The House of the Dead · Chapter
VIII: Determined Characters. Lutchka explained
The narrator reflects on the nature of 'determined' characters in prison, describing how some convicts, after committing their first murder, become reckless and revel in lawlessness until their execution or imprisonment.
What happens
The narrator reflects on the nature of 'determined' characters in prison, describing how some convicts, after committing their first murder, become reckless and revel in lawlessness until their execution or imprisonment. He recounts listening to Lutchka (Luka Kuzmitch) boast about attacking a major with a knife, and observes that despite Lutchka having murdered six people, no one in prison fears him.
Themes in this chapter
Crime and Morality
Explores the psychology of murderers who, after crossing a moral boundary, revel in lawlessness and terror.
Power and Cruelty
Depicts the brutal flogging of Lutchka and the arbitrary power of prison officials like the major.
Human Dignity and Dehumanization
Convicts prefer officers who maintain dignity and respect, while Lutchka's boasting reflects a desperate attempt to assert identity.
Characters to notice
- Luka Kuzmitch
A small, vain convict who boasts of attacking a major with a knife; despite having murdered six people, he is not feared in prison.
- Kobylin
A tall, dull-witted but good-natured convict who listens to Lutchka's story and is treated superciliously by him.
- Petrov
Mentioned as someone the narrator initially took lightly compared to the storyteller Luka Kuzmitch.
- Aley
Briefly mentioned when Lutchka asks him to pass the scissors.
- Vassya
Provides thread to Lutchka and comments on Kobylin's simplicity.
Key passages
“The man is, as it were, drunk, in delirium. It is as though, having once overstepped the sacred limit, he begins to revel in the fact that nothing is sacred to him; as though he had an itching to defy all law and authority at once, and to enjoy the most unbridled and unbounded liberty, to enjoy the thrill of horror which he cannot help feeling at himself.”
After committing his first murder, a man becomes intoxicated with the idea that nothing is forbidden, and he takes pleasure in defying all rules and experiencing the terror he feels at his own actions.
Describes the psychological state of a 'determined' criminal after crossing a moral boundary.
“The more downtrodden such a man has been before, the more he itches now to cut a dash, to strike terror into people. He enjoys their terror and likes even the repulsion he arouses in others.”
The more oppressed a person was previously, the more he now wants to impress and frighten others, taking pleasure in their fear and disgust.
Explains the motivation behind the bravado of some convicts.
“Though Lutchka had murdered six people no one was ever afraid of him in the prison, yet perhaps it was his cherished desire to be considered a terrible man.”
Even though Lutchka had killed six people, the other convicts did not fear him, though he likely wished to be seen as a fearsome figure.
Highlights the contrast between Lutchka's self-image and his actual standing in prison.