Dostoyevsky's THE IDIOT Chapter I & II - Steemit Bookclub Launched!!!

Dostoyevsky's THE IDIOT
Chapter I & II

Introduction

Hello everybody! I am very glad to be the first to begin and write for our bookclub. Before I start I have to thank @herverisson for this wonderful initiative, of course I am a little bit anxious to begin first but I think that the book that was chosen is so great and speaks for itself. I will give you a summary of the first two Chapters of the book and I will share some thoughts about these Chapters that we can all discuss together! I hope I won’t disappoint you and you enjoy it! So let’s start!!!

Cast of Characters

In these two first Chapters there are three main characters:

1. Lef Nicolaievitch Muishkin, the Prince, a middle height young man, with fair-hair and colored beard, large blue eyes and a pleasant face.
2. Parfen Rogojin, a young man not very tall, with “black curling hair, and small, grey, fiery eyes” and a “sarcastic smile”.
3. Lebedeff a clerk, knows everything that’s going on in Petersburg.

What is happening?

The story starts with three man inside a train that departed from Warsaw and was going towards Peterburg. A very cold day, as the train travels to its destination in the third class cabin, the three men are silent but they study, observe and inspected each other, when finally the dark-hair man decides to start a conversation. His name was Parfen Rogojin, he was dark-haired, sarcastic and made a lot of question to the other man, almost made fun of him, but the man replied to him very kindly and naturally.

We learn from their conversation that the second man, with the fair-hair and blue eyes, is a prince and his name is Lef Nicolaievitch Muishkin, but he is totally broke and doesn’t have any money at all, he just returned from Switzerland, where he stayed for 4 year to cure his illness, some kind of epilepsy and idiocy, but he hasn’t been cured. The man that supported him financial in Switzerland had died and now he returns to find the only relative he has in Petersburg Mrs Epanchin.

Then Rogojin, tells us his own story, he was in love with a girl Nastasia Philipovna and when his father gave him money to pay some debts, he stole the money instead to buy her some very expressive earring to impress her. Ashamed for his act he goes to his aunt’s house in another city where he gets ill only to learn that his father had died. Now he is rich and returns to Petersburg to claim his inheritance.

The third man joins the conversation later although he was carefully listening to the two men talking, his name is Lebedyev and he feels really lucky that has bumped into these two men. He knows every gossip in town and he usually interrupts the other two passengers to inform them about the gossip he has heard, Rogojin is irritated by this behaviour, yet he learns some useful information from him.

When the train arrives in its destination, Rogojin, that has really liked the young Prince tells him he should visit him and the Prince accepts the invitation. Then the Prince goes to Madame Epanchin’s house to meet with her husband, General Fedor Ivanovitch Epanchin. The General was not an educated man yet he was clever and had succeeded to be part of the high society. The General and Madame Epanchin had three daughters, that were as their parents respected by the good society. Muishkin entered the house and a servant led him to the waiting room.

The servant watching Muishkin's appearance got really suspicious, believing that he had arrived to ask the General for money or for a favor. Very quickly though, when the Prince starts talking about what he has seen abroad and discussing for subjects such as the death penalty, the servant is impressed by him and begins to like him. As the Chapter ends the General is ready to accept Muishkin in his office.

So in these two Chapters it is obvious that Dostoyevsky, through the dialogues or the confessions made from the different characters gives us important information, unfolding in a way the plot and storyline. The necessary background is given to the readers by introducing and knowing the main characters so the action can begin.

The introduction is not made by the writer but by the protagonists themselves, they are providing their backgrounds to the readers, they are in fact revealing themselves by talking. We can also see, how Dostoevsky manages to “play” with the two opposite poles, dualism is common in this works. So, on the one hand, we have Rogojin dark-haired, sarcastic, outspoken, ironic, wealthy and on the other hand we have Muishkin beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed, kind, honest, innocent, friendly, poor. These two different persons, in appearance and in character and coming from different backgrounds, manage to like each other.

Someone can easily guess, I think, the central figure of the story, his character outstands regarding the others and given from the title of the book, we are talking about a unique, unforgettable character, as most of Dostoevsky’s characters are. The “idiot” it’s not a person with low intelligence, in the contrary, he has a gentle nature, he is innocent, genuine, he is almost perfect. You can say here that inner beauty is represented from a beautiful appearance too. Another important fact is that Dostoyevsky has something in common with the protagonist, they suffer from the same thing. As the Prince himself states in the beginning of the book, he suffers from epilepsy as did Dostoyevsky in real life, so a personal experience in described in the book.

Afterwards, in the dialogue that Muishkin has with the servant we learn more about his character, he addresses to the servant as an equal and speaks with a lot of honesty making the servant wonder if a person with his virtues really exist and as it has happened before, Muishkin wins him right away. Muishkin’s monologue about the death sentence, the guillotine, the last minutes before someone’s death made the servant follow his words with great interest. Muishkin ended his monologue with the conclusion that the worst thing is the mental suffering from knowing that you will die soon and that you can’t escape death, “no man should be treated so” he adds.

At this point, let’s not forget that Dostoyevsky himself was arrested and sentenced to death by firing squad in 1849, due to his participation in an intellectual group that discussed banned books critical to tsarism. He was finally led before the firing squad but a last minute letter from the Tsar commuting the sentence stayed the execution. He was instead sent to a Siberian labor camp. He stayed there four year.

My favourite moment/scene

Something that impressed me very much, was not a particular scene, but rather the way that Muishkin thanks to his general attitude, his innocence and unawareness of social norms wins the sympathy of every person he engages with.

Memorable quotes from these chapters:

"Imagine what must have been going on in that man’s mind at such a moment; what dreadful convulsions his whole spirit must have endured; it is an outrage on the soul that’s what it is. Because it is said ‘thou shalt not kill,’ is he to be killed because he murdered some one else? No, it is not right, it’s an impossible theory. I assure you, I saw the sight a month ago and it’s dancing before my eyes to this moment. I dream of it, often."

"Now with the rack and tortures and so on—you suffer terrible pain of course; but then your torture is bodily pain only (although no doubt you have plenty of that until you die. But here I should imagine the most terrible part of the whole punishment is, not the bodily pain at all—but the certain knowledge that in an hour,—then in ten minutes, then in half a minute, then now—this very instant—your soul must quit your body and that you will no longer be a man—and that this is certain, certain! That’s the point—the certainty of it. Just that instant when you place your head on the block and hear the iron grate over your head—then—that quarter of a second is the most awful of all."

"I believe that to execute a man for murder is to punish him immeasurably more dreadfully than is equivalent to his crime. A murder by sentence is far more dreadful than a murder committed by a criminal. The man who is attacked by robbers at night, in a dark wood, or anywhere, undoubtedly hopes and hopes that he may yet escape until the very moment of his death. There are plenty of instances of a man running away, or imploring for mercy—at all events hoping on in some degree—even after his throat was cut. But in the case of an execution, that last hope—having which it is so immeasurably less dreadful to die,—is taken away from the wretch and certainty substituted in its place! There is his sentence, and with it that terrible certainty that he cannot possibly escape death—which, I consider, must be the most dreadful anguish in the world."

Quotes taken from: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2638/2638-h/2638-h.htm

Conclusion

Since this is only the start, let’s wait and see how the story will unfold. For now we are curious about what will the Prince discuss with the General and want he will do given the fact that he hasn’t got any money or a place to stay. Best of luck to the next participant and thank you for your attention!