Fyodor, like many people, has a strong desire for dignity; he wishes to maintain his pride. He is also a man cognizant of his own follies and his botched reputation. This becomes evident when he reacts strongly to the analysis given of him by Zosima. Unfortunately, his instinctual reaction to the revelation of his faults leads him to revert to his buffoonery of feigning (not necessarily feigning, as he is playing the role, but the playing of the role itself is..well, buffoonery) intentional buffoonery.
We ultimately see that Fyodor is aware of his buffoonery in playing the part of the buffoon when he is about to leave the Monastery but decides to stop for the sake of maintaining ‘maximum dignity’ within his buffoonery since he has already shamed himself – “There is no way to rehabilitate myself now, so why don’t I just spit over them without any shame.” Fyodor resolves to play the part of the buffoon once more since he realizes he already has, and it is already expected of him, so there is nothing for him to lose. On the other hand, by leaving without a ‘final say,’ he admits to having shame and is still seen as a buffoon.
Fyodor seeks to regain dignity through the means that provide for the smallest amount of repentance possible, as repentance entails admitting one’s wrongs and feeling shame. When people joke that the best poets really just write random lines with the knowledge that if people do not understand them that, then they will revere them, Fyodor is the guy who actually thinks that such a feat is possible.
Dostoevsky uses Fyodor in this section of the novel to reassert Zosima’s claim that the conscience is the best means of reform for a given individual. Fyodor fails to escape his habitual buffoonery because he is continuously distracted by others’ perceptions of him and loses sight of the repentance. The theme of conscience vs. false conscience is portrayed strongly through his character.
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