The theme of Dostoyevsky's The Idiot is one that is pretty simple. As I wrote in a separate post, it's summed up at the end of the blurb on the back of my copy of the book ("A sanatorium is the only place for a saint.") Prince Myshkin ultimately falls victim to society, ending up broke, homeless, and mentally unstable. He returns to Switzerland to be cared for by doctors once again, after being left by both of the women whom he loved. One of them (Aglaia Epanchin) marrying a con artist and living a mediocre and abused life, and the other (Natasya Filippovna) running off with a previous lover and later getting stabbed to death by said lover. So the theme is nice guys finish last. Easy, right? Not quite. Because as pupils of Mrs. LaClair, we love (and quite simply need) to dig deeper. Why? Why was Myshkin unable to be happy in life despite being selfless and, quite possibly, a saint?
Myshkin is laughed at from the very beginning of the story. As I've discussed in earlier blog posts, everyone he talks to regards him as an idiot. The fact that he cares for others above himself, listens intently and genuinely, and has the desire and the capability to forgive those who wrong him paints him as an outsider. In 1800s Russia, people care about power, money, and social class. Anyone who does not care about these things is childish, naive, and, quite frankly, stupid. And that's the bill that Myshkin fits. Throughout the entire novel, Myshkin continually puts human connection before any material or social gain. He tries to make friends with everyone he meets, and when he does come into a large sum of money, he willingly gives a fair amount of it away to numerous people who lie and claim he owes them. When given the chance, he then forgives these people when he finds out, and doesn't ask for the money back. Myshkin just simply is different than everyone else, he does not care about what they do, and it costs him.
Ultimately Myshkin's good nature gets the better of him, as he is very open to manipulation. As stated before, he is cheated out of large sums of money, but in addition to that, whenever one of the women he is interested in seems to be in any sort of distress, he quickly will come to her aid. This is not a bad thing by any means, but as the two women hate each other and one of them (Natasya) abandons him after he finally chooses to marry her, it's evident that Myshkin's nurturing personality gets him only into trouble. These events, plus the constant harassment of people looking down on him, drive Myshkin into deep sadness.
After all that happens in the story, it honestly is still difficult and painful to try and understand the theme of this novel. It's clear that because Myshkin is such a good person, he ultimately falls through the cracks and is unable to be happy. Does that mean that there would have been a happier ending if he had shown some ruthlessness and a lack of compassion? Sure. If he had been stern with women and unaffected by their seduction, he would likely have married one and had a healthy relationship. However, wasn't his selfless personality what won the affection of the women in the first place? If he had been strict with his money and not given any away, he would have had a fortune to himself. But is money all that important? To Myshkin it isn't.
I think that the theme of this book is, as I said, one that is very simple, but it's still open to a lot of different levels and directions of interpretation. Dostoyevsky's style of writing makes everyone feel sorry for Myshkin, while also explaining rather plainly why it was clear his personality would eventually be his downfall. Is this still the case today? Do nice guys always finish last? Does money and power trump personality and compassion on a daily basis? In some cases yes and in others no, and I think that's why this theme can be discussed from many different angles, which I think was Dostoyevsky's intent. Unfortunately for Myshkin, in his time and place, the book said it best, a sanatorium is the only place for a saint.
A good post, Kenny. Your questions about the relevance of the theme today seems particularly timely, especially your comment about whether "money and power trump personality and compassion...," the key word, perhaps, being "trump."
ReplyDeleteDo you think that Natasya and Aglaia really hate each other? What about the letters they send each other, and Natasya's discussion of Aglaia (is that really how it's spelled in your book?) as an angel? Their relationship is an interesting one, for sure.