Prince Myshkin In The Idiot

The characters become carnivalesque through their own dualism. Dostoevesky creates certain characters as paradoxical. In particular, Prince Myshkin from The Idiot is carnivalesque because he is a paradox. Prince Myshkin is the representation of a Christ-like figure as well as a clown. He has no ability to place himself within society and does not know how to navigate society’s complexities, however, he feels the urge to help others. Even though he wants to be alone he still courts Aglaia. Throughout the novel Prince Myshkin consistently struggles with the internal divide between being saintly as well as a buffoon. This even comes forth in his speech, after part one in the novel; Prince Myshkin loses the ability to tell stories. At point even

saying, “Two ideas occurred to you at one and the same time. This happens very often. It always happens to me” (The Idiot, 298). Prince Myshkin’s torn characterization demonstrates the liminal journey he decided to partake in when going to St.Petersburg. It is through his carnivalization that Dostoevsky demonstrates the ultimate struggle of the saint and the sinner.
Similarly, the character Fyodor in The Brothers Karamazov is also dualistic in his struggle to define himself. When the meeting with Father Zosima is set up Fyodor goes and makes a scene. Fyodor becomes outrageous, telling lies and stories that are not true just to destroy the sacredness of the situation. In response Father Zosima tells Fyodor that he should stop lying to himself and stop being ashamed. Father Zosima sees that Fyodor is playing a role that he thinks is acceptable, which is why he tells Fyodor to stop lying to himself. As Terras states, “Fiodor Pavlovich has created an image of himself as a buffoon; Ekaterina Ivanovna, as a martyr to virtue…The point is that virtually everybody plays his role badly, failing to live up to his, and the world’s, image of himself, and as a result must sooner or later face a crisis in his life” (Terras, 82). Father Zosima sees the internal struggle that Fyodor faces, that Fyodor is ashamed of his own buffoonery but lies to himself continues behaving as such to satisfy himself. Fyodor and Father Zosima are the very contradictions to the social values each one holds. Fyodor represents anything sensual, he consistently lusts after women and devotes his entire life to sensuality and drunkenness. In contrast, Father Zosima is devoted spiritually, holding forgiveness and love as sacred. Father Zosima brings out the truth in the people he meets and Fyodor tells the truth in perverse ways (Terras, 95). Both however are struggling in the roles that they have created for themselves, which causes them to become dualistic in the lives they show to society and the people they truly are.
In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov is the dualistic character.

Torn between his sense of morality and his belief in nihilism, Raskolnikov becomes estranged from society. Nihilism is the rejection of all moral and religious principles and even that life is meaningless. Throughout the novel, Raskolnikov is trying to relieve the tensions between these two extremes. In the beginning, Raskolnikov has hit a low point within his life. He feels helpless because his sister is marrying for money to help his family, he is beyond poverty and cannot even afford to pay rent, and he has no job. Raskolnikov feels at the mercy of the world and completely and utterly helpless. He hates having to rely upon the Pawnbroker for help and even money. When the idea first pops into his head to murder the pawnbroker, it starts to become a potential reality. The ideology of murder is masked behind Raskolnikov’s belief that it would be for the greater good to eliminate the pawnbroker because of her mean spirited nature. Driven mad by the possibility of a choice, which Raskolnikov convinces himself exists because of nihilism. Raskolnikov because of his torn morality goes between extreme submissiveness to over powering those around him. Overall, Raskolnikov decides to commit the murder in an attempt to see if he can transcend his morality. This is what Terras refers to in the context of The Brothers Karamazov, where tensions between Raskolnikov’s façade and his true self are creating an external and internal struggle that causes him to have a

crisis.