Dostoevsky’s Philosophy of The Gentle Creature
“She came up to the bed and stood over me. I heard everything; though dead silence had fallen, I heard the silence. All at once there was a convulsive movement and irresistibly, against my will, I suddenly opened my eyes. She was looking straight at me, straight into my eyes, and the revolver at my temple.”
How did they get here?
This is among the few most disturbing stories I’ve read yet. In the first voice, Dostoevsky takes us through the carousel-like mind of his protagonist (pawnbroker) who just lost his wife.
The pawnbroker’s dream was to have a happy home away from people’s peering eyes, have a wife, even children if it was willed. How could he have told her? How could he have made the 16 year old understand?
He was 5 minutes late. If only he had come in 5 minutes earlier, he would’ve made her understand. In a few days he could’ve surrounded her with paradise but she had to be selfish and jump out of a window. She didn’t even consider that people may accuse her governess of pushing her off the window! Were it not for the witnesses…
The protagonist couldn’t understand why the gentle creature did it. She was kind and he was kind too: Or so he thought. Why couldn’t she see that she could have lived happily ever after with him? All she had to do was wait a few more days. He was willing to sell everything and start anew. Desperately. He had fallen for her; her youth, humility, and her feminine heart. He couldn’t help it. Only 5 days before, he was fallen at her feet, kissing them, literally, and the ground she stood at. This scared her. Poor spirit; she was so confused.
What was she to do? She despised him. How could he not see it? He worried her to death, and he couldn’t understand why. He had saved her, right?
It was at his pawn shop that he met her gentle spirit. Immediately he saw someone he wanted; wanted to conquer. He wanted her to worship him (pay homage to all my sufferings, I deserve it! as he put it). And oh how desperately perfect she was! A strong-willed youth and an orphan whose aunts had arranged to sell her in marriage to a merchant who had beaten to death two previous wives. The thought to save her came up. It pleased him, made him proud actually. He proposed to marry her instead, and save her from the merchant. She hesitated before answering. Could she really be comparing him with the merchant? It baffled him.
He was 41 years old. The inequality fascinated him. To look at her, as his and not doubt his power. He would teach her to respect him, more like to worship him. She at least owed him that. Her marriage life was wanting. Not that she was poor, she got the basics as her husband made sure that that’s all she got. It started with her leaping with joy into the arms of her new husband who intentionally remained cold and distant, and would not return affection because how else could she respect him? The deafening silence followed. He then compromised a bit by taking her to the theater once in a while (he did not let her anywhere alone, and had mentioned no movies in the proposal). By the way, they strangely maintained the silence to and from the movies. The revolver got involved which led to separate beds, illness, measured words spoken, and finally, he noticed that she sang! This is what sent him into a frenzy as it meant that she had forgotten about him. That she did not notice his presence anymore (she only sang when he was out). No more did he matter!
This is when he panicked and started graveling, kissing her feet and for the first time he kissed her as a husband would a wife. But at this point it was too late.
Maybe you ask, why didn’t she defy him? She did try to show some courage, huffed and puffed, she let out a sarcastic laugh, stamped her foot, went outside alone, even talked to another man although remained faithful, and the most rebellious thing was the revolver; which backfired as the husband was unshaken. This ordeal to him became testament to his unjust dismissal from his regiment due to cowardice.
You see, the protagonist was once ostracized from his regiment for cowardice. He had refused to defend the honor of his regiment leader by engaging in a duel-with a member of another regiment. He argued that if the two had a problem with each other, it’s their business. This was counted to him as cowardice but he was proud of it. What followed were 3 years of poverty as he refused to work ‘other’ jobs after being a respectable military member. He suffered to a point where he became a beggar. Luckily for him, he inherited some money from a dying relative and set up the pawn shop. Even if he hated the business, he was revenging himself in the world. People were taking loans from him, others begged. This made him smile. Then he met the gentle spirit. …And then she chose death because living with him was the only other option and it was worse.
Note:
Look, this world is unfair and unjust. Victimizing ourselves and “revenging on the world” will only leave us alone after we’ve pushed all our loved ones away. “When they take her away, what will be left of me?” The protagonists asks in the end.
Read Dostoevsky’s story of The Gentle Creature/The Meek Spirit for more context.
Tragic! Why? Why did he wait until it was too late when all he wanted was to give her the world?
Well he thought he would revenge on the world and she was part of the world. Unfortunately, that was more important.