The Idiot: Part One, Chapter Nine Summary & Analysis

Nastasya enters and demands that Ganya introduce her. All members of Ganya’s family are shocked into silence. Nastasya has never visited them before, presumably out of “haughtiness.” Nina and Varya attempt to make an effort with Nastasya, but she interrupts the introductions to ask where the tenants are. While Nina begins to answer, Nastasya again interrupts by laughing at Ganya’s comically horrified expression. Also noticing Ganya’s look of horror, Myshkin quietly tells him to drink some water and stop staring. Furious, Ganya grabs Myshkin and shoots him a look full of hatred. Trying to dispel the tension, he asks if Myshkin thinks he’s a doctor, and at that moment Nastasya laughs, saying she mistook Myshkin for a servant.

Nastasya asks Myshkin why he didn’t correct her mistake, and how he knew who she was. Myshkin explains that he’s seen her portrait but adds that it seems like he’s seen her elsewhere before, perhaps in a dream. General Ivolgin now enters, to Ganya’s absolute horror. He introduces himself but then stumbles and falls into a chair, assisted by Ferdyshchenko. Nina loudly asks Nastasya to excuse the general, but Nastasya insists that he stay, asking why he has never come to a social event at her house and saying she is excited to meet him at last. Nina and Kolya both keeping trying to get Ivolgin to leave, but he will not.

General Ivolgin tells Nastasya that he, General Epanchin, and Myshkin’s father used to be best friends, an “inseparable” trio. He tells a story about a time when he was smoking a cigar in a train carriage, sitting opposite two women speaking English and their small dog. Without saying anything, one of the women took the general’s cigar and flung it out the window, at which point the general did the same thing to her dog. Nastasya laughs and claps in delight, and Ferdyshchenko and Kolya both shout, “Bravo!” Ivolgin says that the woman slapped him, at which point he “got carried away,” although he insists he only wanted to wave his hand in warning.

Unfortunately, one of the English ladies turned out to be a friend of Princess Belonsky, while the other was the princess’s eldest daughter. Mrs. Epanchin has a special relationship to the Belonskys, and thus Ivolgin tried to beg their forgiveness, but ultimately all ties were cut between himself and the Epanchins as a result of this incident. Nastasya then says that the general must be lying, because she read the same story in the newspaper a few days ago. Everyone looks deeply embarrassed except Ferdyshchenko, who keeps laughing. The general tries to defend himself, but Nastasya laughs mercilessly. Ganya, fuming with horror, tries to get a moment alone with his father, but in that instant the doorbell rings loudly.