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Part Four, Chapter One
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Idiot, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Innocence v. Foolishness
Money, Greed, and Corruption
Social Hierarchy, Authority, and Rebellion
Absurdity and Nihilism
Passion, Violence, and Christianity
Summary
Analysis
Ippolit has been living at the Ptitsyns’ house for five days. Rogozhin had started visiting him before he moved. Now, General Ivolgin, Nina, and Kolya all look very distressed. Ivolgin hasn’t drunk any alcohol in three days. Kolya is so worried by this that he has bought a bottle of vodka for his father and begs Nina to let him drink it. Screaming at Ptitsyn, Ivolgin says: “it’s either him or me,” and then threatens to leave the house. Ippolit protests that he hasn’t done anything, but Ivolgin shouts in reply that Ippolit has been forcing his atheist beliefs on him. Ippolit taunts Ivolgin, and the two jump toward each other, stopping only when Ganya screams.
This passage is decidedly childish and ridiculous. While much of Ippolit’s bad behavior is explained by the fact that he is still young and immature, General Ivolgin and Ganya—who are both older—hardly act much better. Indeed, Ganya’s decision to scream in order to stop the fight between his father and Ippolit recalls the desperate act of an infant who has no other way of asserting themselves.
Themes
General Ivolgin starts talking about Kapiton Eropegov, but Ganya declares that no such person has ever existed. Ivolgin is shaken by this and begins to stammer. Increasingly agitated, he demands that Kolya bring his bag and announces that he’s leaving. An argument ensues between Ganya and Ippolit, in which Ippolit mocks Ganya and announces that he was planning to leave the Ptitsyns’ that day anyway, as his mother has arranged an apartment for him. He notes that it will probably be the last time they speak, as he is about to die. Ganya suddenly feels bad. However, Ippolit then says that he purposefully decided to “make a fool out of” Ganya before he dies because he hates him.
The characters in the novel often experience sudden flashes of guilty, particularly when they are interacting with Ippolit or Myshkin and remember their respective illnesses. Yet these flashes usually remain merely that—a momentary burst of feeling—before subsiding into bitterness and hatred. Indeed, as Myshkin observed earlier in the novel, it is hard to sustain a revelation, including the revelation that other people should be treated with sympathy.
Themes
Ippolit enthusiastically lists all of Ganya’s bad traits until Varya begs him to stop, at which point he leaves without saying anything more. Once he is gone, Ganya shows Varya a note from Aglaya, asking him to meet her in the park at 7 a.m. the next day and to bring Varya. Ganya cannot help but smirk in “triumph.” Varya urges her brother to behave properly this time and not ruin the opportunity of speaking with Aglaya. They hear shouting and Varya tells Ganya to go outside and apologize to Ivolgin before anyone sees. However, Ivolgin is already in the street, and the neighbors are already listening.
Here, it becomes inescapably clear that Ganya will forever be hindered by his delusions and his ego. In the midst of the continually-unfolding disaster in his own home and the knowledge that General Ivolgin has disgraced himself in front of the Epanchins, he is still delusional enough to believe that Aglaya may now want to marry him—despite the fact that she has never liked him, and is now apparently engaged to someone else.
Themes
