A Raw Youth by Fyodor Dostoevski

First published:Podrostok, 1875 (English translation, 1916)

Type of work: Psychological realism

Time of work: The 1870’s

Locale: St. Petersburg, with flashbacks to Moscow

Principal Characters:

• Arkady Dolgoruky, the narrator and the “raw youth” of the title
• Andrei Versilov, the father of Arkady, an entrepreneur of noble background
• Makar Dolgoruky, a religious pilgrim, the legal father of Arkady
• Sofia Dolgoruky, the legal wife of Makar, who lives with Versilov
• Katerina Akhmakova, a society woman, loved by both Versilov and Arkady

The Novel

A Raw Youth is divided into three sections, each of which relates the events of three days. The narrator of the three sections is Arkady Dolgoruky; the narration takes the form of an autobiography unintended for readers.

The first section of the novel is in the form of a flashback as Arkady relates the events of the previous year. It contains a self-description of Arkady as a schoolboy, especially the evolution of his “idea”: to become a Rothschild. The acquisition of money, however, is not an end in itself; the power which accompanies money is the real goal. At this time Arkady makes his first real acquaintance with his father, Andrei Versilov.

Arkady is initially portrayed as resentful of his illegitimate birth, his father’s seeming indifference to the fate of his son, and the taunts of his peers concerning his low status on the social ladder. To make matters worse, he has heard rumors, confirmed by almost unimpeachable sources, that his father has behaved dishonorably on a number of occasions, thus bringing even more shame to the boy.

The section concludes, however, on a completely different note; Arkady realizes that his father not only is not guilty of the many misdeeds attributed to his name but also is a very good person with high ideals and a rigid code of honor. As the new image of his father takes shape in his mind, Arkady changes his attitude from hatred to boundless admiration for his father. Arkady discovers that his father was not the sire of an illegitimate child by the crippled daughter of Katerina Akhmakova, but only offered to marry the unfortunate girl out of love and compassion for her mother. Arkady also realizes that Versilov has not propositioned another girl, but was seeking to come to her aid during a period of extreme financial distress. Finally, Versilov’s voluntary surrender of an inheritance, won only after a lengthy court wrangle, convinces Arkady of the inherent goodness in his father. Arkady’s feelings of spite and resentment disappear, and he begins a new life based on his resurrection from the depths of depression.

The second section of the novel depicts Arkady’s initiation into “the good life” of St. Petersburg society and his further knowledge of his father. His previous idea—to become a Rothschild—is replaced by the search for the beauty and dignity of life. Arkady falls in love with Katerina Akhmakova, an elegant society woman, who is much older than the youth; he also learns that his father has an obsessive passion for the same woman, based upon a curious love/hate combination. The second section ends in disaster for Arkady; he is unceremoniously expelled from an illegal but fashionable gambling den because of false charges of theft, of which he is eventually exonerated. He passes out in the street, a victim of fever, and remains unconscious for nine days.

The third and final section of the novel recounts the violent clash of the currents which surfaced in the second section. A letter which would compromise Katerina’s position with her father, threatening to put him under court supervision because of suspected senility, occupies a central place in the drama of this section. The characters, with Versilov now occupying center stage, are depicted in the light of their attitudes toward the fateful letter. A picture of chaos is drawn for the reader, and Arkady’s newly found peace of mind is destroyed as the whirlwind of events proves too much for him. At this point, Makar Dolgoruky arrives upon the scene as a personified anti-thesis of the way of life among the upper class which not only permits but is conducive to this disorder. Makar, however, solves nothing; he merely presents, through the example of his life, an alternative way of living. At the end of the novel the misunderstandings are solved. While the characters are visibly changed for the better, the reader remains unconvinced that their lives will be peaceful for long.

The link between the three sections is Arkady, the narrator. Although the central position in the novel is surrendered to Versilov in the final section, the reader views the events and characters of all three sections through the eyes of Arkady. For example, the original negative impression of Versilov changes only when Arkady’s impression of his father evolves from bad to good. Throughout the novel one is aware of Arkady’s gradual, painful, and confusing change from a resentful adolescent into a balanced, optimistic young man. The climax of this development is Arkady’s recognition of the double within himself, two aspects of the same personality often working at cross purposes.

Arkady’s adjustment is not the only evident evolution of personality; Versilov himself is apparently cured of the afflictions caused by his dual personality. Father and son solve their problems at the same time.

The Characters

Fyodor Dostoevski’s novels tend to emphasize characters rather than plot; many of his works seem to be character studies with only a veneer of action to glue the various personalities into a coherent whole. At the beginning of A Raw Youth, Andrei Versilov is a complete mystery to his son and to the reader. As Arkady begins to unravel the complex personality of his father, the reader begins to comprehend the enigmatic Versilov.

The first clue to Versilov’s character is a childhood remembrance of Arkady’s, as he eavesdrops upon his father practicing lines from a play. The child adores the rehearsing father, who appears as a heroic figure revolting against the hypocrisy, anti-intellectualism, and gossip of high society. As Arkady grows older, however, these feelings are balanced by a long period of parental neglect and ostracism by schoolmates, causing the boy great emotional distress. As a result, he begins a period of solitary dreaming and growing hatred toward his father.

When Arkady rejoins his family as a young adult, he gradually becomes close to Versilov and his hatred is balanced by his worship of the good qualities in Versilov’s character. Eventually the hatred is extinguished as Arkady realizes that his father is also consumed by an idea: a paradise without God, an earthly utopia. The sympathy and respect which Arkady and the reader feel for Versilov at this point are indications of the author’s sympathy for the father, even though Makar’s role in the novel is to demonstrate the ultimate failure of the nonreligious worldview. At a crucial moment, however, Versilov breaks an icon to demonstrate his lack of religious belief, and the author permits Versilov’s lack of faith to stymie all of his good deeds and idealism. For Dostoevski, this is the essence of Versilov’s tragedy.

Arkady is in many ways his father’s son. He permits the all-consuming passion of becoming a Rothschild to warp his personality; only when Arkady begins to appreciate the religious worldview of Makar does the youth achieve a semblance of peace. Arkady’s illness for nine days is symbolic; in Dostoevski’s novels internal chaos is often accompanied by physical disorder. The lengthy sickness signals the death throes of the internal battle; Arkady awakens to find Makar, the symbol of integration, at his bedside, and new life presents itself to the distraught youth.

Makar, whose young wife was seduced by Versilov, wanders through Russia, begging alms and visiting religious shrines. Meek and humble, Makar radiates the happiness which signifies peace of mind. His peace and joy present an antithesis to the chaos and unhappiness reigning in the Versilov household. His happiness anticipates the paradise without God to which Versilov aspires, and he does not need the Rothschild idea to prove that he is a human being with value.

Sofia Dolgoruky, Versilov’s mistress and the wife of Makar, takes little part in the action except to serve as a constant source of strength for Versilov. She suffers the hardships of her life because it is necessary to do so; her sufferings will expiate her sin toward her legal husband and assure her eventual salvation. For Sofia, a very religious person, salvation—not paradise on earth or money—is the ultimate goal, and this belief redeems her in the eyes of Dostoevski. Despite her irregular position, she is the only character who brings out feelings of love and tenderness within Versilov and Arkady at their worst moments; she alone brings an acquaintance with happiness.

Critical Context

Dostoevski’s life as a writer and thinker revolves around one great subject: the role of freedom in human existence. The author comes to the conclusion that free will is the most precious possession, but abuses of that freedom, such as the conscious choice of evil, lead to chaos. In Idiot (1868; The Idiot, 1887), Dostoevski portrays the preoccupation with money leading to the disintegration of families and society, but only in A Raw Youth does he dwell upon the antidote to such chaos—a return to Christian belief.

In Besy (1871-1872; The Possessed, 1913), the author portrays disorder on a societal level, but he drops this theme to return to the family in A Raw Youth and Bratya Karamazovy (1879-1880; The Brothers Karamazov, 1912). A Raw Youth is not considered one of Dostoevski’s great works, but it is valuable because it isolates one of Dostoevski’s themes—Christianity versus other ideas and ideals—and gives readers a clear idea of his beliefs concerning religious faith. Even good characters, such as Arkady and Versilov, cause and suffer from chaos because they have rejected religious belief. In The Brothers Karamazov this particular theme is developed further in the character of Ivan and, in general, the religious dimension is dealt with at great length.

While A Raw Youth may be slighted by critics and historians of literature, it is an important step in the development of Dostoevski’s central theme and clarifies his thought concerning the eventual rejuvenation of Russian social life through religious renewal.

Bibliography

Jones, John. Dostoevsky, 1983.

Leatherbarrow, William J. Feodor Dostoevsky, 1981.

Mochulsky, K.V. Dostoevsky: His Life and Work, 1967.

Rzhevsky, Nicholas. “The Adolescent: Structure and Ideology,” in Slavic and East European Review. XXVI (1982), pp. 27-42.

Wasiolek, Edward. Dostoevsky: The Major Fiction, 1964.