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Part 1, Chapter 3, Section 10
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
The next day, Shatov arrives at Liza’s at noon, and Anton arrives with him. Liza, Praskovya, and Mavriky are waiting inside. Praskovya asks who the professor is, and Liza clarifies that Shatov is a former student, not a professor. Liza and her mother begin to quibble over the difference. Liza apologizes to Shatov and Anton and says that Praskovya becomes argumentative when she is feeling sick. Liza then goes to speak with Shatov and leaves Anton to speak with Mavriky.
The novel is in many ways a satire of social norms. This passage in particular presents a comedy of manners in which Liza and Praskovya quibble over the differences between professors and former students while Shatov, the former student in question, watches on without saying a word. Future sections of the novel will repeat similarly farcical moments, often in situations with much higher stakes.
Themes
