In the exposition, Mrs. Epanchin remarks, “I am a fool with a heart but no brains, and you are a fool with brains but no heart; and we’re both unhappy.” This statement is explicitly made about Aglaya and herself, but it can be extended to various situations in the book.
One theme it describes is that pursuing unconditional compassion in the selfish modern world ultimately brings disaster, but that heartless cynicism would give you no more happiness. This is embodied by Rogozhin and Myshkin. Myshkin blindly follows his heart, eventually leading him to a mental breakdown over somebody he couldn’t save, whereas Rogozhin (despite his acceptance of it) leads a bleak, lonely life, trusting nobody and letting nobody in his heart.
In a more religious interpretation, Dostoyevsky shows that a serious pursuit of Christ-like morality is incompatible with the modern world, which is more and more often viewing religion as obsolete and ridiculous, but that the science and Enlightenment ideas promoted in the 19th century, like nihilism, would not necessarily lead to happiness and spiritual fulfillment, either. This can be seen between Myshkin and Ippolit’s friends. Ippolit read a great deal of French philosophy, but in his speeches mentions perceiving profound, ungraspable forces in this world that unnerved him, being beyond his understanding. His friends, who are nihilists, use their philosophy to justify being entitled and demanding. On the other hand, when Myshkin first talks to Nastasya, she laughs at him and says his ideals are ancient and that “the world has become smarter now”; he is also taken advantage of by many people, such as Ippolit’s friends, Gavrila, and a number of unnamed characters manipulating his kindness for money.
Though the two are ideological opposites, Myshkin and Ippolit are, as people, parallels. They share their naivety, faith in other people, and wishes to help the world. On the other hand, Rogozhin is their opposite — he fully understands the vileness and fickleness of people, especially Russian high society, and is able to predict every shallow, nasty thing that people think and do. Because of his deep understanding of humanity’s vices, he’s able to understand Nastasya the most, her having been abused throughout life by the upper-class.
Neither side of this contrast finds happiness in the end. Ippolit and Myshkin are mocked and criticized for their awkwardness and boundless idealism, and their inability to fit into Russian society; Rogozhin is hinted to be unhappy with his own cynicism, with the way he can’t help but admire and gravitate towards Myshkin’s benevolence and faith, despite not being able to agree with them.
In regard to Nastasya, the mind-heart contrast can also be seen. Rogozhin approaches Nastasya with a calculated mind and Myshkin approaches her with his artless, loving heart. Rogozhin knows what Nastasya wants, Myshkin what she needs. But neither understands the whole person, and both end up unhappy — Myshkin thinks she’s crazy but feels tied to her, whereas Rogozhin seems to be unhappy about killing her, even though he’d “calculated” it was a logical necessity to end his hatred for her.
O.K., edgy title, but it’s true. Even though I said that people who are selfish end up unhappy, to quote K.M.F.D.M., “This planet is a paradise for assholes.” In the long run, the cynical will suffer as much as the kind, but in the short term, it is hatred and destruction that will prevail, that will have the most control over the world and cause the greatest changes. Nastasya lets someone kill her instead of seeking peace and redemption. Myshkin goes insane and his beautiful soul and philosophy are forever lost in his scrambled mind. People feel sad for him, but life continues. Dostoyevsky offers no happy ending for Myshkin or Ippolit, no symbol of hope.
In my opinion, this is one of Dostoyevsky’s most complicated and depressing books. There’s much more to discuss, but I suck at formatting. If you’ve read the book, I would be delighted to hear your own thoughts; my Discord username is valour2687 if you’d like to share them.
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