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Part 1, Chapter 5, Section 7
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
As Stepan prepares to leave, Shatov, who has been nearly forgotten by all in the room, rises from the corner where he sits. He crosses the room to Nikolay and, with a closed fist, punches Nikolay in the face. Nikolay reels, and blood trickles from his mouth. Anton thinks that Nikolay is the kind of person who would kill someone who struck him with no hesitation. Instead, Nikolay regains his balance and grabs Shatov by the shoulders. Nikolay then turns very pale, and it seems like he is enduring great pain. Shatov leaves the room and the house. After he leaves, Liza lets out a scream and faints.
Dostoevsky leaves the motivation behind Shatov’s decision to strike Nikolay intentionally ambiguous at this point. Based on the previous conversations, it’s reasonable to suspect that the reason stems from Nikolay’s relationship with Marya and the history of that relationship. Moreover, as Anton observes, Nikolay is the kind of person who wouldn’t hesitate to strike someone else. With that in mind, his decision to refrain from striking Shatov could suggest that Nikolay knows the reason Shatov has hit him and, perhaps, he thinks that Shatov may have a point.
Themes
