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
Bewildered, Myshkin says he thought there was another woman there, which shocks Aglaya. He then realizes that it was just a dream. He tells her about Ippolit’s failed suicide attempt, along with all the other events of the night. Aglaya then says they have to hurry because she must be home by 8 a.m. Myshkin suggests that perhaps Ippolit was hoping his speech would make everyone express their love for him and beg him to stay alive. Aglaya remembers that she had similar thoughts at age 13, when she would dream of poisoning herself so that her parents would feel sorry for how they treated her.
Aglaya’s words highlight a similarity between her and Ippolit, and indeed between all young people who dream of asserting dominance by acts of self-harm. In this sense, it would be wrong to condemn Ippolit too harshly for his antics. Like every other young person, he just needs a chance to mature—yet, tragically, he will not get one.
Themes
Aglaya announces that the reason why she brought Myshkin here is to “propose that you be my friend.” She blushes, and Myshkin says he never imagined there would be any need for such a proposal. She asks if he, like her family, thinks she is a “fool,” and he replies that he thinks she is very intelligent. Aglaya is thrilled. She says that she wants to be taken seriously, that she’s decided to run away from home, and that she wants Myshkin to help her. She says she wants to talk to Myshkin about everything. She also says that her family is convinced that she is in love with him and is “waiting” for him.
Both Aglaya and Myshkin suffer from being mistaken for fools. In both cases, this is partly due to their unusual, often illegible behavior. People do not understand them, so they dismiss them as foolish. In Aglaya’s case, it is made worse by the fact that she is a young, unmarried woman. Coming from this social position, it is almost impossible to get people to take her seriously.
Themes
Aglaya tells Myshkin that she hates the elite social world in which she has been brought up, and dreams of achieving greater things than getting married. When Myshkin tells her that what she’s said is “absurd,” she threatens to marry Ganya if he doesn’t help her. Still horrified, Myshkin asks if Aglaya has ever lived anywhere other than her parents’ house, such as at boarding school. Aglaya replies that she’s been “bottled up” her whole life, and will “get married right out of the bottle.” She accuses him of expecting her to confess that she is in love with him, and Myshkin replies he was actually afraid that might happen. Aglaya is furious and claims to be in love with Ganya. Myshkin says he knows that’s not true.
It is surprising that Myshkin’s reaction to Aglaya’s frustrations is to call them “absurd,” particularly because he is usually so sympathetic with people—even when they express beliefs that are truly absurd. Myshkin’s rejection of Aglaya’s frustrations shows how deeply-ingrained traditional ideas about gender are in the world of the novel. Myshkin might be a radical “democrat,” but he still cannot fathom why Aglaya would be dissatisfied with her highly restrictive life.
Themes
Aglaya says that Ganya burned his hand in front of her to demonstrate his love. After Myshkin refuses to believe this, Aglaya admits she was lying. Myshkin chastises her for being cruel to him and to Nastasya, and Aglaya angrily replies that she knows Myshkin proposed to Nastasya and that she rejected him. Myshkin explains that he doesn’t love Nastasya, but rather just feels deeply empathetic for her, because he sees the staggering intensity of her suffering. Aglaya finally admits that Nastasya writes her letters every day, claiming that she is in love with her and at the same time urging her to marry Myshkin. Nastasya also writes that she knows Myshkin loves Aglaya and wants him to be happy.
In a way, Aglaya seems to want to live in a more dramatic world than her reality. This emerges in her lie about Ganya burning his hand out of love for her. At the same time, when people around her act in a truly strange, dramatic, and impassioned way—namely, when Nastasya sends her the letters—Aglaya balks. She wants the fantasy of a passionate life, but perhaps not the reality.
Themes
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Myshkin repeats that Nastasya is “insane.” However, when Aglaya asks him what to do so she stops receiving the letters, Myshkin begs her to “let her be” and promises to deal with hit himself. Aglaya becomes angry and tells Myshkin to throw the letters at Nastasya. She threatens that if she receives even one more, she will ensure that Nastasya is locked up in an asylum. Mrs. Epanchin suddenly begins walking over to see what all the commotion is about. Aglaya embraces her mother and says that she is going to marry Ganya.
Although there are parallels in the oppressive ways in which Nastasya and Aglaya are treated, and in the frustrations they develop as a result, Aglaya cannot bring herself to feel an iota of sympathy for Nastasya. She calls Nastasya insane, not realizing that other characters, such as the members of her family, level the exact same accusation at her.
Themes
