyadkin, Marya, and a servant have been killed. He says that because of the confluence of events,... (full context)

Nikolay accuses Pyotr of killing Marya. Pyotr denies any involvement. When they return to Liza, she asks what they were discussing.... (full context)

...his servant would notice. Liza and Mavriky leave Stepan and go to the house where Marya, Lebyadkin, and the servant were murdered. (full context)

When Liza arrives, the crowd is bustling with the information that Nikolay killed Marya to run off with Liza. Someone in the crowd points to Liza and says that... (full context)

...Pyotr, who had been in love with Liza. Pyotr also maintains that the murders of Marya, Lebyadkin, and their servant were an accident. Although some people are skeptical of Pyotr, in... (full context)

...the interests of the common good by contributing to the fires and the murders of Marya and Lebyadkin. When Pyotr arrives, the group of five brings its concerns to him. (full context)

...to discover their revolutionary faction. Pyotr says that Fedka acted alone in murdering Lebyadkin and Marya and only wanted Lebyadkin’s money. He then shows the group the anonymous letter Lebyadkin wrote... (full context)

...next. Pyotr is also genuinely convinced that Shatov will inform on them. He thinks that Marya and Liza’s recent deaths will impel Shatov to go to the authorities. Pyotr also personally... (full context)

...official suspect is a factory worker who helped Fedka with the arson and with murdering Marya and Lebyadkin. The factory worker reportedly suspected Fedka of stealing money from Lebyadkin and taking... (full context)

Shatov sits at home. After Marya was murdered, Shatov wanted to inform on everyone he suspected was involved in her death.... (full context)

...Yuliya and Nikolay. He blames Pyotr for Shatov’s murder, the arson, and the murder of Marya and Lebyadkin. Virginsky is arrested the same day that Lyamshin confesses. Virginsky also confesses to... (full context)

...that he still wants her to join him. He adds that he feels guilty for Marya’s death. He also says that he knows that he should take his own life, but... (full context)

Demons

Marya Character Analysis

Marya Quotes in Demons

Part 2, Chapter 1, Section 7 Quotes

Part 2, Chapter 2, Section 2 Quotes

Part 2, Chapter 3, Section 2 Quotes

Part 2, Chapter 3, Section 4 Quotes

Part 3, Chapter 2, Section 4 Quotes

Part 3, Chapter 3, Section 3 Quotes

Marya Character Timeline in Demons