Analysis of The Theme in Fyodor Dostoevsky's 'Poor People' Through Existentialism Approach.
ABSTRACT
Dalam tesis ini, penulis menganalisis penggambaran karakter dan aksi tokoh
utama yang membantunya dalam menemukan tema didalam karya sastra melalui
pendekatan Existentialism, yang lebih berfokus pada teori Theistic Existentialism dari
Søren Kierkegaard. Existentialism adalah gerakan filosofis yang berkembang pada
abad ke-20. Singkatnya, gerakan ini mengasumsikan bahwa manusia adalah makhluk
yang sepenuhnya bebas untuk memilih dan bertanggung jawab terhadap hasil
pilihannya itu. Sedangkan menurut paham Theistic Existentialism, kebebasan
seseorang tersebut harus di pertanggungjawabkan secara pribadi kepada Tuhan.
Novel Poor People karya Fyodor Dostoevsky dipilih untuk dibahas karena
mengandung nilai existentialism. Dari novel ini, penulis dapat menyimpulkan bahwa
nilai-nilai existentialism dapat terlihat dari penggambaran karakter dan aksi tokoh
utamanya yang bernama Devushkin. Ia memiliki karakter berkemauan keras dalam
hal memenuhi keinginan hatinya yaitu mendapatkan cinta dari seorang gadis remaja.
Hal ini dapat dibuktikan dengan aksinya yang berani merelakan seluruh harta yang
dimilikinya, mempengaruhi pikiran gadis itu dengan cara yang tidak sesuai dengan
ajaran Tuhan, dan tidak memperdulikan cemoohan dari masyarakat sekitar yang
iii
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menganggap cintanya itu adalah hal yang tabu. Pada akhirnya, aksi yang ia lakukan
menimbulkan konsekuensi yang sangat berat untuk ditanggung sehingga membuatnya
teringat kembali akan Tuhan dan menyadari bahwa tingkah lakunya itu telah
menyimpang. Setelah kembali ke jalan Tuhan, tokoh utama ini dapat mengatasi beban
tersebut dan mendapatkan kehidupan yang lebih baik.
Dari penggambaran karakter dan aksi tokoh utama beserta proses kembalinya
ke jalan Tuhan, penulis dapat menyimpulkan bahwa tema dari novel ini adalah:
Sebagai orang yang percaya kepada Tuhan, seseorang harus dapat mempergunakan
kebebasannya sesuai dengan ajaran Tuhan agar mendapatkan kehidupan yang lebih
baik. Selain itu, proses kembalinya tokoh utama ke jalan Tuhan dapat menunjukkan
nilai Theistic Existentialism dari Søren Kierkegaard yang menjadi pokok pembahasan
dalam novel ini.
iv
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE ……………………………………………………………………
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………..
ii
ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………….
iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ……………………………………………...
1
Statement of the Problem ………………………………………….......
3
Purpose of the Study …………………………………………………..
3
Method of Research ……………………………………………….......
4
Organization of the Thesis ...………………………………………......
4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THE THEME IN FYODOR
DOSTOEVSKY’S POOR PEOPLE THROUGH
EXISTENTIALISM APPROACH…………………...
5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION……………………………………….
17
BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………………….
20
APPENDICES:
Synopsis of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Poor People………………………...
22
Biography of Fyodor Dostoevsky………………………………………
23
ii
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APPENDICES
SYNOPSIS OF FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY’S POOR PEOPLE
Poor People is an epistolary novel. This story tells about the protagonist’s
efforts in getting Varvara Debroselova’s heart. Makar Alexeyevich Devushkin, the
protagonist, is a middle-aged man whose job is copying things in civil service and
Varvara is a teenage poor orphan who fears society’s norms.
Devushkin tries some ways to get her love. He influences her thought about
social norms by giving some texts which implicitly tell that forbidden love is
innocent with the hope that Varvara will accept his love. Devushkin gets obstacles
from his society in getting Varvara’s heart. This problem appears because in the
society where he lives, love between a middle-aged man and a teenager is not a
common thing or taboo; accordingly, they try to break up their relationship by
mocking and alienating them. As a religious person who believes that love is not
determined by age, he does not surrender to their annoyance. He believes that his love
for the girl is not a sin. Nevertheless, his strong-willed characteristic in keeping his
principle later brings about social consequences that repress him.
Besides, Devushkin also tries to get the girl’s attention by giving her some
candies, flowers, and boots. Having spent so much money on those things, he
22
becomes poorer and sells everything he can. His poor condition, however, does not
make him suffer because he has a principle that he will feel happy if he can fulfil his
desire. On the other hand, it makes him fall into debts because he cannot afford his
apartment’s rent. Facing debt problem and getting repressed from the society, he
becomes depressed and remembers God. He remembers God when his misfortune
makes him realize that he has preferred to put his desire on the first place rather than
God. This condition makes him want to get forgiveness from God.
Later, there is some incident in his office that makes his Excellency
sympathize with him and give him quite a lot of money. The money helps him to pay
his debt and gives him a better life than before.
At the end of the story, Varvara is married to a wealthy landowner named Mr.
Bykov. This fact does not make Devushkin commit a silly thing such as suicide. On
the other hand, he still hopes that he will get her.
BIOGRAPHY OF FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was born in 1821 in Moscow. His father,
Mikhail Andreevich Dostoevsky was an army doctor who was strict and his mother,
Maria Fedorovna Dostoevsky, suffered from ill health. When his mother died in
1837, he was sent to an Army Engineering College in St. Petersburg. He became
totally an orphan when his father died two years later. Finally, he finished his college
in five years and in 1844 he became a writer. He published his first novel in 1846
entitled Poor People, a naturalistic tale which was praised by many critics. The
23
Double is his second novel, which was published in the same year. During this time,
Dostoevsky joined a big political organization called Utopian Socialism, which later
caused him to be deported to Siberia in 1850. He became both a monarchist and a
member of Russian Orthodox Church during his eight-year imprisonment. On his
return from Siberia, he wrote his experience as a prisoner in a novel entitled The
Insulted and the Injured (1861) and one year later he published Notes from the House
of the Death (1862).
Dostoevsky traveled around Europe for the first time in 1862 and it influenced
his works such as Winter Notes on Summer Impression (1862) and Notes from
Underground (1864). In April 1864, Dostoevsky’s wife, named Maria Dmitrievna
Isaeva, died of tuberculosis and three months later his closest brother also died of
liver disease. This grief made him fall into gambling problems and debts. His greatest
work, Crime and Punishment, was published in 1866. In the same year he also wrote
a novel, The Gambler, and he met Anna Grigirivna Snitkina, who later became his
wife. They got married and traveled to Europe.
When they returned to Russia in 1871, his career as a novelist increased
because of his works Devil (1871) and A Raw Youth (1875). His peak career was in
1880 because he was invited to Moscow by the Russian poet and playwright
Alexander Pushkin to speak at a celebration. At this time, he produced his final
masterpiece entitled The Brother Karamazov. On 28 January 1881, Dostoevsky had
an epileptic fit that led him into a fatal lung haemorrhage, which caused his death.
24
25
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
All human beings are created equal, which means that they have the same
rights without looking at differences in race, religion, or sex; besides, they have the
same desire to be able to do whatever they want. However, one thing that makes them
different is the ability to achieve their desire. Human desire needs an aid called
freedom. This fact has some relationship with the existentialists’ thought.
‘Existentialism is a
20 th- century
philosophical movement
which
assumes that people
are entirely free and thus responsible for what they make of themselves’.
( http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/existentialism).
Existentialists believe
that man must make his own values and possesses the complete freedom to choose.
‘That is why existentialists focus primarily on matters such as choice, individuality,
subjectivity, freedom, and the nature of existence itself. The issues addressed in
existentialist philosophy involve the problems of making free choices, of taking
responsibility for what we choose, of overcoming alienation from our lives, and so
forth’(http://atheism.about.com/od/existentialism/a/introduction_2.htm).
1
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One of the greatest writers in world literature who deal with existentialism is
Fyodor Dostoevsky. He was born in 1821 in Moscow and considered ‘a forerunner of
existentialist thought; yet, he attained profound philosophical and psychological
insight which anticipated important developments in twentieth-century thought,
including
psychoanalysis
and
existentialism’.(http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/dostoevskybio.html#BiographicalI
nfoEssay). His novel, Poor People has been chosen to be analysed seeing that it is his
first novel which deals with existentialist ideas and was ‘praised for his social
awareness
by
Vissarion
Belinsky
(1811-1848)’
(http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/dostoevskybio.html#BiographicalInfoEssay),
‘father of the Russian radical intelligentsia and the principal champion of the realistic
and
socially
responsible
new
Russian
literature’
(http://reference.allrefer.com/encyclopedia/B/Belinsky.html).
In Dostoevsky’s Poor People, existentialistic ideas can be seen through the
protagonist’s characteristics in his relation with his society which show that freedom
is worth fighting for because it is a precious thing in fulfilling his desire in life. His
choice in fulfilling his desire later brings about some consequences to be endured.
After reading the novel, I choose theme to analyse as it is the most prominent
literary aspect in the novel. In Dictionary of Literary Terms, it is stated that ‘The
theme is the central and dominating idea in a literary work and the message or moral
implicit in any work of art’. (Shaw, 1972:378). And I will analyse the theme through
the portrayal and actions of the protagonist by using existentialism theory which
2
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primarily focuses on theistic existentialism, a thought founded by the Danish
philosopher Søren Kierkegaard.
In theistic existentialism it is said that ‘every human’s aware about his own
freedom although he might choose wrongly which causes him to surrender himself
totally to God’ ( http://atheism.about.com/od/typesofexistentialism/a/christian.htm)
and ‘having a personal relationship with God superseded all set moralities, social
structures,
and
communal
norms’
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_existentialism). And I use the theory of
theistic existentialism to make me understand more about freedom in the novel which
is closely related with the theme in my analysis.
Statement of the Problem
The problems that will be analysed in this thesis are:
1. What is the theme in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Poor People?
2. How does the portrayal and actions of the protagonist help to reveal the
theme?
Purpose of the Study
The purposes of doing this analysis are:
1. To analyze the theme in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Poor People.
2. To show how the portrayal and actions of the protagonist help to reveal the
theme.
3
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Method of Research
The method of research used is library research. First of all, I read the novel as
the primary text. Then I gather and search for some information needed for the thesis
from some references and materials from the Internet to support the analysis of the
primary text. Afterwards I apply Existentialism approach which primarily focuses on
Theistic Existentialism to have a better understanding about the theme which is the
most prominent literary aspect in the novel. Finally, I draw some conclusions.
Organization of the Thesis
This thesis is divided into three chapters, preceded by the Preface and the
Abstract. Chapter One consists of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the
Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research, and the Organization of
the Thesis. Chapter Two consists of the analysis of theme in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s
Poor People. Chapter Three consists of the conclusion of what has been discussed in
the previous chapter. The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the Appendices,
which consist of the synopsis of Poor People and the biography of Fyodor
Dostoevsky.
4
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CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
Having analysed Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Poor People, I come to the conclusion
that the portrayal and actions of the protagonist play an important role in revealing
the theme. Dostoevsky has portrayed Devushkin in a skilful way because his
characteristics are very lifelike. Devushkin is portrayed as a religious, strong-willed
and unmaterialistic person who values pride highly. Thus, these characteristics which
are so mundane can take the readers’ empathy, which make them understand more
about the protagonist’s problem in the story.
Dostoevsky’s skill in portraying Devushkin also makes the existentialism
value outstanding in this story, and that can be clearly seen in the protagonist’s
actions which show human’s freedom, choice, and responsibility in taking the
consequences. The unbearable consequences he faces later bring him to surrender
totally to God, which shows Kierkegaard’s theory of leap of faith. At the end of the
story, Dostoevsky portrays Devushkin as a better person with a better life. Through
the portrayal and action of Devushkin, it is clear that the theme of Poor People is that
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as a religious person, one has to use one’s freedom in accordance with God’s rule in
order to have a better life.
I am of the opinion that the theme is universal because it can be applied by
anyone who has faith in God anywhere and at anytime. It reflects clearly the message
Dostoevsky wants to convey to the readers; God is omniscient and omnipotent, He
can give solution to all our problems.
Having learned existentialism, I can understand more about Poor People as it
deals with problems in life. This theory also gives a new perspective that teaches the
readers to struggle for their own freedom like the author, Fyodor Dostoevsky. He also
encourages that,
‘Man, for Dostoevsky, is limited by society, economic conditions,
laws, history, the church, and especially by God. He is classified,
defined, and fixed by a hundred institutions and conditions. Man,
however does not want to be defined and limited – he wants to be free
and he wants to be totally and completely free…man is right in
wanting to be free, for freedom is the essential attribute of his
identity.’
(http://www.historyguide.org/Europe/dostoevsky.html).
The form of the novel also helps me understand the story better. Being written
in the form of letters, the novel gives several advantages: I can know the characters’
feeling, thought, and experiences very clearly and intimately so that I can understand
the character’s problem more easily. Besides, the use of the first person point of view
‘I’ makes me involved directly in the story.
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From the novel itself I can learn some lessons: We have to be a realistic
person and to make a good relationship with our surroundings. This is due to the fact
that man is a social being that cannot live alone. The most important thing is that we
have to rely on God and surrender in every kind of situation and condition. Therefore,
I conclude that this novel is worth reading and analysing.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Poor People. London: Hesperus Press Limited, 2002.
Internet Sites
Cline, Aus tin. Trends & Ideas in Existentialist Thought. 15 Mar ch 2006.
Cline, Aus tin. Existentialist Thought & Christian Beliefs. 18 June 2005.
Christian Existentialism. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 17 June 2005.
Ex is tentialis m. Hyper dictionar y.com. 18 May 2005.
< http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/existentialism>
Existentialism. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 17 June 2005.
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Existentialism. Avoidingevil.com. 3 March 2006
Kreis, Steven .Fyodor Dostoevsky. 18 June 2005
http://www.historyguide.org/Europe/dostoevsky.html
Teuber, Andreas. Home page. 26 August 2005.
Vissarion Grigoryevich Belinsky, Russian And Eastern European Literature,
Biographies. AllRefer.com. 26 August 2005.
References
Shaw, Harry .Dictionary of Literary Terms. New York: Mc Graw-Hill Inc., 1972.
Universitas Kristen Maranatha
Dalam tesis ini, penulis menganalisis penggambaran karakter dan aksi tokoh
utama yang membantunya dalam menemukan tema didalam karya sastra melalui
pendekatan Existentialism, yang lebih berfokus pada teori Theistic Existentialism dari
Søren Kierkegaard. Existentialism adalah gerakan filosofis yang berkembang pada
abad ke-20. Singkatnya, gerakan ini mengasumsikan bahwa manusia adalah makhluk
yang sepenuhnya bebas untuk memilih dan bertanggung jawab terhadap hasil
pilihannya itu. Sedangkan menurut paham Theistic Existentialism, kebebasan
seseorang tersebut harus di pertanggungjawabkan secara pribadi kepada Tuhan.
Novel Poor People karya Fyodor Dostoevsky dipilih untuk dibahas karena
mengandung nilai existentialism. Dari novel ini, penulis dapat menyimpulkan bahwa
nilai-nilai existentialism dapat terlihat dari penggambaran karakter dan aksi tokoh
utamanya yang bernama Devushkin. Ia memiliki karakter berkemauan keras dalam
hal memenuhi keinginan hatinya yaitu mendapatkan cinta dari seorang gadis remaja.
Hal ini dapat dibuktikan dengan aksinya yang berani merelakan seluruh harta yang
dimilikinya, mempengaruhi pikiran gadis itu dengan cara yang tidak sesuai dengan
ajaran Tuhan, dan tidak memperdulikan cemoohan dari masyarakat sekitar yang
iii
Universitas Kristen Maranatha
menganggap cintanya itu adalah hal yang tabu. Pada akhirnya, aksi yang ia lakukan
menimbulkan konsekuensi yang sangat berat untuk ditanggung sehingga membuatnya
teringat kembali akan Tuhan dan menyadari bahwa tingkah lakunya itu telah
menyimpang. Setelah kembali ke jalan Tuhan, tokoh utama ini dapat mengatasi beban
tersebut dan mendapatkan kehidupan yang lebih baik.
Dari penggambaran karakter dan aksi tokoh utama beserta proses kembalinya
ke jalan Tuhan, penulis dapat menyimpulkan bahwa tema dari novel ini adalah:
Sebagai orang yang percaya kepada Tuhan, seseorang harus dapat mempergunakan
kebebasannya sesuai dengan ajaran Tuhan agar mendapatkan kehidupan yang lebih
baik. Selain itu, proses kembalinya tokoh utama ke jalan Tuhan dapat menunjukkan
nilai Theistic Existentialism dari Søren Kierkegaard yang menjadi pokok pembahasan
dalam novel ini.
iv
Universitas Kristen Maranatha
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE ……………………………………………………………………
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………..
ii
ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………….
iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ……………………………………………...
1
Statement of the Problem ………………………………………….......
3
Purpose of the Study …………………………………………………..
3
Method of Research ……………………………………………….......
4
Organization of the Thesis ...………………………………………......
4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THE THEME IN FYODOR
DOSTOEVSKY’S POOR PEOPLE THROUGH
EXISTENTIALISM APPROACH…………………...
5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION……………………………………….
17
BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………………….
20
APPENDICES:
Synopsis of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Poor People………………………...
22
Biography of Fyodor Dostoevsky………………………………………
23
ii
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APPENDICES
SYNOPSIS OF FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY’S POOR PEOPLE
Poor People is an epistolary novel. This story tells about the protagonist’s
efforts in getting Varvara Debroselova’s heart. Makar Alexeyevich Devushkin, the
protagonist, is a middle-aged man whose job is copying things in civil service and
Varvara is a teenage poor orphan who fears society’s norms.
Devushkin tries some ways to get her love. He influences her thought about
social norms by giving some texts which implicitly tell that forbidden love is
innocent with the hope that Varvara will accept his love. Devushkin gets obstacles
from his society in getting Varvara’s heart. This problem appears because in the
society where he lives, love between a middle-aged man and a teenager is not a
common thing or taboo; accordingly, they try to break up their relationship by
mocking and alienating them. As a religious person who believes that love is not
determined by age, he does not surrender to their annoyance. He believes that his love
for the girl is not a sin. Nevertheless, his strong-willed characteristic in keeping his
principle later brings about social consequences that repress him.
Besides, Devushkin also tries to get the girl’s attention by giving her some
candies, flowers, and boots. Having spent so much money on those things, he
22
becomes poorer and sells everything he can. His poor condition, however, does not
make him suffer because he has a principle that he will feel happy if he can fulfil his
desire. On the other hand, it makes him fall into debts because he cannot afford his
apartment’s rent. Facing debt problem and getting repressed from the society, he
becomes depressed and remembers God. He remembers God when his misfortune
makes him realize that he has preferred to put his desire on the first place rather than
God. This condition makes him want to get forgiveness from God.
Later, there is some incident in his office that makes his Excellency
sympathize with him and give him quite a lot of money. The money helps him to pay
his debt and gives him a better life than before.
At the end of the story, Varvara is married to a wealthy landowner named Mr.
Bykov. This fact does not make Devushkin commit a silly thing such as suicide. On
the other hand, he still hopes that he will get her.
BIOGRAPHY OF FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was born in 1821 in Moscow. His father,
Mikhail Andreevich Dostoevsky was an army doctor who was strict and his mother,
Maria Fedorovna Dostoevsky, suffered from ill health. When his mother died in
1837, he was sent to an Army Engineering College in St. Petersburg. He became
totally an orphan when his father died two years later. Finally, he finished his college
in five years and in 1844 he became a writer. He published his first novel in 1846
entitled Poor People, a naturalistic tale which was praised by many critics. The
23
Double is his second novel, which was published in the same year. During this time,
Dostoevsky joined a big political organization called Utopian Socialism, which later
caused him to be deported to Siberia in 1850. He became both a monarchist and a
member of Russian Orthodox Church during his eight-year imprisonment. On his
return from Siberia, he wrote his experience as a prisoner in a novel entitled The
Insulted and the Injured (1861) and one year later he published Notes from the House
of the Death (1862).
Dostoevsky traveled around Europe for the first time in 1862 and it influenced
his works such as Winter Notes on Summer Impression (1862) and Notes from
Underground (1864). In April 1864, Dostoevsky’s wife, named Maria Dmitrievna
Isaeva, died of tuberculosis and three months later his closest brother also died of
liver disease. This grief made him fall into gambling problems and debts. His greatest
work, Crime and Punishment, was published in 1866. In the same year he also wrote
a novel, The Gambler, and he met Anna Grigirivna Snitkina, who later became his
wife. They got married and traveled to Europe.
When they returned to Russia in 1871, his career as a novelist increased
because of his works Devil (1871) and A Raw Youth (1875). His peak career was in
1880 because he was invited to Moscow by the Russian poet and playwright
Alexander Pushkin to speak at a celebration. At this time, he produced his final
masterpiece entitled The Brother Karamazov. On 28 January 1881, Dostoevsky had
an epileptic fit that led him into a fatal lung haemorrhage, which caused his death.
24
25
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
All human beings are created equal, which means that they have the same
rights without looking at differences in race, religion, or sex; besides, they have the
same desire to be able to do whatever they want. However, one thing that makes them
different is the ability to achieve their desire. Human desire needs an aid called
freedom. This fact has some relationship with the existentialists’ thought.
‘Existentialism is a
20 th- century
philosophical movement
which
assumes that people
are entirely free and thus responsible for what they make of themselves’.
( http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/existentialism).
Existentialists believe
that man must make his own values and possesses the complete freedom to choose.
‘That is why existentialists focus primarily on matters such as choice, individuality,
subjectivity, freedom, and the nature of existence itself. The issues addressed in
existentialist philosophy involve the problems of making free choices, of taking
responsibility for what we choose, of overcoming alienation from our lives, and so
forth’(http://atheism.about.com/od/existentialism/a/introduction_2.htm).
1
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One of the greatest writers in world literature who deal with existentialism is
Fyodor Dostoevsky. He was born in 1821 in Moscow and considered ‘a forerunner of
existentialist thought; yet, he attained profound philosophical and psychological
insight which anticipated important developments in twentieth-century thought,
including
psychoanalysis
and
existentialism’.(http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/dostoevskybio.html#BiographicalI
nfoEssay). His novel, Poor People has been chosen to be analysed seeing that it is his
first novel which deals with existentialist ideas and was ‘praised for his social
awareness
by
Vissarion
Belinsky
(1811-1848)’
(http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/dostoevskybio.html#BiographicalInfoEssay),
‘father of the Russian radical intelligentsia and the principal champion of the realistic
and
socially
responsible
new
Russian
literature’
(http://reference.allrefer.com/encyclopedia/B/Belinsky.html).
In Dostoevsky’s Poor People, existentialistic ideas can be seen through the
protagonist’s characteristics in his relation with his society which show that freedom
is worth fighting for because it is a precious thing in fulfilling his desire in life. His
choice in fulfilling his desire later brings about some consequences to be endured.
After reading the novel, I choose theme to analyse as it is the most prominent
literary aspect in the novel. In Dictionary of Literary Terms, it is stated that ‘The
theme is the central and dominating idea in a literary work and the message or moral
implicit in any work of art’. (Shaw, 1972:378). And I will analyse the theme through
the portrayal and actions of the protagonist by using existentialism theory which
2
Universitas Kristen Maranatha
primarily focuses on theistic existentialism, a thought founded by the Danish
philosopher Søren Kierkegaard.
In theistic existentialism it is said that ‘every human’s aware about his own
freedom although he might choose wrongly which causes him to surrender himself
totally to God’ ( http://atheism.about.com/od/typesofexistentialism/a/christian.htm)
and ‘having a personal relationship with God superseded all set moralities, social
structures,
and
communal
norms’
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_existentialism). And I use the theory of
theistic existentialism to make me understand more about freedom in the novel which
is closely related with the theme in my analysis.
Statement of the Problem
The problems that will be analysed in this thesis are:
1. What is the theme in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Poor People?
2. How does the portrayal and actions of the protagonist help to reveal the
theme?
Purpose of the Study
The purposes of doing this analysis are:
1. To analyze the theme in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Poor People.
2. To show how the portrayal and actions of the protagonist help to reveal the
theme.
3
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Method of Research
The method of research used is library research. First of all, I read the novel as
the primary text. Then I gather and search for some information needed for the thesis
from some references and materials from the Internet to support the analysis of the
primary text. Afterwards I apply Existentialism approach which primarily focuses on
Theistic Existentialism to have a better understanding about the theme which is the
most prominent literary aspect in the novel. Finally, I draw some conclusions.
Organization of the Thesis
This thesis is divided into three chapters, preceded by the Preface and the
Abstract. Chapter One consists of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the
Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research, and the Organization of
the Thesis. Chapter Two consists of the analysis of theme in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s
Poor People. Chapter Three consists of the conclusion of what has been discussed in
the previous chapter. The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the Appendices,
which consist of the synopsis of Poor People and the biography of Fyodor
Dostoevsky.
4
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CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
Having analysed Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Poor People, I come to the conclusion
that the portrayal and actions of the protagonist play an important role in revealing
the theme. Dostoevsky has portrayed Devushkin in a skilful way because his
characteristics are very lifelike. Devushkin is portrayed as a religious, strong-willed
and unmaterialistic person who values pride highly. Thus, these characteristics which
are so mundane can take the readers’ empathy, which make them understand more
about the protagonist’s problem in the story.
Dostoevsky’s skill in portraying Devushkin also makes the existentialism
value outstanding in this story, and that can be clearly seen in the protagonist’s
actions which show human’s freedom, choice, and responsibility in taking the
consequences. The unbearable consequences he faces later bring him to surrender
totally to God, which shows Kierkegaard’s theory of leap of faith. At the end of the
story, Dostoevsky portrays Devushkin as a better person with a better life. Through
the portrayal and action of Devushkin, it is clear that the theme of Poor People is that
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as a religious person, one has to use one’s freedom in accordance with God’s rule in
order to have a better life.
I am of the opinion that the theme is universal because it can be applied by
anyone who has faith in God anywhere and at anytime. It reflects clearly the message
Dostoevsky wants to convey to the readers; God is omniscient and omnipotent, He
can give solution to all our problems.
Having learned existentialism, I can understand more about Poor People as it
deals with problems in life. This theory also gives a new perspective that teaches the
readers to struggle for their own freedom like the author, Fyodor Dostoevsky. He also
encourages that,
‘Man, for Dostoevsky, is limited by society, economic conditions,
laws, history, the church, and especially by God. He is classified,
defined, and fixed by a hundred institutions and conditions. Man,
however does not want to be defined and limited – he wants to be free
and he wants to be totally and completely free…man is right in
wanting to be free, for freedom is the essential attribute of his
identity.’
(http://www.historyguide.org/Europe/dostoevsky.html).
The form of the novel also helps me understand the story better. Being written
in the form of letters, the novel gives several advantages: I can know the characters’
feeling, thought, and experiences very clearly and intimately so that I can understand
the character’s problem more easily. Besides, the use of the first person point of view
‘I’ makes me involved directly in the story.
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From the novel itself I can learn some lessons: We have to be a realistic
person and to make a good relationship with our surroundings. This is due to the fact
that man is a social being that cannot live alone. The most important thing is that we
have to rely on God and surrender in every kind of situation and condition. Therefore,
I conclude that this novel is worth reading and analysing.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Poor People. London: Hesperus Press Limited, 2002.
Internet Sites
Cline, Aus tin. Trends & Ideas in Existentialist Thought. 15 Mar ch 2006.
Cline, Aus tin. Existentialist Thought & Christian Beliefs. 18 June 2005.
Christian Existentialism. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 17 June 2005.
Ex is tentialis m. Hyper dictionar y.com. 18 May 2005.
< http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/existentialism>
Existentialism. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 17 June 2005.
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Existentialism. Avoidingevil.com. 3 March 2006
Kreis, Steven .Fyodor Dostoevsky. 18 June 2005
http://www.historyguide.org/Europe/dostoevsky.html
Teuber, Andreas. Home page. 26 August 2005.
Vissarion Grigoryevich Belinsky, Russian And Eastern European Literature,
Biographies. AllRefer.com. 26 August 2005.
References
Shaw, Harry .Dictionary of Literary Terms. New York: Mc Graw-Hill Inc., 1972.
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