Parfyon Semyonovich Rogozhin Character Analysis

Rogozhin is a cruel, greedy, and corrupt young man, the opposite of Myshkin. Though he is a non-noble, at the beginning of the novel he inherits an enormous sum of money. When Myshkin is arriving in St. Petersburg after being treated for epilepsy in Switzerland, he meets Rogozhin on the train. At first, the two are friends, but Rogozhin gradually turns on Myshkin as the story progresses and eventually tries (and fails) to stab him to death. Rogozhin is an atheist and has little regard for morality, making him a direct foil to Myshkin, who is a devout Christian and Christlike figure and acts in an unyieldingly innocent, moral, and forgiving manner throughout the novel. This is emphasized by the copy of Holbein’s “The Dead Christ” that hangs in Rogozhin’s dark, gloomy house, a disturbing painting that casts atheistic doubt on the Christian faith that is foundational to Myshkin’s character. Rogozhin is in love with Nastasya due to her beauty, and desperately offers her 100,000 roubles to marry him, which Nastasya throws in the fire. She does eventually agree to marry Rogozhin instead of Myshkin, but Rogozhin’s passion for her is a highly destructive and violent force. He beats her while they are together and ends up murdering her. At the end of the novel, Rogozhin is sentenced to 15 years hard labor in Siberia for Nastasya’s murder.