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Part 2, Chapter 6, Section 3
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
After Pyotr leaves, Andrey’s confidant, Blum, enters the room. Blum and Andrey have known each other for years, and Andrey is Blum’s benefactor. Blum tells Andrey that Pyotr is suspicious and succeeded in winning Andrey to his side by praising Andrey’s novel. Andrey doesn’t want to hear it. Blum warns Andrey that Pyotr poses a grave risk. Blum is convinced that if they look into Stepan, they’ll find the source of the manifestos and the rise of godlessness in the town. Andrey is worried that investigating Stepan will lead to consequences because Stepan is well-known. Besides, Andrey says, Stepan and Pyotr are at odds. Blum argues that Stepan was never anything but a low-ranking college lecturer dismissed for conspiring against the government. Andrey tells Blum to leave and says, “Do as you wish,” as Blum goes.
Blum correctly assesses the relationship between Pyotr and Andrey when he says that Pyotr gained Andrey’s confidence by flattering him. However, Blum seems to veer off track when he accuses Stepan of being the source of the revolutionary pamphlets. Notably, Blum directly connects the revolutionary movement to a rise of “godlessness” in town, further reinforcing the idea that Pyotr’s revolutionary aims are directly tied to atheism. In that sense, the success of a revolutionary movement will mean a success for atheism and a blow for theism and Christianity.
Themes
