Among many of the themes in Dostoevsky's The Idiot, one of the most important is the theme of suffering. Arguably, suffering is one of the greatest themes in all of Dostoevsky's works, particularly due to the hardships and hardships Dostoevsky experienced in his own life. In The Idiot, suffering takes on greater meaning if seen as «a journey, a continuous exodus out of the closed and folded self towards liberation through self-giving, and therefore towards the authentic discovery of oneself and of God ». (Deus caritas est 6). To understand the importance of suffering within this work, we must look at it in the light of the history of salvation. Before the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, suffering could only be a form of punishment for sin; however, through the death and resurrection of Christ, He transforms suffering into a means of sanctification and redemption. Rather than seeing pain as evil, Pope John Paul the Great explains in his 1984 encyclical, Salvifici Doloris, that pain is something “that man suffers because of a good in which he does not share” (Salvifici Doloris 7). His encyclical reflects the words of Saint Paul: «[n]ow I rejoice to suffer for you, and in my flesh I participate on behalf of his body, which is the Church, in filling what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ" (Colossians 1:24). It is through the death of Christ that man can understand his own suffering by adding it to that of Christ: man's suffering can become redemptive. By viewing The Idiot through this understanding, one can see many of the triumphs and failures of the characters within the play and subsequently understand how their actions cause an effect that extends beyond themselves. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayWhen Dostoevsky first introduces the theme of suffering, it is in a discussion between Myshkin and a waiter in light of capital punishment and a man who “cried as he went up the scaffold” (Dostoevsky 22). The key observation is note when the waiter suggests that there is not much suffering when the head is cut off; Myshkin responds that this form of death holds immeasurable horror because there is complete lack of hope. Dostoevsky asks the reader to consider two examples: the first of a man attacked by robbers and the second by a soldier in front of a firing cannon: probably, both will maintain hope until the last moment in which they can be saved, and it is this hope that makes it "ten times easier to die" (Dostoevsky Dostoevsky 23). In contrast to this, he speaks of the condemned man whose “all torment lies in the certainty that there is no escape” (Dostoevsky 23) and that to die having contemplated whether he is with or without Christ – he claims that he must contemplate death. imminent is enough to drive any strong man mad. Myshkin concludes by saying, “Christ spoke of this suffering and horror” (Dostoevsky 23) which refers to the suffering of Christ in Gethsemane when he spoke, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death… My Father, if it is possible, let this take the cup away from me" (Mt 26.38-39). Dostoevsky held Christ in high esteem, and this example of psychological suffering due to fear of death must have had resonance in Dostoevsky, considering that he too did. lived a near-death experience. Since the religion practiced by Dostoevsky, Russian Orthodoxy, ensures that Christ suffered more than any other man in existence, from this he would have understood that the suffering of the mind and psyche was the ultimate form , one might ask how goodness comes from suffering, and indeed one doeswhere the love of God can be found in what appears to be complete abandonment, especially in this type of suffering; however, one must remember that God only allows suffering commensurate with what the individual can bear. A heart turned to God will remember that divine mercy pushes us to venerate suffering as redemptive, and in it there is hope of salvation. In his encyclical Salvifici Doloris, Pope John Paul the Great explores the meaning of human suffering as something explicitly for man, saying: “What we express by the word 'suffering' seems to be particularly essential to the nature of man. It is as profound as man himself, precisely because it manifests in its own way that depth which is typical of man, and in its own way surpasses it. Suffering seems to belong to the transcendence of man” (Salvifici Doloris 4). This is to say that the nature of human suffering is so intertwined with one's spiritual self that it allows one to become stronger in relationship to God. With this theological understanding of suffering in mind, one might wonder why the most innocent character in the novel, Myshkin , seems to experience the greatest amount of public ridicule and internal turmoil while characters, like Rogozhin, do not. Sam McCoubrey states that a particularly poignant example of undeserved and perhaps irredeemable suffering is presented when it comes to Myshkin (McCoubrey 15). Throughout the entire novel, Myshkin experiences many forms of suffering, the two greatest being Maria's story and Nastasya's death. Although his suffering appears to stem from his social awkwardness and epilepsy, Myshkin puts his own pain aside and takes on the pain of others. McCoubrey comments that "the pain and suffering in this world was too much for him" and, at the end of the novel, Myshkin has to return to Switzerland because he cannot cope with Nastasya's death. Before his final mental breakdown, Myshkin can be examined as an ever generous man, which is reminiscent of the way Christ lived his life; although he had to die on the cross, there is still the hope that he will rise again and redeem all humanity. Likewise, if one were to read The Idiot in a similar way, one would be left with a greater sense of hope; however, one cannot help but recognize Myshkin's limitations as he is not Divine, one may wonder whether the meritorious value of his suffering is enough to bring redemption to those who affected him the most, namely Rogozhin and Nastasya. Nastasya Filippovna is a proud, beautiful and probably the most painful character in The Idiot. At a young age, Totsky, an older gentleman, took her under his wing and had her educated, gave her a lavish lifestyle, and raised her to be his mistress. Having her innocence taken away at such a young age left clear and lasting effects on Nastasya. Through this, she developed into a highly emotional individual, driven only by her pride and revenge; however, his high levels of passion and ever-changing moods make it difficult to follow his development, or lack thereof, as a character. Richard Chapple addresses the state from which Nastasya seems unable to escape, saying that she runs away from what is good because she believes she cannot repent, cannot be forgiven, and that she “suffers from closeness to goodness and atonement due to a harsh and severe self-judgment” (Chapter 97). Nastasya's lack of motivation—her decision to remain in sloth—is the very reason her suffering yields no life-giving reward. While all people can be saved through the offering of their suffering, it is necessary to make a conscious decision to turn to God and actively seek forgiveness in order to be saved. NastasyaFillipnova seems incapable of engaging in her life, and this is evident seen in her internal dialogues and manifested in her actions with Myshkin and Rogozhin. Mikhail Bakhtin, in his Problems of Dostoevsky's Poets, says that “Nastasya Filippovna's voice is divided between the voice that declares her a guilty 'fallen woman' and the voice that claims and accepts her” (Bakhtin 257). Myshkin represents the second voice and continually affirms Nastasya's innocence even when she is completely immersed in her destructive role as a corrupt woman. Although she recognizes that Myshkin can help her grow in virtue and goodness, she repeatedly rejects his outstretched hand in the belief that she sees herself as nothing more than a doomed woman. From the beginning of the novel, Nastasya finds comfort in Myshkin, saying: “I believe in him as the first truly pious man in my entire life. He believed in me from the first sight, and I trust him” (Dostoevsky 154); however, Myshkin's first opinion of Nastasya was that “her fate was not ordinary. It's a gay face, but he suffered terribly” (Dostoevsky, 36 years old), a suffering he tries to hide. Regardless of her desire to be more than a femme fatale character, she maintains the identifier, allowing men like Rogozhin to essentially bid for her. Myshkin was right in his assessment regarding Nastasya's suffering, but before Nastasya could truly give herself to Myshkin, she needed to understand that suffering is not only a seemingly unattainable means of sanctification, but also a way to repent of one's iniquities. In the gospel of Matthew, Christ says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Christ invites each individual to participate in humiliation, physical pain, and even death to follow him into the Kingdom of Heaven. However, Nastasya is too caught up in herself - in self-loathing, pity and pride - that she believes there is no hope. Christ calls: “all who are weary and oppressed, and I will refresh you” but you must be receptive (Matthew 11:28). Nastasya's obvious rejection of Christ's forgiveness through her rejection of Myshkin in marriage was the cause of her downfall and ultimate death. However, Nastasya isn't the only character destroyed in The Idiot. Each character brings forth a different element of rejection or acceptance of the suffering they've been given: some are content with their mediocre lifestyle, and still others are broken because they don't turn to Christ to help them carry their cross. Of the latter, one of these characters is Rogozhin. When introduced to Rogozhin, one may get the impression that it is nothing extraordinary. He pines for Nastasya, but is not fulfilled when he manages to reach her. Dostoevsky knew that in the end he would have the greatest ruin by killing Nastasia. Unfortunately, Rogozhin rejects Christianity even though, of all the characters in the novel, he is presented with the most tangible opportunities to turn to Christ. The two clearest Christian symbols given to Rogozhin are Holbein's Christ and the exchange of crosses in chapter four. Second part: both can be seen as opportune moments to turn to God. In the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Luke writes: "Repent therefore and be converted, so that your sins may be forgiven" (Acts of the Apostle, 3.19), a message to sinners who can always be returned. home with the Father. The first symbol seen, Holbein's painting of Christ, is discussed for only a moment before Rogozhin “suddenly abandons the painting and goes on his way” (Dostoevsky 218). It can be inferred that Rogozhin cannot look at the dead and decaying Christ because it was the man's sins that caused him to be crucified. Even if he says he 2015.