Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Idiot, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Innocence v. Foolishness
Money, Greed, and Corruption
Social Hierarchy, Authority, and Rebellion
Absurdity and Nihilism
Passion, Violence, and Christianity
Summary
Analysis
Kolya opens the door and about 12 or 13 people, including Lebedev, Rogozhin, and two women, come in. They all seem tipsy, though not terribly drunk. Rogozhin greets Ganya in a friendly way, calling him an “old scoundrel,” but then he sees Nastasya and gasps, unable to speak. He moves toward her as if drawn by some unseen force. Indignant, Ganya pretends to barely recognize Rogozhin, but Rogozhin immediately says that Ganya beat him in a gambling game in which he was cheated out of money. He boasts about how much money he has now, saying he could buy them all.
There is certainly a parallel between the way Rogozhin and Nastasya dramatically introduce scandal to the situations they enter. Both of them are ruthless when it comes to other people’s emotions, and enjoy destroying the veneer of civility and propriety that characterizes the social world of the novel.
Themes
Rogozhin then turns to Nastasya and asks directly if she plans to marry Ganya. Nastasya first gives him a “mocking and haughty glance,” but then admits, more seriously, that she will certainly not marry him. Rogozhin says the rumor is that they’re engaged. Flustered, Ganya accuses him of being drunk and tells him to leave. Lebedev whispers to Rogozhin, who then brashly places 18,000 roubles on the table, saying it’s for Nastasya and that there will be more. Nastasya laughs, calling him a “boor,” and Rogozhin promises 100,000 instead. General Ivolgin suddenly shouts as if he only just noticed what was going on, and everyone laughs. Kolya starts crying, and Varya demands that someone remove “this shameless woman” (Nastasya) from the apartment.
The fact that Rogozhin and Ganya’s romantic rivalry so quickly turns into an ad-hoc auction reveals the sinister dynamics of power and money undergirding superficially civil and polite society. In an instant, Nastasya is reduced to an object that ca be purchased by whoever is the highest bidder. While readers in the present day likely find this outrageous, in reality it is actually only a dramatized representation of the dynamics found in most marriage arrangements during this time.
Themes
Ganya is horrified and tries to drag Varya away, but she spits in his face. Ganya then tries to strike her, but Myshkin steps in between them and gets slapped instead. Everyone is shocked. Kolya embraces Myshkin, and many others soon gather around them. Rogozhin tells Ganya he will regret what he’s done, and asks Myshkin to come with him. Nastasya is deeply moved by this act of violence. Myshkin tells her that really, she is “not like that” (shameless). Nastasya whispers to Nina, kisses her hand, and then leaves. Ganya tries to rush after her, but she has already gone. Rogozhin then leaves too, shouting to Ganya: “The game’s up, Ganka!”
This is the first of several incidents in the novel in which an act of violence has a profound, transformative impact on a particular dynamic. The fact that Ganya’s violence is accidentally misdirected against the innocent Myshkin gives the whole scene a feeling of chaos. As the characters recover from what has just happened, it is obvious that a profound shift in the social dynamic between them has taken place.
Themes
