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Part 3, Chapter 3, 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 rushes to catch up with Liza. He tries to convince Liza to go with him, but Liza wants to see the bodies of the people who were murdered. Pyotr asks if Liza wants to see Mavriky, who is nearby, and Liza says she doesn’t want him to see her. Pyotr asks if she is concerned about infidelity and the “virginity business” and adds that the convention is outdated. Liza says she wants to run away and breaks off in a run across a field. She trips, and Mavriky sees her and runs to catch up to her. Pyotr leaves.
Liza is shaken and devastated by the news of Nikolay’s involvement in Marya’s death. The novel juxtaposes Liza’s distress with Pyotr’s indifference. The novel presents those two reactions side by side to show that Pyotr’s indifferent reaction is alarming and disturbing, while Liza’s is more understandable. Through that juxtaposition, the novel criticizes the cold, unfeeling, and extremist approach of Pyotr and his revolutionary faction.
Themes
When Mavriky catches up to Liza, Liza says that she’s not worthy of him. Mavriky says he’s in no position to judge her. Liza tells Mavriky not to forgive her. She then says she wants to see the bodies of the people who were murdered. The two walk hand in hand. Out of the mist, a figure emerges. It’s Stepan. He is dressed to travel and announces that he is saying farewell to the town. He slipped out of his house so not even his servant would notice. Liza and Mavriky leave Stepan and go to the house where Marya, Lebyadkin, and the servant were murdered.
Up to this point, Liza has been in love with Nikolay in a way that has caused her immense emotional distress. She seems to want to see the bodies of the people who died to pay witness to them, in addition to wanting to see the evidence of Nikolay’s wrongdoing. She perhaps hopes that seeing evidence of Nikolay’s wrongs may be enough to free her from Nikolay’s spell.
Themes
When Liza arrives, the crowd is bustling with the information that Nikolay killed Marya to run off with Liza. Someone in the crowd points to Liza and says that she’s the reason Marya was murdered. Another person exclaims that it’s not enough for them to commit murder, they must come and see the bodies too. A hand rises above Liza and strikes her. Liza collapses. Mavriky tries to make his way to her side, but someone in the crowd grabs him. Liza tries to get up, but someone else strikes her again. Eventually, people carry Liza out of the crowd. She is still alive at this point but unconscious.
This passage shows the impact of herd mentality. Though no one in the crowd knows details of the murder or has evidence of Liza’s supposed involvement in Marya’s death, the crowd jumps to conclusions and acts as a mob to kill Liza. By doing that, people in the crowd sacrifice their individual morality to go along with the group, something that is especially disconcerting considering that readers know Liza was not involved in Marya’s murder and seems as horrified as the crowd that Marya, Lebyadkin, and the servant were killed.
Themes
