The Symbol of Christ in the Works of F. M. Dostoevsky (Based on the example of the novel “The Idiot”)

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the symbol of Christ in Dostoevsky’s novel “The Idiot”. The image of Prince Myshkin is often associated with Jesus Christ. Questions of religion are often raised in Dostoevsky’s works – both when he brings to the reader’s judgment “godless” people who have renounced God and when he portrays those who turn to God. Why is it important for us to refer to this particular character? Firstly, this character was important for the author himself. Some moments of his own biography are directly related to the image of the Prince. Secondly, the main character of the novel was conceived by the author as a positive and wonderful person. This task, as I understand it, is incredibly diffi cult. The article analyses the way the image of Prince is depicted in the novel and the way arguments in support of the hypothesis that we can talk about Myshkin as a symbol of Christ are presented. And I also touch on the question of why the novel, where religious motives are so strong, where the main character is a wonderful person, has a tragic ending.