My earlier post highlighted how almost every character in the novel so far are close to identical in their values, their routines, and their personalities. With the exception of a choice few, such as Prince Myshkin and Natasya Fillipovna, the main focus of everyone is money and social power. However, in this section of reading, some true personalities come to light. But that doesn't mean we like anyone any more.
It appears that my intuition didn't fail me when I thought I could spot something special in Natasya. This section centers around her entirely, as she is throwing a large birthday party for herself, and anyone who is anyone is in attendance. Totsky, (the man who raised her), General Epanchin, Ganya, we're talking the cream of the crop. Even Ferdyshchenko, the town drunk/self-proclaimed intellectual is present, uttering nonsense while everyone else sips champagne. In addition to the rich men we have been introduced to previously being present, there are some strangers, at least to Myshkin and thus to the reader, that long go without names, such as an elderly "teacher" and a young, beautiful, silent woman.
The party seems to be rather dull, one exception being the painful apprehension and tension in the air, as this is the night that Natasya has promised Ganya she will respond to his proposal of marriage, and although everyone assumes she will accept, there is still massive uncertainty. That being said, things liven up when Myshkin stumbles into the room, dirty and poorly dressed. The social giants in attendance are expecting Natasya to cast aside this filthy nuisance of a man, but instead she welcomes Myshkin with more warmth than she has shown anyone else since the party's start. Myshkin's ultimate goal in attending the part is to tell Natasya to not marry Ganya, as he does not love her, and cares only about money. However, so as not to make a scene, after Myshkin arrives he stands quietly and listens in on conversations without getting involved.
Ultimately, Ferdyshchenko decides to try and liven up the party by suggesting that everyone in attendance participate in a petit-jeu, or "little game." The game he suggests is quite interesting and is sure to make any party a lot more interesting, depending on who is there. The game suggested by Ferdyshchenko requires every single man in the room (women are given the option to participate but are not required to of course, as it may be too exciting for them to keep up) to tell the story of his worst deed. While some are disgusted by the idea of this strange and humiliating game, Natasya is all over it, and demands that the group plays it. It is also worth mentioning that throughout the entire party Natasya is behaving very strangely. She appears to go through some fairly intense and rapid mood swings, going from light-hearted and energetic to depressed and hostile. It is suggested several times that she may be ill, but her odd behavior is never fully justified.
Now, back to the petit-jeu. Ferdyshchenko begins, and he tells the story of how he once stole three rubles from someone he was visiting. This doesn't get much of a reaction out of anyone, as money is obviously not an issue to any of them, three rubles (while I don't know the exact amount) is probably mere pocket change. However, when Ferdyshchenko mentions that he blames the theft on a maid and gets her fired, Natasya goes into a fit of rage against him, and he responds by getting defensive, as if he expected the people at the party to be charmed or amused by his story.
Two more men tell stories, and while these stories covered five or six pages each (with no paragraph breaks because we all know those are a waste of time), they can be summed up fairly easily. One man tells of how he used to live under a very mean and hostile woman whom he hated, and when she steals a bowl of his, he goes to scold her, not knowing that while he yells numerous swears at her and calls her every name in the book, she is dying in front of him. The man claims to feel guilty knowing the last interaction she had in her life was being berated by him. The next story told revolves around a man wanting a certain type of flower for a woman he is infatuated with, and ultimately tricking the man who grows said flowers to give him some by telling the grower that the woman is dying and must have the flowers. Now, while both of these stories may be true, and they may be a source of regret for these men, it seems clear that these stories are attempts to improve the mens' images. When you think about it, one man felt bad that he was mean to an old woman, making him seem sensitive and empathetic, and the other man feels bad for doing whatever it took to make his woman happy. Ferdyshchenko is not pleased with these stories, and he says these men cheated the fun of the game.
Aside from the game revealing that in addition to being boring and simple, these men have a great interest in themselves, the party gets even more interesting when it comes time for Natasya to announce her marriage decision. To the astonishment and horror of everyone in the room, Natasya asks Myshkin if she should marry Ganya, saying she will do as he says. Myshkin tells her the truth, and tells her not to marry Ganya, and instantly Natasya agrees while Ganya stands twitching in the corner.
Because this post is becoming ungodly long, I will VERY briefly describe the rest of what happens in this section. A man Myshkin met from the train i the very beginning comes back with a large sum of money wanting to marry Natasya, Natasya is ultimately offended and goes into a long spiel about her life and her disappointment of men and marriage and her life. Ultimately, Ferdyshchenko suggests she marries Myshkin, and he agrees and proposes, but Natasya says she is not good enough, and she decides to leave with Rogozhin (the man from the train). Before leaving, she tosses the money into the fireplace and tells Ganya that he can have it if he's willing to pull it out, and he does not oblige, fainting instead. Ultimately everyone is confused with Natasya because of her incredibly strange behavior.
This section had a lot of action, and that offered a lot of insight into many characters. As stated earlier, the men of the party seemed to tell stories of their "worst" deeds being hurting other people, so they can appear sensitive and empathetic. Ganya's desire for money overpowering the actual love he feels for Natasya (if any) shows his true colors. After this passage, the author has basically just reinforced the idea of all of these characters being focused on money and social status. However, this section revealed a lot of complexity about Natasya. Her behavior and her actions in this section entice me to want to know more about her, because everyone (including the reader) finds her immensely confusing. Myshkin's motives were clear from the beginning on the novel, as he is simple and selfless in his pleasures and his actions. As I read further, I'm looking forward to getting more character development and more action, because at this point, even though these characters are becoming more developed, they are not becoming any more likable.
