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Part 1, Chapter 1, Section 9
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Demons, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Politics and Self-Interest
Ideology and Extremism
Morality and Nihilism
Herd Mentality
Atheism vs. Belief in God
Summary
Analysis
There’s one person that Varvara cares about as much as she cares about Stepan. It’s her only son, Nikolay. When Nikolay was a child, Stepan was in charge of his education. The two formed a close bond. Often, Stepan would wake the 11- or 12-year-old Nikolay in the middle of the night and cry in his arms. Stepan didn’t realize how inappropriate his behavior was. But Stepan’s late-night soliloquies awakened in Nikolay a kind of righteous, unquenchable anger. Nikolay and Stepan were separated when Nikolay went to study at the lyceum in Petersburg when he was 16.
The novel describes the connection between Nikolay and Stepan in this passage. Notably, the novel states that Stepan is responsible for awakening a kind of righteous anger and intensity in Nikolay. That connection between Stepan and Nikolay, and particularly the idea that Stepan played a pivotal role in Nikolay’s formation, is something the novel will go on to explore in depth.
Themes
For the first two years when Nikolay was at the lyceum, he came home for vacations. After those two years, he stopped coming home. At Varvara’s request, he joined the military after completing his studies. Strange rumors found their way back to Skvoreshniki during that time. Some said that Nikolay trampled a man with his horse. Others said he humiliated a woman with whom he had an affair and had become a bully to others. Varvara became anxious upon hearing the rumors, and Stepan tried to comfort her. Nikolay returns home when he is 25. His appearance is striking. After hearing the rumors, Anton expected Nikolay to be unkempt and to reek of vodka. Instead, Nikolay is the perfect image of a gentleman. Women in town are smitten with him, and Varvara is rejuvenated by his presence. At the same time, there seems to be something unsettling about Nikolay.
The rumors about Nikolay that find their way back to Varvara and the small provincial town suggest that Nikolay is willing and capable of mistreating others to the point of committing murder. As the previous passage established, Stepan played a pivotal role in Nikolay’s education and formation as a person. With that in mind, the novel suggests that Nikolay’s lack of morality and licentiousness is in some ways directly related to Stepan and his outlook on the world. The fact that Nikolay’s appearance doesn’t square with the stories told suggests that appearances can be deceiving and that there is more to Nikolay than meets the eye.
Themes
