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Part 1, Chapter 4, Section 5
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
Anton and Shatov slip upstairs to Shatov’s apartment. Not long after, Lebyadkin climbs the stairs and loudly knocks on the door. Shatov doesn’t open the door, and he and Lebyadkin have a conversation through the closed door. Shatov tells Lebyadkin that he sold his sister. Lebyadkin says it’s a lie, and he can clear up the matter with a single explanation. He asks Shatov if he knows what kind of woman Marya is. Shatov says that Lebyadkin wouldn’t dare say. Lebyadkin seems on the verge of saying more but then calls Shatov a scoundrel and leaves. Shatov opens the door. He says he can’t hear Lebyadkin, which means he probably went to sleep right away. Anton prepares to leave. Before he goes, Anton asks Shatov what he (Anton) is supposed to make of everything he saw and heard. Shatov says he can make of it what he will.
Anton tries to decipher the events of this passage just as the reader does. In that way, Anton functions here (and throughout much of the novel) as the reader surrogate, meaning that he is someone who asks questions and wonders about things that the reader may also reasonably be curious or unclear about. In this case, Shatov contends that Lebyadkin has used his sister for his own financial gain. Lebyadkin in turn suggests that he has a piece of information that could dispel all confusion, but, for some reason, he is unable to share that information, adding further intrigue regarding what’s going on with Lebyadkin and Marya.
Themes
