The Idiot: Part Two, Chapter Nine Summary & Analysis

At Myshkin’s request, Ganya takes over the negotiations. He begins by pointing out that Burdovsky has lied about his own date of birth in Keller’s article. He then gives additional evidence that irrefutably disproves Burdovsky’s claim to be Pavlishchev’s son. Burdovsky immediately claims he was “deceived” long before he event met Chebarov, and immediately says he no longer wants any money from Myshkin. He tries to leave, but Ganya insists he stay to hear about a few more important matters. He notes that Burdovsky’s mother never had a sexual relationship with Pavlishchev. Rather, Pavlishchev knew her as a child and helped support her financially, because she was the younger sister of a woman Pavlishchev loved and hoped to marry, but who died unexpectedly.

Ganya also found that Burdovsky’s father (who he claimed was his stepfather) drank away the money he gained from Burdovsky’s mother’s dowry, leaving the family “destitute.” As Ganya speaks, Doktorenko and Ippolit grow still more furious, demanding that he stop reciting this “novel.” Yet Ganya continues, concluding with the information that while Chebarov did hope to make money out of this situation, he is not a thief or a crook. Meanwhile, Burdovsky is a “pure man” who will perhaps help Myshkin in setting up the school. Burdovsky yells that he doesn’t want the money and throws back the 250 roubles Myshkin initially gave him (which was listed incorrectly in the article as 50). 

Myshkin, now quite distraught, says he is to blame for everything. At this point the Epanchin women speak up, claiming the dacha has come to resemble a “madhouse.” Ganya points out that there are only 100 roubles in the packet Burdovsky gave back. Doktorenko at first insists that it’s “all the same,” but after Ganya disagrees, he says that the other 150 were used to pay Chebarov’s travel expenses. Mrs. Epanchin interrupts and begins shouting at everyone. Several people try to calm her, and Prince Shch. kindly suggests they go home, but she continues to yell, accusing everyone of various misdeeds. She accuses the young men of being atheists who have been “eaten up by vanity and pride.” She then points to Ippolit and accuses him of corrupting Kolya.

On seeing that Ippolit is grinning at her, Mrs. Epanchin runs up to him and grabs him by the arm, at which point he is overcome by a coughing fit. He tells her that he’ll be dead within two weeks. Mrs. Epanchin tells him to lie down, but he says as soon as he does that he will be dead. She then gets him a chair. Ippolit tells Mrs. Epanchin that he’d heard from Kolya that she was an “eccentric woman,” and had thus hoped to meet her. Prompted by Ippolit, Myshkin invites everyone to stay for tea, and the scene unexpectedly becomes quite friendly and pleasant.