So Many Characters, So Little Charisma

Nearly a fourth into Dostoyevsky's Idiot, and I've already been exposed to more characters than I want to care about.  As a result, I care about a small handful of them, but I'll get into that later.  Dostoyevsky's novel focuses intensely on characters from the get go, opening with a dialogue between our main protagonist Prince Myshkin and two men on a train.  Myshkin is quickly established as a bright, empathetic, courteous man, whose humble nature attracts the reader immediately.  That being said, his pleasant simplicity is mistaken by most he meets as mental deficiency, hence the title of the novel.

Almost all of the characters met in this book are all very simple and one-dimensional.  Their motives and interests are simpler than their names, as Dostoyevsky sticks to the traditional long, three-name Russian titles, as well as unexplained nicknames that are used only in mixed company.  There are already upwards of 12 seemingly meaningful characters that have been presented, and they are all slightly variated versions of the same people.  There are old Russian men, rulers of the family, normally with some sort of military connection.  Daughters who are waiting for a potential husband to appear with a handsome dowry.  And older women who serve no purpose other than sitting around criticizing their children.  Everyone cares about money and social status above anything else.  Everyone, that is, except for Myshkin.  Myshkin's deep understanding and interest in other people, evident from his stories of travel and teaching and learning from children, immediately set him apart and establish him as someone who does not fit the societal norm of this time period for this area.  this is why he is cast aside and looked upon as an idiot.  This is because, simply put, genuinely good people are not very common.  

Myshkin is arriving in Russia after several years in a sanitarium in Switzerland to fix his "illness" and "fits," which have so far not been explained in detail, but have been referenced enough times to make us think they're important.  Upon arriving in St. Petersburg, Myshkin travels to make the acquaintance of some distant relatives, the Epanchin family.  This is the first interaction Myshkin has after successfully landing in St. Petersburg, and the Epanchins treat him with the same condescending demeanor as the men on the train.  Myshkin tells the Epanchins of his ties to the family and his travels, and they listen to him like he's a child telling them about his imaginary friend.

While the response of the Epanchins is generally the same one that Myshkin receives from everyone he meets, a few characters seem to distinguish him as someone special and not just simple.  Kolya, the younger brother of Ganya (or Gavril Adralionovitch but let's just call him Ganya), speaks to Myshkin as a friend and as someone who understands, even expressing his positive feelings towards the prince at one point, which the prince warmly returns.  Aglaia, the youngest daughter of General Epanchin, a strikingly beautiful young woman and someone who is treasured by her whole family, appears to show an interest in the Prince and his story, asking questions and being engaged when he speaks to her.  Lastly, there is Natasya Fillipovna, an equally beautiful, absurdly rich socialite, who despite everyone's assumptions to cast the Prince aside with an air of disgust, seems very intrigued by him and seems to be impacted by his words and his actions.  Both of these women are hotly contested in terms of marriage, so it is interesting to think that they may have a potential interest in the Prince, which would undoubtedly shock the entire community.

Ultimately, Myshkin is at this point swimming in a sea of identical characters, those that only care about wealth and social conquest.  But himself being so philosophical and selfless, he turns himself into an attraction.  While some characters are able to see him as something more, most are seeing Myshkin as the idiot that Dostoyevsky so cleverly created.