The Devils (The Possessed)

The society meeting is held at Virginsky’s house. Madame Virginskaya is a midwife of low social status who speaks her mind but is always in high demand in the town’s wealthiest homes. In the narrator’s view, the attendants at the meeting represent “the flower of reddest liberalism in our ancient town” (413). Not all are members of the society, but they have been chosen for their political inclinations.

Five attendants are part of the society, formed into a group that closely resembles similar formations set up by Peter in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The group of five is Liputin, Virginsky, Shigalyov, Lyamshin, and Tolkachenko. They believe that their group is “merely one among hundreds and thousands of such groups scattered throughout Russia” (414). Though Peter founded the group, the members do not trust him. Shatov and Kirillov are also in attendance.

Once Peter and Stavrogin arrive, the meeting can begin. The attendants bicker and debate numerous topics. They discuss the origins of religion, morality, the society, and the nature of the meeting itself. Out of caution, Lyamshin is told to play the piano so as to cover their voices in the case that someone may be eavesdropping on the meeting. Shigalyov speaks, but Peter loudly voices his disinterest. Shigalyov explains that he has invented a new “system of world organization” (426), in which 90% of the human population makes up an enslaved class that serves the needs of the remaining 10%. Shigalyov believes that this will create “paradise on earth” (429).

Peter takes control of the meandering meeting to tell the attendants about his plans. As the attendants voice their paranoia that they might have to commit to radical political ideals, Peter asks them all whether they would inform the authorities if they were aware of “an intended political murder” (435) that may take place. As they discuss the matter, Shatov stands and leaves. On the way out, he accuses Peter of being “a spy and a scoundrel” (436). After he leaves, the attendants realize that they have all committed to the radical cause. They are bound together. They notice, however, that neither Peter nor Stavrogin compromised themselves in such a way. Stavrogin leaves with Kirillov behind him. Peter chases after them, demanding an explanation. Kirillov says that they should meet later that evening. Stavrogin’s presence, he says, is “essential” (437).

Peter and Stavrogin reconvene at Kirillov’s house, where Fedka has been staying. Showing Stavrogin the letter he acquired from Von Lembke, Peter tries to persuade Stavrogin to pay the 1,500 rubles needed to pay off the informant (Captain Lebyadkin) and prevent the society from being uncovered. He also hopes that Fedka will overhear the conversation and then kill Lebyadkin. Peter begins urging Stavrogin to accept his plans, acting “almost deliriously” (441). Peter tells him about his plans for a revolution in Russia. He is certain that the time is right.

Stavrogin leaves the house and Peter chases after him, praising him as a “handsome man“ (444) and the unique component in his plan. Peter believes that he can unveil Stavrogin as a new Tsar, pretending that he has been in hiding for many years and is returning as the rightful ruler of Russia. By the time they reach Stavrogin’s house, Stavrogin is not convinced. Peter bitterly turns on him but demands an answer in three days.

“At Tikhon’s” is a chapter that did not appear in the first editions of Devils despite Dostoyevsky’s desperate attempts to include the passage. Subsequent editions have inserted the chapter in full as part of the narrative.

Stavrogin struggles to sleep. He wakes early and absentmindedly follows Shatov’s advice by going to visit the monk, Tikhon. He meets the “tall, lean” (451) monk in the local monastery. Stavrogin seems to be experiencing “some intense inner anxiety” (452) as he sits down in Tikhon’s study. The monk seems to have a pre-existing knowledge of Stavrogin, claiming to have met him “four years ago” (453). Stavrogin insists that this cannot be true, but he is surprised to hear that his own mother visits Tikhon regularly.

Stavrogin surprises himself by launching into a long confession to Tikhon. He admits that he is often “subject to halluncinations” (455) that seem almost like a demonic possession. They talk about matters of faith, including Tikhon’s respect for atheists because “the absolute atheist stands on the next to last rung of the ladder of perfect faith” (547) while indifferent people have no faith at all. After Tikhon reads a passage from the Book of Revelation, Stavrogin produces “some printed sheets” (459) and asks Tikhon to read them.

The letter is a confession, written by Stavrogin. He describes his time in Saint Petersburg, when he rented three sets of rooms for the purposes of his “amorous intrigues” (460). In one of these apartments, his neighbors include a middle-aged woman and her teenage daughter who is “still a child to all appearances” (461). Her name is Matryosha. Stavrogin notices that Matryosha is often beaten by her mother when items go missing. When his own penknife goes missing, he allows Matryosha to receive the blame and listens to the sound of her being abused by her mother. Stavrogin confesses that committing crimes has always been thrilling for him, allowing him to “experience ecstasy at the depth of [his] vileness” (462). He would flagrantly steal from his neighbors and then dare them to accuse him of doing so.

One day, while alone with Matryosha, he has sex with her. He knows that he is committing pedophilia but does not stop. After, he leaves the house in silence. He spends the next day worried about whether she will tell anyone what he has done, so much so that he begins to contemplate murdering her. By the time he resolves to simply leave the city, Matryosha has slipped into a fever. After an evening fretting about what to do, he goes to her apartment and looks through a gap in the unlocked door: Matryosha has hanged herself. Stavrogin pays his rent and leaves the apartment without telling anyone what happened. He becomes very self-destructive; he decides to marry Marya during this period. Despite his best efforts, he continues to be haunted by Matryosha’s memory. Nothing has ever “tortured [him] so” (472)—he has committed many crimes, including murder, but none haunt him quite so much as his abuse of Matryosha.

Once he has finished the confession, Tikhon praises Stavrogin’s quest for “genuine repentance” (474) but wonders whether the letter is an attempt to present Stavrogin’s crimes as “worse” (475). He wonders whether Stavrogin is ashamed of his own repentance. Stavrogin and Tikhon talk about the prospect of confession and forgiveness. Tikhon wonders whether Stavrogin fears people’s laughter more than their condemnation. Stavrogin insists that his crime is unforgivable, even in the eyes of a god in whom he does not believe. Stavrogin leaves, promising to return. Tikhon warns that Stavrogin is “struggling with a desire for martyrdom and self-sacrifice” (481). He believes that Stavrogin will commit “some new crime” (483) before he publishes the confession. Stavrogin storms out, claiming that Tikhon is a “damned psychologist” (483).

The next day, the narrator visits Stepan. He finds Stepan to be “distressed and extremely agitated” (484) after his house was searched by two police officers named Blum and Telyatnikov. Several books were confiscated and Stepan expects the police to return any second. He refuses to listen to the narrator’s attempts to console or soothe him.

Eventually, Stepan decides to confront Von Lembke directly. The narrator offers to accompany him; the narrator has been asked to attend the literary festival the following day and be “one of the six young men supposed to see to the trays, wait on the ladies, show the guests to their seats, and wear a rosette of crimson and white ribbon on [his] left shoulder” (494). He can claim that he needs to speak to Yulia about the occasion.

The narrator accompanies Stepan to the governor’s house. At this time, a “crowd of workers from the Shpigulin factory, seventy or even more” (496) are marching through town to protest their working conditions. The narrator believes that members of the society may have been fanning the flames of revolt among the workers, though he says that the workers’ grievances are genuine.

The workers march to the governor’s mansion; there are now many rumors and false accounts of what happened. By this time, however, Von Lembke is in a difficult position. The previous day, he had finally confronted Yulia about her behavior. He accused her of fostering revolt in the region that he governs and of associating with dishonorable men like Peter. He insisted that he was “beyond the limits of his endurance” (500) and came close to physically assaulting her, though he withdrew to his study before he did so. Yulia, nonplussed, admitted to knowing about the “criminal intentions” (502) of Peter and his friends. When he woke up on the day of the workers’ riot, Yulia had already left the house to visit Varvara. Von Lembke followed her in a carriage but—on arriving at Varvara’s house—told his driver to return home. They stopped in a field on the way back and Von Lembke wandered aimlessly through a field of “dying yellow flowers” (504). He is in the field when a messenger comes to warn him about the impending riot. He rushes to the scene and the typically “serene” (506) governor is overcome by his sudden anger. He orders the police to attack the rioters. The narrator and Stepan arrive on the scene at the moment of the riot. Stepan marches into the governor’s house to confront Von Lembke; the narrator accompanies him inside.

Stepan presents himself to Von Lembke, who is too distracted by the young political activists. When Von Lembke finally realizes that Stepan has been wrongfully searched, he criticizes Blum. Stepan attempts to withdraw his “peevish complaint” (511) but the conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Yulia and a crowd of young intellectuals.

Yulia enters with Lyamshin, Liza, Karmazinov, Maurice, and Varvara. They are accompanied by other young people. Yulia dismisses her husband, who is relegated to a place in the corner, and begins a high-minded discussion. Stepan and Karmazinov discuss current political issues. Just as Stepan seems to be winning the group over with his statements, his son Peter enters. Peter criticizes the group for “spoiling” (517) his father by entertaining his ideas. The political discussion coupled with the police raid, Peter says, will make Stepan feel like far more of a political figure than he has any right to be. Stepan makes a scathing comment about the people “advocating” (517) for socialism, by which he means his son.

Before Peter can respond, Von Lembke shouts at him to stop all discussions of radical ideas such as socialism. Von Lembke feels embarrassed and tries to leave, only to trip over the carpet. Yulia claims that her husband is feeling unwell. Then, Stavrogin enters. Liza asks Stavrogin why Captain Lebyadkin has been referring to himself as a “relation” of Stavrogin, to which he responds that he is married to Lebyadkin’s sister, Marya. Varvara is horrified, and Stavrogin leaves with an air of “infinite arrogance” (520). Liza follows after Stavrogin, as does Maurice. Everyone leaves as the gossip spreads around town.