The Chinese Vase Symbol Analysis

Mrs. Epanchin’s beloved, expensive Chinese vase represents the extremely delicate social norms and etiquette of high society—norms that Myshkin fails to understand and frequently violates, usually by accident. Myshkin’s breaking of the vase also represents the prophetic inevitability of human error. When Mrs. Epanchin introduces Myshkin to her elite circle of noble friends, Aglaya is unsupportive of the idea. Instructing Myshkin on how to behave among them, she sarcastically tells him to break a beloved, extremely expensive Chinese vase that Mrs. Epanchin once received as a gift by gesturing with his arms. Terrified, Myshkin feels that Aglaya’s words have cursed him and that he is now doomed to break the vase. The vase, then, which is highly valuable in a monetary sense, symbolizes luxury, power, and the elite classes—yet it also highlights how ultimately meaningless these things are. Myshkin is a morally pure and perfect person, and his difficulty in abiding by the rules of high society shows how superficial and ridiculous these rules are.

Despite sitting as far away from the vase as possible, before long Myshkin forgets himself and ends up knocking it over just as Aglaya predicted. When it breaks, Myshkin’s greatest feeling is not, shame or shock, but rather astonishment that Aglaya correctly predicted it would happen. In this sense, the vase also represents predestination and unavoidability of human error. At the same time, after the vase is broken, everyone present is kind to Myshkin about it, including Mrs. Epanchin, who adored the vase so much. Whereas before, she was overly obsessed with the superficial aspects of life, through knowing Myshkin she has gained a new sense of perspective. In this way, when the vase breaks it helps set Mrs. Epanchin free from her obsessions over meaningless things. She understands what is really important in life, and cares less about expensive objects and elitist people.