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
Terrified, Mrs. Epanchin and her daughters practically run home from the vauxhall. The others, meanwhile, are somewhat relieved that Evgeny’s connection to Nastasya is finally no longer a mystery. On the way home, the Epanchin women run into General Epanchin, who immediately asks about Evgeny. He then whispers something to Prince Shch., leaving the prince looking shocked. A little later, Aglaya comes out of the house to find Myshkin sitting on a chair on the terrace. She asks if him if he would agree to participate if someone challenged him to a duel. Myshkin replies that he would be frightened, and Aglaya accuses him of being a coward. However, Myshkin points out that cowards run away.
Aglaya’s conversation with Myshkin, when combined with the previous scene, suggests that it is mistaken to believe that women naturally abhor violence while men do not. Perhaps because of the shifting social norms of the time or perhaps because they are both deeply unusual people, Aglaya and Nastasya are drawn to violence. They share a sense of reckless fearlessness, although it is unclear if Aglaya would actually be able to put this into practice or if she just likes to think of herself as brave.
Themes
Myshkin and Aglaya argue about how deadly duels actually are. Aglaya asks him if he owns any guns; when he says he doesn’t, she tells him he should. She urges him to start doing shooting practice every day. Myshkin laughs, which makes Aglaya angry. General Epanchin enters and says he wants to speak to Myshkin. Aglaya hands the prince a note, then leaves. General Epanchin speaks to Myshkin, frequently mentioning his wife, but Myshkin is too distracted to comprehend what he’s saying. General Epanchin says that Mrs. Epanchin is hysterical, and he can’t understand why. Myshkin comments that Nastasya is crazy, but the general disagrees. He thinks that although she is “crooked,” her interaction regarding Evgeny’s uncle shows that there is a kind of reason behind her actions.
It is not clear which society thinks is worse: an insane woman who is completely out of control of her actions, or a calculatingly “crooked” one, as General Epanchin suggests is true of Nastasya. Often it seems like people claim Nastasya is insane to excuse her particularly wild and dangerous behavior. Yet perhaps they also do it to avoid considering the possibility that there is actually a terrifying logic behind her actions.
Themes
General Epanchin confirms that everything Nastasya said about Evgeny’s uncle was correct. While Nastasya implied that Evgeny knew about his uncle’s theft before the suicide, General Epanchin refuses to believe that’s true. He then reveals that Evgeny proposed to Aglaya a month ago, and she rejected him. He says that Aglaya, who he calls a “cold-blooded little demon,” has started claiming that Nastasya is trying to get her to marry Myshkin. Aglaya believes that this is why Nastasya is “trying to drive Evgeny Pavlych out of our house.” The general and Mrs. Epanchin were bewildered by this claim. General Epanchin now bids Myshkin farewell.
At first it seems implausible that Nastasya would be trying to compel Aglaya and Myshkin to get married. After all, what purpose would she have in arranging such a match? At the same time, all the characters in the novel tend to be overinvested in each other’s lives in one way or another, a pattern that suggests Nastasya may have a hidden motive for encouraging the marriage. Furthermore, Nastasya has proven herself to constantly have a complex web of schemes up her sleeve.
Themes
Now alone, Myshkin reads the note from Aglaya. In it, she asks him to meet her in the park at 7 a.m. the next morning. She wishes to discuss “an extremely important matter that concerns you directly.” Myshkin folds the note, feeling nervous. Keller appears, telling the prince that he’s been watching him and that he’s ready to die for him. Myshkin realizes that Keller is talking about the officer challenging him to a duel, and laughs. Myshkin insists that they have nothing to fight about and says that he is happy to apologize to the officer. Then, seemingly joking, he says he’s ready for a fight, and even suggests thy get drunk on champagne. Lebedev recently sold Myshkin 12 bottles of champagne at a “bargain” price.
The other characters change greatly through their interactions with Myshkin, but as this passage shows, Myshkin is also significantly changed by his interactions with the other characters. At the end of this passage, it appears he is willing to embrace a more hedonistic and shallow way of living in response to the absurdity of everything that has happened in the past few days.
Themes
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Myshkin says goodbye to Keller, who is left confused by this strange behavior. Walking off, Myshkin talks to himself about the strange events of the day. He kisses Aglaya’s note, feeling a mix of sadness and joy. It is now almost midnight, and there is no one left in the park. If someone had told him that he was in love, and that the note in his hand is a love note, Myshkin would not have believed them. In fact, he would find the idea that Aglaya loved him “monstrous.” Myshkin walks into an alley, and before long Rogozhin approaches him. Tensely, Rogozhin tells him that Nastasya wants to see him that night.
Myshkin’s abhorrence at the idea of being in love might seem strange, and confirm the idea that he is a childlike or even asexual person. Perhaps the purity of his soul means that he cannot imagine loving just one person, and must instead share his love with everyone around him. Or, on the other hand, he is perhaps so disturbed by the passionate, destructive examples of romantic love he has witnessed that it has put him off of romance entirely.
Themes
Myshkin says he’ll come by tomorrow because he’s going home now, and asks Rogozhin to accompany him. Rogozhin is baffled by this behavior. He mentions a letter Myshkin wrote in which he forgave Rogozhin for trying to attack him with the knife, and mocks Myshkin for presuming that Rogozhin regrets his actions and wants forgiveness. Now angry, Myshkin shouts at Rogozhin, telling him he’s jealous and paranoid because he believes that Nastasya loves him. He continues that in reality, Nastasya loves Rogozhin even though they will destroy each other. Rogozhin grins and says that Nastasya has told him that Myshkin is in love with Aglaya; having seen the two of them together today, Rogozhin is now certain it’s true.
This is one of the only times in the novel in which we see Myshkin get truly angry. Intriguingly, this anger does not take the form of an attack on Rogozhin, although he does (accurately) accuse Rogozhin of jealousy. It is also notable that what provokes Myshkin’s anger is Rogozhin’s indication that he does not want Myshkin’s forgiveness. This links this scene to the moment in Rogozhin’s house when Myshkin is horrified to hear that Rogozhin is an atheist.
Themes
Rogozhin says Nastasya hopes Myshkin will marry Aglaya and wants to see him happy. Myshkin is horrified by this. Rogozhin says that Nastasya has promised that they will be married within three weeks. Still flustered, Myshkin suddenly remembers that it is his birthday the next day. He invites Rogozhin to drink wine with him the next day and announces, “My new life has begun!” Rogozhin observes that Myshkin is acting quite unlike himself.
Again, the reader witnesses the profound impact that the events of the novel have had on Myshkin. It is almost as if he is experimenting with becoming like the people around him, rather than sticking to his own innocent and staunchly moral way of being. The result, as Rogozhin’s reaction shows, is quite alarming.
Themes
