DEMONS AS A MARK OF DOSTOEVSKY'S RELIGIOUS IDEA PORTRAYED THROUGH THE PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA OF KIRILLOV AND SHATOV

Abstract:

            Kirillov and Shatov, the two characters in Dostoevsky's novel Demons, demonstrate a polar disparity in the need for and significance of God. In the novel, Kirillov takes on the role of Christ. He intends to commit suicide in order to liberate the other members of the gang from their misdeeds. He also takes on the persona of Christ in that he wants to die in order for all humans to be free, to realize their God-like nature. Shatov wants to believe in God, but he doesn't believe he can. He holds the concept of God in high regard and believes that religion is fundamental to Russian identity. Kirillov and Shatov are both firm believers; the former has faith but does not believe in God, while the latter believes in God but does not have faith. One of the big unresolved issues in Dostoevsky's Demons is the enigma of the appearance of a new being, a big mystery and an inexpressible  one, as Shatov describes the birth of his wife's child. Maria Shatova, a free-spirited former governess, gives birth to a baby boy just hours before her husband is assassinated by a secret gang. Shatov's murder and Kirillov's suicide cause the new mother's serious illness and, as a result, the infant's death within three days of birth. This nameless newborn is legally Shatov's son but biologically Stavrogin's, symbolize one of several seemingly unfinished subplots within Demons. These characters typically have strong, extreme beliefs and questions about religious claims, which, of course, are never answered. Their sheer nature makes them unanswerable — understanding of what comes beyond death or of God's plans for the world is beyond the reach of mortals. Why would you create a child with such a complicated history only to kill him? Why is it necessary to turn a universal symbol of hope into a mundane tragedy? The present paper focuses on the analogy between psychological sufferings of Kirillov and Shatov for a religious idea in Dostoevsky’s Demons.