Demons

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

the point is you meant so much in my life!…

Nikolay holds both men in such a bind, the other is Shatov, and he has ties on their respective sisters. Both men are also Pyotr Stepanovich's victims - which Nikolay does not seem to care about

‘ “In Case She Should Break Her Leg”, that is, in case she’s out horseback riding.

The poem is about Lizaveta Nikolayevna

I’ve been waiting for you all week long, like the sun.’

Similar to something Shatov has said. Calling Nikolay the sun is identical with Shatov and later, Pyotr.

‘And furthermore,’ he observed at last, ‘you keep writing about “disgrace to the family”. What possible disgrace is it for you that your sister is legally married to Stavrogin?’

ooooh [hand over mouth emoji]

‘Listen and tell me the truth, Lebyadkin; have you informed about anything yet or not?

OOOOH Lebyadin's cooked

They’ve started to stir again, like five years ago.

He means the devils, the 'society.' Five years ago, they were abroad and now they're stirring in Russia

There are probably two things going on here, one or the other: either he’s afraid again, because he’s up to some major mischief, or… or else he’s not afraid for himself, but is just egging me on so that I’ll tell on all of them.

Well we know Nikolay is not afraid of shit

Oh, it’s scary, Lebyadkin; oh, you’d better not slip up!…’

Lmao him babbling to himself is so funny and pitiful

after almost a minute of expectant waiting, an expression of stark terror suddenly showed on the poor woman’s face. It was contorted by spasms; she raised her trembling hands and suddenly burst into tears, exactly like a frightened child; another moment and she would have started screaming.

‘Hello, Prince,’ she whispered,

I just picked up on Nikolay being called Prince (which I rightly connectd to the Devil somewhere in my notes for Part 1 Ch 2) and Pyotr wanting to make him Ivan Tsarevich, which essentially means Prince. So wanting to replace the 'Russian God' with Nikolay, Ivan Tsarevich, is not only the deification of man but also the usurpation of the Devil to ascend to the throne of God. this would've been more seemly if I had come to this thought during the actual Ivan Tsarevich chapter…

So much wealth and so little joy — I find that all disgusting.

Good quote, Marya :)

‘Grish-ka Ot-re-pyev — anathema!’

I seriously interpret that whole interaction to be her madness. It's clear to me why she characterised the old Stavrogin as a Prince but not this one. It lines up with what Pyotr later says: 'I made you up myself abroad,' after his disappointment at Nikolay refusing him. Makes sense too becase Nikolay got married to Marya at around the same time Pyotr 'made [him] up'. And remember his conversation with Shatov: Nikolay had such revolutionist ideas two years ago abroad but now he does not, coming to nihilism - so Marya calling this Nikolay an owl is befitting.

Finally Nikolay Vsevolodovich threw the entire wad at him, and continuing to guffaw, set out down the lane, but this time alone. The tramp remained, groping on his knees in the mud, looking for notes that had been scattered by the wind and had sunk in puddles, and for a whole hour after that his sharp little cries could be heard in the darkness: ‘Ooh, oh!’

Nikolay throwing the money out in his anger, to a tramp that he despises, shows that he is really beyond the materialism we see in the novel The Idiot. In The Idiot, materialism brings about a destructive society which brings our good and Christ-like Myshkin to ruin. But in Demons, are main characters, namely Stavrogin, are beyond tthat point. Stavrogin throws away what the materialist worships as his god, into the mud for a convict and beggar to pick up after.

with a second the evening before, namely, Mavriky Nikolayevich Drozdov,

Gaganov’s second is Mavriky Nikolayevich while Stavrogin’s second is Kirillov. It’s an interesting juxtaposition becuase it presents them as opposites.

‘Why is he sparing me?’ Gaganov raged, without listening. ‘I despise his mercy!… I spit on it… I…’

Lol these insolent atheists of the privileged class are portrayed so accurately through Gaganov

‘I certainly didn’t announce that I would fire into the air each time!’ Stavrogin shouted, now completely losing patience.

*cough* that was hot

Stavrogin shuddered, glanced at Gaganov, turned away, and this time without any niceties fired off to the side, into the grove. The duel was over.

Well this is very in character for Stavrogin. He’s too prideful to feel insulted by Gaganov and just doesn’t care much about him

‘Why does everyone expect something from me that they don’t expect from other people?

Lmao Stavrogin you have no idea whats coming People make him a headman and expect extraordinary things from Stavrogin precisely because of his nihilism and how much power he holds through his charm and allure. Shatov let us know how both the underground and high society see him: ‘Is it true that you stated you didn’t make a distinction between the beauty of any instance of bestial carnality and a heroic deed of any kind, even the sacrifice of one’s life for humanity?’

‘I — looking for a burden?’ ‘Yes.’

Kirillov says it’s obvious that Stavrogin is looking for a burden but does not explain why. I think Stavrogin does a good job at hiding that he really is enduring a burden (Matryosha), and that this even fuels his ‘moral carnality.’

I didn’t want to do any more killing,

this implies he has killed before lol

‘Not at all!’ Kirillov turned around to shake his hand. ‘If my burden is light, because such is my nature, then perhaps your burden is heavier because such is your nature.’

Stavrogin has a grave sense of nihilism. His burden is heavier than Kirillov’s possibly because he still believes in the Devil without believing in God (Stavrogin says this at Tikhon’s.) But Kirillov is a universalist (‘everything is good’) who believes in the deification of man.

‘I’ve been meaning to break off with you for a long time, Dasha…

Oh so they really were dating; the thing in Switzerland wasn’t a fling or him taking advantage of her. Btw Stavrogin calling Darya Pavlovna ‘Dasha’ is a very intimate name for him to use on her.

‘You won’t ruin the other woman… the mad one?’ ‘I won’t ruin any mad women, either of them, but it seems I’m going to ruin the sane one: I’m so vile and disgusting, Dasha, that it seems I really will call for you “at the final end”, as you put it, and you, despite all your sanity, you’ll come.

‘The mad one’ is obviously Marya Timofeyevna, whom he’s ruined, and the ‘sane one’ is Liza, who is sick right now probably because of him and whom he will ruin later. We already know why Stavrogin married Marya - ‘moral carnality’ - and he’s done the same to Dasha and he knows he’ll do the same to Liza. The thing is Dasha is kind of a willing victim in this case, because as Stavrogin tells her, despite her sanity, she’ll still run to him if he calls her. Indirectly, Stavrogin also refers to Dasha when he says ‘the sane one.’

You know everything.’

We don’t, so I should remember there’s stuff about Dasha that idk yet

You seem to be interested in me, just as some superannuated sick-nurses for some reason take an interest in one particular patient in preference to others, or, even better, just as some pious little old ladies who totter around from funeral to funeral prefer certain corpses as being easier on the eyes than others.

Lmao that’s one hell of a comparison. She’s attracted to him out of morbid allure? she’s self-destructive? (ahem, same lol)

‘She’ll come even after the little scheme,’ he whispered after a moment’s thought, and a look of scornful disdain appeared on his face.

what if the ‘little scheme’ is her brother instead of the lebyadkins tho lol

Stepan Trofimovich even remarked on one occasion that the more ruined a landowner, the more mellifluously he lisped and drawled his words. He himself, by the way, lisped and drawled his words mellifluously, but he didn’t notice this quality in himself.

LMAOOO

They trotted out Nikolay Vsevolodovich’s respectful attitude towards his mother, looked for various virtues in him and spoke approvingly of the learning he had acquired in four years of study at German universities.

It’s like that quote from The Idiot, ‘The terrible thing about money is that it gives you talents.’ But here, Nikolay Vsyevolodovich is being favoured by all the town for his alluring nihilism and dignity in the duel; he’s being made an idol even in high society now too. I’m sure he hates it lmao.

In a word, Varvara Petrovna didn’t want to turn Stepan Trofimovich over to Yuliya Mikhaylovna.

I love that lol. Varvara Petrovna gets so mad at Stepan Trofimovich but still feels fond for him and defends him. After all, twenty years is a long time, and she resents Yuliya Mikhaylovna.

You’ve given me an idea: he can be useful at our literary reading.

oh NO do NOT let that old boy cook

‘And please permit me to put my name on your list too. I will tell Stepan Trofimovich and ask him myself.’

Okay so this is how Stepan Trofimovich got to read on that fucking téte-a-téte in the first place (Varvara gave Yuliya permission for him to and sent Pyotr to tell Stepan that he was going to read).

for some reason was now thoroughly angry with Stepan Trofimovich, who, poor man, knew nothing about it as he sat at home.

LMAOOO he’s my fave character fr he’s just too amusing

Nikolay Vsevolodovich shook his hand off suddenly and turned quickly to him with a menacing scowl. Pyotr Stepanovich glanced at him with a strange and prolonged smile. All this took but a moment. Nikolay Vsevolodovich moved on.

I truly adore seeing them interact bro I love them and their totally healthy relationship

It was the novel What Is to Be Done?

Of course lmao

and thus prepared, would triumphantly refute them all in her eyes.

oh hell bro that’s pretty sad. he’s still trying to impress her after 20 years. to be fair that’s kinda like the relationship of the young Verkhovensky with the young Stavrogin, trying to impress his idol

The same one in which you informed me that she’s exploiting you because she’s envious of your talent, and, well, all about “another man’s sins” too.

THATS SO FOUL PYOTR ACTUALLY SHOWED VARVARA THAT LETTER… petya…

What a laugh I had, what a good laugh!’

Il rit. Il rit beaucoup. Il rit trop. He has a strange laugh. Il rit troujours. (i do NOT know if i got that french right)

‘he never spent a single rouble on me his whole life, until I was sixteen he didn’t know anything about me; then he robbed me here, and now he’s shouting that his heart has been aching for me his whole life long; and he’s carrying on in front of me like an actor. Why, after all, I’m not Varvara Petrovna, for pity’s sake!’

Pyotr seems the most human to the reader in this one moment. It makes sense how he hates his father so much, bro I know what it’s like to have an absentee dad, but the insolence he showed throughout that whole interaction was so staggering. Pyotr even makes a point to make Stepan feel insecure about his relationship with Varvara Petrovna

But then, instead of the Minna or Ernestina he had expected, Yuliya Mikhaylovna suddenly turned up. His career immediately rose to a higher level. The modest and precise von Lembke felt that he, too, could be ambitious.

Money gives a man talents indeed :)

But then Pyotr Stepanovich turned up, and something strange began to happen.

LMAOOOO summary of the whole book:

‘Well, that’s as you wish,’ Pyotr Stepanovich grumbled, ‘but still and all, you are paving the way for us, and preparing our success.’

It’s a pretty important acknoledgement that the governing body and society at the time were themselves so tangled up with poor ideas, and that either fuelled or allowed the revolutionists to have the power that they did.

Von Blum was a clerk in the governor’s chancellery whom she particularly hated. More about that later.

mkay remember that yulia has beef with a certain von blum

if it hadn’t been for Yuliya Mikhaylovna’s self-importance and ambition, perhaps everything that these wretched little people managed to inflict on us wouldn’t have happened. She had a great deal to answer for!

YUP. Pyotr acted for so long like he was her pet; she was his, really.

Pyotr Stepanovich constantly and tirelessly tried, in whispers, to implant in the governor’s house a certain idea that he had put into circulation earlier, that Nikolay Vsevolodovich was a man who had the most mysterious connections in a most mysterious world and was probably here on some mission.

he’s bustling around to get his man a good rep <3 such a good bf

But some pranks were intolerable, somewhat off-colour.

These pranks probably shouldn’t be dismissed as the society just fooling around, but remembered later in light of their serious filibustering. Because this was kind of their starting-off, when they first had enough power to wreak havoc on the town even if it’s now still just in the form of some little pranks.

But at this point Augustin turned savage as well:

Lyamshin’s one of the inner members of the society. I can see his musical composition to be a sort of metaphor for their planned revolution and rise to domination: the Marsellaise is the current government that they plan to overthrow, and of course the Marsellaise is going to disregard Augustin, who is symbolic of revolution, as just some annoying bug. Until Augustin gets bigger and stronger and eventually the Marsellaise itself becomes confused with how Augustin is taking over the score, until is surrenders and Augustin is now the primary theme. Now it makes sense that after gaining power, Augustin turns savage as well, because these revolutionists won’t have order in their rule, but radical liberalism, socialism, nihilism, brutalism, and chaos.

one night the icon was stolen, the glass of the icon-case broken, the grating smashed, and from the crown and the setting several stones and pearls removed,

This is the first ‘job’ that really showed the colours of their revolution. No doubt this was desecration of a sacred image, and of course Fedka was only the pawn that Pyotr (he was probably the one who orchestrated it) used. It’s befitting they stole the Mother of God’s crown - they want to dethrone God, so that includes insulting the crown He gave to His mother.

I noticed Pyotr Stepanovich, again on a hired Cossack horse, on which he sat very badly,

He doesn't know how to ride a horse but trust me he can ride

he immediately set off for the gypsy camp, which was located in the suburb across the river, and which he had heard about the day before in the club, and he didn’t appear in the hotel for two days.

Sounds like Dmitry Fyodorovich (TBK)

sexton.

This word looks NOTHING like its definition lmao ('sexton' is synonymous to 'sacristan.')