Demons · Chapter
Chapter X explained
Stepan Trofimovitch returns from the Drozdovs in a state of agitation, confessing to the narrator that he feels isolated and that the visit was merely an attempt to extract information from him.
What happens
Stepan Trofimovitch returns from the Drozdovs in a state of agitation, confessing to the narrator that he feels isolated and that the visit was merely an attempt to extract information from him. He reveals that the Drozdovs are preoccupied with rumors about Nikolay Stavrogin's madness and past scandals, and that Liza is both mocking and secretive. He then shares a letter from Varvara Petrovna summoning him to a meeting on Sunday to finalize his marriage to Darya Pavlovna, which he now dreads. He admits to having written a letter to Darya Pavlovna and to Nikolay Stavrogin, attempting to act honorably but now regretting it. The chapter ends with Stepan Trofimovitch lamenting his twenty-year unrequited love for Varvara Petrovna and calling for his son Pyotr.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Vanity in Society
Stepan Trofimovitch's self-dramatization and his complaints about being used by the Drozdovs highlight the vanity and superficiality of social interactions, where people seek information rather than genuine connection.
The Search for Meaning and Faith
Stepan's desperate wish for Sunday to never come and his lament over twenty years of unrequited love reveal a search for meaning and a crisis of faith in his own life choices.
Characters to notice
- Stepan Trofimovitch Verhovensky
Returns from the Drozdovs in a hysterical state, feeling used and isolated. He confesses his dread of the upcoming marriage to Darya Pavlovna and his long-standing love for Varvara Petrovna.
- Lizaveta Nikolaevna Tushin
Described as sly and mocking, she laughs at Stepan's marriage plans but is also said to have an ache in her own heart. She is reportedly quarrelling with Praskovya.
- Varvara Petrovna Stavrogin
Sends a letter summoning Stepan to a meeting on Sunday to finalize his marriage. Stepan laments that she has never understood him despite twenty years of devotion.
- Darya Pavlovna
The intended bride of Stepan Trofimovitch. Liza idolizes her, calling her an angel. Stepan has written to her and to Nikolay Stavrogin, which he now regrets.
- Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch Stavrogin
Rumored to be mad and to have sold property to Lebyadkin. Stepan wrote to him about Darya Pavlovna, and the Drozdovs are anxious to know if he is mad.
- Pyotr Stepanovitch Verhovensky
Stepan calls for his son Pyotr as his only hope, though he feels he does not deserve the name of father.
Key passages
“Mon ami! I have completely lost the thread... Lise... I love and respect that angel as before; just as before; but it seems to me they both asked me simply to find out something from me, that is more simply to get something out of me, and then to get rid of me.”
Stepan tells the narrator that he feels the Drozdovs only wanted to extract information from him and then dismiss him.
Stepan expresses his sense of being used and isolated after his visit.
“You can obtain a final answer from her: will that be enough for you? Is this the formality you were so anxious for?”
Varvara Petrovna's letter invites Stepan to a meeting on Sunday to finalize his marriage, which he now dreads.
The letter marks a turning point, forcing Stepan to confront the reality of his impending marriage.
“Oh, that that Sunday would never come and everything would go on in the old way. You would have gone on coming and I'd have gone on here.”
Stepan wishes that Sunday would never arrive so that his life could remain unchanged.
Stepan's fear of change and his desire to cling to the past are evident.
“I'm a capricious child, with all the egoism of a child and none of the innocence. For the last twenty years she's been looking after me like a nurse, cette pauvre auntie, as Lise so charmingly calls her.”
Stepan admits to being selfish and childish, and acknowledges that Varvara Petrovna has cared for him like a nurse for twenty years.
Stepan reflects on his own failings and his dependence on Varvara Petrovna.
“Oh, let her know, that Auntie, that she is the one woman I have adored for twenty years! She must learn this, it must be so, if not they will need force to drag me under ce qu'on appelle le wedding-crown.”
Stepan declares that he has adored Varvara Petrovna for twenty years and insists she must know this, or he will resist the marriage.
Stepan reveals his long-hidden love for Varvara Petrovna, adding a layer of tragedy to his situation.
