Money, Greed, and Corruption Theme Analysis

The Idiot depicts a world corrupted by money and greed. At a time when moral and religious values—along with social hierarchies and norms—are in flux, greed becomes a powerful force driving people’s actions. The novel’s Christian viewpoint drives its message that while all people have an innate moral innocence, this can be corrupted by the consequences of money and greed: selfishness, exploitation, cruelty, and even violence. A capitalist system of value, therefore, corrupts people’s sense of right and wrong, replacing it with a fixation on money and power. The arbitrary and unpredictable fluctuations of wealth mean that it is a bad indicator of true value. In fact, the novel suggests that there is usually a negative correlation between the amount of money someone has and how good a person they are.

In order to understand the novel’s depiction of money and greed, it is important to consider the social and historical context of the period in which it is set. In the 1860s, Russia was an imperial power ruled by a despotic monarchy, alongside an aristocratic elite and an extremely rich, influential church. Yet change was in the air: non-aristocrats could ascend the social hierarchy through activities like serving in the army or growing rich in business. Meanwhile, Tsar Alexander II abolished serfdom in 1861, which, among other things, allowed former serfs to own property and businesses. This sense of flux is reflected in the novel when it comes to the financial situation of the characters. Despite being a prince, Myshkin arrives back in Russia “without a penny.” At the time, nobility and wealth did not necessarily have a direct correlation (although it is important to bear in mind that despite coming from one of the oldest lineages in Russia, Myshkin is a rather minor nobleman). Where some members of the aristocracy have very little money, some non-nobles, such as Rogozhin, are extremely rich. When Myshkin later learns that he is due to inherit a large amount of money, it serves as yet another reminder of how quickly people’s fortunes can change and confirms the sense that society as a whole is in a state of flux.

One of the characters through which the theme of money, greed, and corruption is most thoroughly explored is Nastasya Filippovna. Born to an aristocratic but poor family and orphaned as a child, Nastasya was placed under the care of Totsky, a rich, greedy, and evil nobleman who sexually abused her. As a figure who represents wealth and power, Totsky is an unequivocal example of how money and greed lead to moral corruption. The question of who Nastasya will marry, which is one of the novel’s central plotlines, further emphasizes the idea of money as a corrupting force. Wanting to marry off Nastasya so he himself can marry Alexandra Ivanova, Totsky offers 75,000 roubles for her to Ganya, even though Ganya actually hates Nastasya. Nastasya knows that Ganya is only willing to marry her for the money; the narrator comments that “Ganya’s soul was dark, greedy, impatient, envious, and boundlessly vain, out of all proportion to anything.” As a result, she comes to see herself an object with a price. Feeling that her value as a person has been corrupted by the fall from innocence that resulted from Totsky’s sexual abuse, Nastasya senses that the only value she has left is financial. Money, then, is portrayed as a morally corrupting force rather than a vehicle for freedom and upward mobility.

This tragic demonstration of the corrupting impact of money comes to a dramatic head when the wealthy Rogozhin offers 100,000 roubles to marry Nastasya in what amounts to a kind of auction, and Nastasya throws the roubles in the fire, telling Ganya to get them if he wants them. On one hand, this scene is a painful reminder of how women are treated as commodities that can be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Yet Nastasya’s act of throwing the money into the fire shows that she rebels against the obsession with money that preoccupies those around her. By burning the roubles, Nastasya scandalously draws attention to the ultimate meaninglessness of money. In contrast to moral values, money is ephemeral and can disappear in an instant. Indeed, Nastasya’s act suggests that the best way to purge oneself of money’s corruption influence is to deliberately rid oneself of money. This is reflected in Myshkin’s habit of giving money away. At the same time, there are still limits to Nastasya’s rejection of money. Turning down an offer from the prince, she ultimately decides to marry Rogozhin, who beats her and ends up murdering her. This turn of events suggests that it is perhaps impossible to ever truly escape the corrupting impact that money has had on society.

Surprisingly, it is the comic and usually foolish character Lebedev who articulates the novel’s overall position on money, greed, and corruption, and who issues a warning about how these issues are poisoning Russia as a whole. Lebedev gives a long, rambling speech in which he discusses the extreme poverty that exists in Russia and wonders how poor people “endure.” He notes the injustice of the high taxes that the poor must pay to the church, arguing that clergymen are “sixty times fatter” than the general population. The speech concludes, “There is greater wealth, but less force; the binding idea is gone; everything has turned soft, everything is overstewed, everyone is overstewed! We’re all, all, all overstewed!” While “overstewed” is a rather humorous term to use, Lebedev’s overall point is deeply serious: money and greed have corrupted Russian society to a dangerous degree. The book suggests that it is perhaps only by purging oneself of both money and greed that this corruption can be undone.