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Part 2, Chapter 4, Section 2
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
Pyotr is intent on demeaning and manipulating Stepan, and he treats the province’s governor, Andrey, similarly. Growing up, Andrey was something of a class clown, and he developed a passion for writing and literature. He eventually shifted his attention to civil service, but he never lost his passion for writing. After graduating from school, Andrey rose through the ranks and eventually met Yuliya. Yuliya was over 40 years old at the time and was well-connected and wealthy. The two married, and, ultimately, Andrey was sent to the province to govern.
The idea that Pyotr treats Andrey similarly to Stepan highlights the scorn that Pyotr feels toward the established order and to people and ideas that came before him. That scorn is further reflected in Pyotr’s revolutionary politics. By embracing revolution, Pyotr effectively wants to overthrow all that came before and replace it with something new.
Themes
Now that he is the province’s governor, Andrey is having difficulty with Pyotr. Pyotr treats Andrey disrespectfully in front of other people, and Andrey can’t find a way to get Pyotr under control. One of Andrey’s initial mistakes was confiding in Pyotr that he was writing a novel. Andrey assumed that Pyotr was a passionate young man with poetry in his blood, but Pyotr treated Andrey’s novel as if it were an embarrassment. Now, Pyotr never seems to miss an opportunity to ridicule Andrey.
This passage makes it clear that one of the ways that Pyotr gains influence is by depriving people of respect and authority. If the previous markers of status, including being the governor, no longer gives a person authority, then that seems to put Pyotr a small step closer to achieving his revolutionary aim of overthrowing the government.
Themes
Andrey appeals to his wife, Yuliya, to see if she can get Pyotr to stop disrespecting him, considering that Pyotr is Yuliya’s “favorite.” Yuliya blames Andrey for sharing his novel with Pyotr. She says she only allowed Andrey to work on the novel under the condition that he would do so in secret. Andrey has heard rumblings about manifestoes and revolutionary groups and is worried that Pyotr might pose a threat. He asks Yuliya to try and bring Pyotr under control. Yuliya says that Pyotr is devoted to her and will do whatever she tells him to.
This passage makes it clear again that the novel is, in many ways, a satire. While Andrey is experiencing a serious threat to his power and authority, much of that threat stems from Andrey’s status as a failed novelist. Yuliya’s assertion that she has complete control over Pyotr raises the question of whether she is correct in thinking that or whether she, like so many others, may be vulnerable to Pyotr’s manipulations.
Themes
