The Harder You Try, The Worse It Gets - The Philosophy of Fyodor Dostoevsky

Summary

The script explores Fyodor Dostoevsky's life and literary legacy, highlighting his profound insights into human psychology, suffering, and societal structures. It details his early life, tragic experiences, and how these influenced his dark, philosophical works such as 'Notes from Underground' and 'Crime and Punishment.' The narrative emphasizes Dostoevsky's critique of modern ideals, rationalism, and the pursuit of utopian perfection, ultimately suggesting that true understanding and redemption come through suffering and self-awareness.

Takeaways

• 📚 Fyodor Dostoevsky is recognized as one of the greatest novelists in history, known for his deep insights into human psychology and social structures.
• 🔍 Dostoevsky's work challenges how well we truly know ourselves, questioning our desires, actions, and the consequences of pursuing false ideals.
• 🏥 Dostoevsky's early life experiences, including the deaths of his parents and his proximity to hospital conditions, deeply influenced his writing.
• ✍️ After a brief engineering career, Dostoevsky fully devoted himself to literature, finding early success with his first novel, 'Poor Folk.'
• 👨‍⚖️ Dostoevsky's involvement with a radical group led to his arrest and a mock execution, after which he was sent to Siberia for four years of hard labor.
• 🧠 After returning from Siberia, Dostoevsky's writing took on a darker tone, focusing on human suffering, psychology, and the critique of modern ideals.
• ⚖️ 'Crime and Punishment' explores the conflict between rationality and morality, depicting a young man's psychological torment after committing murder.
• 🤔 Dostoevsky critiques the belief that rational self-interest and technological progress can eliminate human suffering, arguing that these efforts often create new problems.
• 🎭 In 'The Idiot,' Dostoevsky reflects on his own life experiences, particularly his near-execution, and the profound realization of life's beauty.
• 🌟 Despite the dark themes in his work, Dostoevsky offers a glimpse of redemption, emphasizing the potential for personal growth through suffering and faith.

Q & A

Who is Fyodor Dostoevsky and why is he significant?

Fyodor Dostoevsky is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in history. His work is renowned for its deep insights into human psychology and its interplay with social and political structures, making him both a psychologist and philosopher.

What early life experiences influenced Dostoevsky's writing?

Dostoevsky's early life was marked by the proximity to hospital conditions, a strong-faith upbringing, and the early deaths of both his parents, including the mysterious possible murder of his father. These experiences likely shaped his tragic voice as a writer.

How did Dostoevsky's career shift from engineering to literature?

After graduating from a military engineering institute and working as an engineer, Dostoevsky's passion for literature grew. He began translating books and eventually resigned from engineering to focus solely on writing.

What was Dostoevsky's first published book and how was it received?

Dostoevsky's first published book was 'Poor Folk' in 1846. It received commercial success and was favorably reviewed by critics, being deemed Russia's first social novel.

What impact did Dostoevsky's association with a radical group have on his life?

Dostoevsky's association with a radical group focused on utopian socialism led to his arrest and near-execution in 1849. He was sentenced to death by firing squad, but the execution was a mock-execution. He was then sent to Siberia for four years of grueling labor.

How did Dostoevsky's time in Siberia change him?

After returning from Siberia in 1860, Dostoevsky became a different man. His writing took on a tone of pessimism, realism, and a deeper understanding of the human psyche, turning away from utopian ideals towards spiritual and psychological explorations.

What are some of Dostoevsky's most important works?

Some of Dostoevsky's most important works include 'Notes from Underground,' 'Crime and Punishment,' 'The Idiot,' 'Demons,' and 'The Brothers Karamazov.' These works are still regarded as significant contributions to literature.

What is a central theme in Dostoevsky's work?

A central theme in Dostoevsky's work is human suffering and the consequences of humanity's attempts to overcome it. He explores the futility of striving for a utopian ideal and the inherent irrationality and self-destructive tendencies of humans.

How does Dostoevsky critique modern western ideals in 'Notes from Underground'?

In 'Notes from Underground,' Dostoevsky critiques the ideals of rationality and technological progress as means toward perfect happiness. Through the character of the underground man, he illustrates the absurdity and discontent of life, emphasizing that suffering is fundamental to human existence.

What is the plot of 'Crime and Punishment' and its central message?

'Crime and Punishment' centers on Rodion Raskolnikov, a former law student who commits murder under the belief that he can rationally justify it for the greater good. The novel explores his subsequent torment and guilt, critiquing the notions of reason and self-interest as complete methods for determining morality and self-hood.

What does Dostoevsky suggest about human nature in 'Crime and Punishment'?

Dostoevsky suggests that human nature is deeply irrational and self-destructive. He portrays Raskolnikov's misguided self-perception and the complex interplay between the conscious and unconscious mind, illustrating that humans often do not know themselves as well as they think and frequently act against their own best interests.

What does Dostoevsky's character Prince Myshkin in 'The Idiot' reflect about his own experiences?

Prince Myshkin in 'The Idiot' reflects Dostoevsky's own experiences, particularly his mock-execution by firing squad. Myshkin's contemplation of life and death mirrors Dostoevsky's own thoughts during his near-execution, highlighting the profound awareness of life's beauty and the horror of losing it.

What ultimate message does Dostoevsky convey through his work?

Despite the dark and tragic themes in Dostoevsky's work, he conveys a message of redemption through suffering, faith, acceptance, compassion, and repentance. He suggests that while perfection is unattainable and suffering is inevitable, there is still hope for redemption and a deeper appreciation of life's beauty.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Dostoevsky: A Renowned Novelist and Philosopher

Fyodor Dostoevsky is hailed as one of the greatest novelists, known for his deep psychological insights and exploration of human nature. His works question our self-awareness and the pursuit of ideals, emphasizing the timeless relevance of his warnings about humanity. Born in 1821 in Moscow, he faced early family tragedies, which influenced his unique voice. Initially an engineer, he shifted to literature, achieving early success with 'Poor Folk,' but later facing financial struggles. His association with a radical group led to his arrest and a mock-execution, followed by four years of hard labor in Siberia. These experiences profoundly altered his worldview, leading to a more pessimistic, realistic tone in his later works, which remain highly influential.

05:02

🤔 Human Suffering and the Limits of Rationality

Dostoevsky explores the inescapability of suffering and critiques the pursuit of utopian ideals in 'Notes from Underground.' The protagonist, the underground man, embodies deep discontent with life and society. Dostoevsky argues that suffering is intrinsic to human existence and that efforts to eliminate it through rationality and technology are doomed to fail. He warns against nihilism, utopianism, and egoism, emphasizing the destructiveness of abandoning religious faith and embracing flawed human nature. He posits that progress can only shift the sources of suffering rather than eradicate it, highlighting the irrationality and self-sabotage inherent in human nature.

10:06

🔍 Crime, Punishment, and Self-Knowledge

In 'Crime and Punishment,' Dostoevsky delves deeper into the theme of self-knowledge through the character of Raskolnikov, a former law student who justifies murder for a perceived greater good. The novel explores his subsequent torment and guilt, illustrating the flaws in rational and self-interested morality. Dostoevsky critiques nihilism and rationalism, showing how Raskolnikov's actions lead to immense suffering despite his logical justifications. The novel highlights the complexity of the human psyche and the disconnect between self-perception and reality, emphasizing that even those who commit heinous acts are not purely evil but deeply conflicted.

15:10

😇 Redemption and the Human Condition

Despite the darkness in Dostoevsky's works, there is an undercurrent of potential redemption through suffering, faith, and compassion. In 'The Idiot,' Dostoevsky reflects on his own experiences, particularly through the character Prince Myshkin, who recounts a mock-execution similar to Dostoevsky's own. This anecdote underscores the profound appreciation for life in the face of imminent death. Dostoevsky suggests that while life is tragic and perfect goodness is unattainable, the awareness of life's fleeting beauty can be overwhelming. His literature serves as a reminder of this beauty, urging readers to cherish life while they can.

Keywords

💡Fyodor Dostoevsky

Fyodor Dostoevsky is a central figure in the script, renowned as one of the greatest novelists in history. His work is characterized by deep insights into human psychology and its interaction with social and political structures. The script discusses his life, his philosophical and psychological themes, and how his experiences influenced his writing. For instance, his early life, marked by the mysterious death of his father, is suggested to have contributed to his 'unique but tragic voice' as a writer.

💡Human Psychology

Human psychology is a key theme in the script, especially as it relates to Dostoevsky's work. It refers to the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, affecting behavior in various contexts. Dostoevsky's novels are noted for their exploration of the psyche, particularly in how individuals navigate their desires, self-deception, and moral dilemmas. The script mentions how his work brings into question 'how well we truly know ourselves' and the consequences of following 'false delusions and impossible ideals'.

💡Social and Political Structures

The script discusses how Dostoevsky's work delves into the relationship between human psychology and the social and political structures of the modern world. These structures refer to the organized systems of society and governance that influence human behavior and thought. Dostoevsky's novels often critique and explore the impact of these structures on individuals, as seen in the script's mention of his questioning of 'how we go about considering and attaining these things in the world.'

💡Utopian Socialism

Utopian socialism is a concept mentioned in the script in relation to Dostoevsky's early political affiliations. It refers to the idea of creating a perfect society through the implementation of idealistic principles, often without regard for practicality. The script notes that Dostoevsky was associated with a radical group focused on utopian socialism, which eventually led to his arrest and punishment.

💡Mock-Execution

A mock-execution is a simulated execution used as a psychological tactic, as described in the script in relation to Dostoevsky's own life. It is a dramatic and traumatic event that had a profound impact on him and likely influenced his writing. The script vividly recounts the moment when Dostoevsky was pardoned at the last moment during a mock-execution, an experience that could have contributed to his exploration of themes of suffering and redemption.

💡Suffering

Suffering is a fundamental theme in the script and Dostoevsky's work. It is the experience of pain, distress, or hardship, which Dostoevsky viewed as an inherent part of human life. The script explains that for Dostoevsky, 'suffering is a fundamental tenet of human life,' and that efforts to eliminate it are doomed to fail. His characters often grapple with the consequences of their actions and the inherent suffering that comes with life's challenges.

💡Redemption

Redemption in the script refers to the possibility of atonement or salvation, especially in the face of suffering and wrongdoing. It is a theme that emerges in Dostoevsky's work, suggesting that despite the darkness and tragedy, there is a potential for renewal and forgiveness. The script alludes to this in the context of 'Crime and Punishment,' where the protagonist, Raskolnikov, seeks redemption through confession and punishment.

💡Nihilism

Nihilism is a philosophical viewpoint discussed in the script, which posits that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value. Dostoevsky critiques this perspective through his characters, showing the destructive potential of a worldview that lacks religious faith and moral absolutes. The script mentions nihilism in connection with the 'underground man' from 'Notes from Underground,' who embodies a disdain for the delusions of others and a rejection of inherent meaning in life.

💡Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that the best action is the one that maximizes overall 'happiness.' In the script, this concept is explored through Raskolnikov's character in 'Crime and Punishment,' who believes that moral decisions should be based on what produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people. However, Dostoevsky critiques this approach, showing that it can lead to moral confusion and suffering, as Raskolnikov's actions cause him immense guilt and torment.

💡Self-Interest

Self-interest is the pursuit of one's own benefit or gain, often at the expense of others. The script discusses this concept in the context of Dostoevsky's critique of rationalism and egoism, where actions and morality are based on reason and self-benefit. Characters like Raskolnikov in 'Crime and Punishment' justify their actions based on self-interest, but Dostoevsky shows the negative consequences of such a worldview.

💡Human Condition

The human condition refers to the collection of characteristics, experiences, and situations that are generally and uniquely applicable to the human species. In the script, Dostoevsky's work is said to explore the complexities of the human condition, including our irrational behaviors, our struggle with self-knowledge, and our propensity for both good and evil. The script emphasizes that Dostoevsky believed social and technological advancements cannot fundamentally change the human condition, which includes suffering and the desire for self-agency.

Highlights

Fyodor Dostoevsky is considered one of the greatest novelists in history, renowned for his deep insights into human psychology and its interplay with social and political structures.

Dostoevsky's work questions self-knowledge, desires, and the consequences of following false delusions and impossible ideals, with insights still relevant today.

Born in 1821 to a well-off family, Dostoevsky's early life was marked by the deaths of his parents, influencing his later writing.

After graduating as an engineer, Dostoevsky pursued literature, translating books and eventually resigning to focus solely on writing.

His first book, Poor Folk, was a commercial success and considered Russia's first social novel.

Dostoevsky faced financial distress and joined a radical group, leading to his arrest and a mock-execution as punishment.

Sent to Siberia for four years, Dostoevsky returned a changed man, with a new tone of pessimism and realism in his writing.

His works, including Notes from Underground, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, and The Brothers Karamazov, are still regarded as some of the most important in literature.

Dostoevsky explored the theme of human suffering and the futility of trying to eliminate it through rationality and technology.

In Notes from Underground, Dostoevsky critiques modern western ideals of rationality and technological progress for happiness.

Dostoevsky argued that suffering is a fundamental part of human life and cannot be comprehensively eliminated.

The underground man in Notes from Underground represents the critique of nihilism, utopianism, rationalism, and egoism.

Dostoevsky believed that humanity desires self-agency more than perfect happiness, even to the point of self-sabotage.

Crime and Punishment delves into self-knowledge and the complexity of the human mind, with Raskolnikov's guilt and torment highlighting the flaws in rationalism and self-interest as methods of determining morality.

Dostoevsky's works show that people are often detached from their true selves and that redemption is possible through suffering, faith, and repentance.

The Idiot reflects Dostoevsky's personal experiences and ideals, exploring the concept of life's beauty and the overwhelming awareness of impending loss.

Transcripts

Fyodor Dostoevsky is widely regarded as  one the greatest novelists in history.  

His fictional work is so rich with deep insights  into human psychology, particularly its interplay  

with various social and political structures  of the modern world, he is equal parts renowned  

psychologist and philosopher. His work brings into  question how well we truly know ourselves, what we  

really want, and how we go about considering  and attaining these things in the world—as  

well as the consequences of following false  delusions and impossible ideals. His insights and  

warnings about humanity, both individually and  collectively, were not only ahead of his time,  

but in many ways, they are still arguably  unheeded warnings immensely relevant to today. 

Dostoevsky was born in 1821 in Moscow Russia to  a well-off orthodox Christian family. His father  

was a successful doctor, and his family lived  on the hospital grounds where his father worked.  

While in his teens, however, his mother died  of tuberculosis, and while Dostoevsky was away  

at school studying to become an engineer, his  father died without definitive cause—although,  

it was reported and speculated that he was  murdered by his own serfs in an act of vengeance  

against his abusive tendencies. Young Dostoevsky’s  proximity to the conditions of a hospital,  

his upbringing in a strong-faithed family,  and the early deaths of both his parents,  

especially that of the mysterious, possible murder  of his father, likely all culminated into some  

amount of the early foundation of what would go on  to become his unique but tragic voice as a writer. 

After graduating from a military engineering  institute, Dostoevsky would work as an  

engineer. However, as a means of engaging in his  budding passion for literature and humanities,  

he also began translating books on the side during  this time. As this passion for literature soon  

increased further and further, he would resign  from his engineering career and focus solely on  

writing himself. In 1846, he published his first  book, titled Poor Folk. Right away, this work  

received commercial success and was reviewed  favorably by literary critics of the time,  

deemed as Russia’s first social novel. However,  Dostoevsky’s subsequent works just following this  

one would struggle to find any similar level  of success, and he soon found himself mostly  

just experimenting and failing as a writer,  quickly falling into financial distress. 

Partly as a consequence of his financial  situation, in 1847, while in his late twenties,  

Dostoevsky became associated with a radical  group of writers and intellectuals focused on  

utopian socialism. This, however, would soon lead  to him to being arrested when the government went  

after those associated with these types of groups. In 1849, as punishment, Dostoevsky was sentenced  

to death by firing squad. On December 22nd of  the same year, he stood facing the barrel of  

a gun pointed at his head. The remainder of  his life was now counted in minutes. As the  

officials held their aim and steadied to pull  the trigger, suddenly, at the last moment,  

a message arrived, and Dostoevsky was pardoned.  The execution turned out to be a mock-execution,  

used merely as a psychological tactic  to instill fear in the prisoners.  

Following this, Dostoevsky was instead sent to  Siberia where he was forced to work grueling labor  

in horrible conditions for four years. In 1860, Dostoevsky returned from Siberia,  

but returned a very different man.  He would soon begin writing again,  

but now, his voice would contain a new tone  of pessimism, realism, and a highly perceptive  

understanding of the human psyche. He was now  turned away from utopian ideals of society,  

and instead, his focus was now turned inward,  toward spiritual and psychological explorations. 

Over the following twenty years, before dying of  a lung disorder in 1881, Dostoevsky would produce  

several successful masterpieces, many of which  are still regarded as some of the most important  

works of literature to this day, including  Notes from Underground, Crime and Punishment,  

The Idiot, Demons, and The Brothers Karamazov. One of the more prominent themes established in  

much of Dostoevsky’s work was his insights on and  assessment of human suffering—more particularly,  

the means by which and the consequences of  humanity trying to overcome and rid itself  

of suffering, especially in relation to a time  in which religious and spiritual anchors were  

cut loose, and individuals and societies were  left to create and defend their worldviews  

through an increasing thrust of rationality and  technology toward the ideal of perfect well-being. 

In Notes from Underground, published in 1864,  Dostoyevsky explores and critiques these modern  

western ideals: rationality and technological  progress as a means toward perfect happiness and  

goodness. In the novel, we follow an unnamed  retired civil servant, often referred to as  

the underground man, through a series of diary  entries. The man is deeply angered and unhappy,  

and he possesses a disdain for others  and the delusions in which others live.  

He wants to make other people see the  truth and acknowledge the same discontent  

and absurdity he knows and feels in life. For Dostoyevsky, suffering is a fundamental  

tenet of human life. It is infused in the blood.  Thus, there is no life, nor social or material  

condition for life, that can exist without  suffering. And so, for Dostoyevsky, all efforts  

and accomplishments of progress, both individually  and collectively, can merely change the particular  

things that we derive our suffering from, but  cannot eliminate our suffering comprehensively.  

“Man only likes to count his troubles; he doesn't  calculate his happiness,” wrote Dostoyevsky. 

For Dostoyevsky, since there can never be a  social or material structure that rids humanity  

of unhappiness or suffering, any objective  of improving the world toward an idealistic,  

utopian version of itself is doomed  to fail. Through the underground man,  

Dostoyevsky largely critiques and warns  about humanity pursuing these sorts of ideals  

while operating within the increasingly prevalent  worldviews of nihilism, utopianism, rationalism,  

and egoism—which essentially culminate into the  beliefs that there is no inherent or transcendent  

meaning to life and that actions and morality  should be based on reason and knowledge with  

self-interest as the driving force. Dostoyevsky  argued, however, that with a void of religious  

faith and a deeply flawed, irrational human  nature, this worldview would become destructive.  

In the process of resolving suffering toward  perfection, solutions to old problems will  

inevitably create new problems in need of new  solutions—and the more grandiose the solutions,  

the more complex and perhaps destructive  the new problems. This is not necessarily  

to say that efforts of social, technological, or  self-improvement are useless or inherently bad,  

but rather, they are not capable of attaining  what they often set out to accomplish;  

and if not considered within the constraints  of the human condition, their incessant motion  

can serve to only fan the flames of problems.  In Notes From Underground, Dostoyevsky wrote:

Now I ask you: what can be expected of man since  he is a being endowed with strange qualities?  

Shower upon him every earthly blessing, drown  him in a sea of happiness, so that nothing but  

bubbles of bliss can be seen on the surface; give  him economic prosperity, such that he should have  

nothing else to do but sleep, eat cakes and busy  himself with the continuation of his species,  

and even then out of sheer ingratitude,  sheer spite, man would play you some nasty  

trick. He would even risk his cakes and would  deliberately desire the most fatal rubbish,  

the most uneconomical absurdity, simply to  introduce into all this positive good sense  

his fatal fantastic element. It  is just his fantastic dreams,  

his vulgar folly that he will desire  to retain, simply in order to prove to  

himself—as though that were so necessary—that  men still are men and not the keys of a piano.

For Dostoyevsky, humanity is irritational and  incessantly desires a sense of self-agency—not  

perfect happiness. Thus, even if a perfect  life or society in which happiness could be  

of formulaic ease to everyone, humanity would  rather go mad or destroy its perfect conditions  

than live as if it fit into a mechanical system. 

We think we want happiness, but we don’t—not  really. We know this every time we could be  

happy but aren’t; every time we find something  to dwell on or complain about or sabotage.  

Our conscious mind appears to tell us we want  happiness and peace with perfect equality,  

but our whole being, our behaviors, our history,  show us that we, quite often, want the opposite.  

We don’t know ourselves as well as we think, and  often when we do, we struggle to accept the truth. 

In Dostoyevsky’s subsequent  masterpiece, Crime and Punishment,  

published in 1866, he further explores this notion  of self-knowledge, or the lack thereof. The novel  

centers around a young former law student  living in poverty, named Rodion Raskolnikov.  

Raskolnikov’s mother and sister are sacrificing a  great deal to try to help Raskolnikov’s situation  

and facilitate his success—his sister even setting  up to marry a wealthy man in order to help.  

This, however, all further upsets and shames  Raskolnikov. Additionally, he is deeply affected  

by a nihilistic, rationalistic, and atheistic  view of the world. Because of his views, without  

needing to answer to any religious or spiritual  principles, Raskolnikov decides to kill and rob a  

wicked, abusive, old pawnbroker woman whom he has  become aware has a lot of cash. He believes that  

moral decisions ought to be based on what one can  determine, through reason, produces the highest  

net good on society—or the greatest happiness for  the largest number of people. Because of this, he  

believes that he deserves the money more than the  old woman, as he can do far more good with it. He  

can help his sister and mother, and he can become  a lawyer, and can then go on to do even more good  

in the world. Moreover, he thinks of himself as  an individual of greatness, powerfulness, and  

ruthlessness; and, in his mind, extraordinary men  are allowed to commit crimes for the common good.  

And so, he is able to rationally justify murder,  and he proceeds to kill the pawnbroker, and then,  

her half-sister when she walks in during  the act. Throughout the rest of the novel,  

Raskolnikov finds himself tormented and riddled  with guilt and horror because of his actions. He  

is not who he thought he was; he is not a man of  ruthless power. He is a tender and feeling man.  

Eventually, he turns himself into the police  in order to essentially avoid going insane. 

Through Raskolnikov’s guilt and torment,  Dostoyevsky critiques the notions of reason  

and self-interest as complete methods  of determining morality and self-hood.  

Raskolnikov had every reason to do what he did,  and yet, what he did was wrong, and it causes him  

to feel immense pain and suffering. Like in Notes  from Underground, Dostoevsky is again critiquing  

the beliefs of nihilism, utilitarianism,  rationalism, and egoism, in which all faith  

and relevance is placed solely on the individual,  and all efforts to maximize a life and society are  

done through self-interest and rationality. Also like in Notes from Underground,  

Crime and Punishment focuses on the complexity  of the human mind and how we, as the conscious  

observers and orators of who we think we are,  are often detached from and inconsistent with  

who we really are. Moreover, our perception of who  others are is often even further removed from the  

truth. Dostoevsky not only shows how Raskolnikov  has a completely inverted, false self-perception,  

but he also allows the reader to relate to  and empathize with Raskolnikov: a cold-blooded  

murderer. Rather than purely showing how a  bad character becomes bad, Dostoevsky shows  

how a bad character isn’t purely bad, and is,  in many ways, a lot like us—extremely confused  

and misguided by the conflict of their inner  psyche and their misunderstanding of said psyche. 

For us all, the complex interplay  between our conscious mind,  

unconscious mind, and the world  outside of ourselves is chaotic,  

muddled, contradictory, and perhaps impossible  to ever truly understand. None of us are that far  

from those we fear or dislike; in them is some  amount of us, and in us is some amount of them.  

We don’t know ourselves as well as we think; we  chase things that we don’t want, and we often  

dread what we truly want. We are far less rational  than we think; we exhibit a sort of madness every  

day and every generation. Christianity and  idealistic philosophies set us up to fail;  

science cannot save us; and technology is a  not a means to escape our problems but merely  

an efficient transformation of them. Dostoevsky  believed all this to be the case, and arguably,  

on at least some level, he was right. However, at  the end of Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov is  

in prison, serving just an eight-year sentence,  for doing good deeds. The novel ends alluding  

to the prospect that Raskolnikov's story will  continue, suggesting Dostoevsky’s belief that  

through suffering, faith, acceptance, compassion,  and repentance, redemption is still possible. 

Although Dostoevsky’s work is largely dark and  tragic, it also contains this sort of epilogue  

of redemption in spite of itself—at least  redemption of a sort. In his novel, The Idiot,  

published in 1869, through the main character,  Prince Myshkin, Dostoevsky reflects on some his  

own personal experiences and ideals in life. In  one instance, Prince Myshkin discusses an anecdote  

about a man recounting having been arrested and  sentenced to a mock-execution by firing squad,  

mirroring almost exactly Dostoevsky’s own  experience many years prior. Prince Myshkin says:

He had about five minutes left to live, not more.  He said those five minutes seemed like an endless  

time to him, an enormous wealth . . . he reckoned  up the time for bidding his comrades farewell  

and allotted two minutes to that, then allotted  two more minutes to thinking about himself  

for the last time, and then to looking around for  the last time . . . He was dying at the age of  

twenty-seven, healthy and strong; bidding farewell  to his comrades, he remembered asking one of them  

a rather irrelevant question and even being very  interested in the answer. Then, after he had  

bidden his comrades farewell, the two minutes came  that he had allotted to thinking about himself.  

He knew beforehand what he was going to think  about: he kept wanting to picture to himself  

as quickly and vividly as possible how it could be  like this: now he exists and lives, and in three  

minutes there would be something, some person or  thing—but who? and where? He wanted to resolve  

it all in those two minutes! There was a church  nearby, and the top of the cathedral with its  

gilded dome shone in the bright sun. He remembered  gazing with terrible fixity at that dome and the  

rays shinning from it: it seemed to him that  those were his new nature and in three minutes  

he would somehow merge with them...The ignorance  of and loathing for this new thing that would be  

and would come presently were terrible; yet he  said that nothing was more oppressive for him at  

that moment than the constant thought: ‘What if I  were not to die! What if life were given back to  

me—what infinity! And it would all be mine! Then  I’d turn each minute into a whole age, I’d lose  

nothing, I’d reckon up every minute separately,  I’d let nothing be wasted!’ He said that in the  

end this thought turned into such anger in him  that he wished they would hurry up and shoot him.

In this, Dostoevsky arguably alludes to  the idea that although life is so often  

tragic, purity and perfect goodness is  impossible, and suffering is fundamental,  

the conscious awareness of being but moments  away from losing it all is so overwhelmingly  

horrible that one would literally rather hurry  up and die than steep in the knowledge of just  

how beautiful everything truly is and that  they are just about to lose it all forever.  

Whether we agree with Dostoevsky or not, his deep  insights and brilliant works of literature can  

help remind us and allow us feel this same beauty  and depth in life, while there’s still time.