The Defense: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Defense" centers on Aleksandr Ivanovich Luzhin, a gifted chess player whose extraordinary talent emerges from a troubled aristocratic background. Estranged from his parents, Luzhin's obsession with chess leads him to compete across Europe, ultimately causing a mental breakdown during a pivotal tournament in Berlin. Following his recovery, he struggles with his perception of reality, believing his life is manipulated by an unseen chess opponent, which drives him to irrational behavior and ultimately suicide.
The narrative also explores the lives of key characters interconnected with Luzhin. His wife, Mrs. Luzhin, displays independence and compassion, but she finds herself unable to penetrate the depths of his despair. Ivan Luzhin, Aleksandr's father, grapples with his son’s unusual success and harbors regrets about their strained relationship. Other significant figures include Valentinov, his opportunistic manager, and Aleksandr’s aunt, who introduces him to chess but complicates family dynamics. The interactions among these characters paint a rich portrait of the impact of ambition, mental illness, and familial estrangement, underscoring the delicate balance between genius and madness.
The Defense: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Vladimir Nabokov
First published: Zashchita Luzhina, 1929, serial; 1930, book (English translation, 1964)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Russia and Germany
Plot: Philosophical realism
Time: The 1910's and 1920's
Aleksandr Ivanovich Luzhin (ee-VAH-noh-vihch LEWzhihn), a world-class chess player. Growing up in an aristocratic Russian household, the solitary Luzhin develops into a brilliant chess prodigy. Estranged from his parents, who do not understand his unique talent, he travels extensively to compete in chess tournaments in Europe. After several years, he becomes so immersed in a cerebral world of chess strategies that he loses contact with everyday reality and suffers a mental breakdown during the final match of a major tournament in Berlin. Although he recovers from this breakdown with the assistance of his fiancée, who tries to keep him away from any reminders of chess, he gradually falls prey to a new obsession: He believes that the events of his life are manipulated by an invisible chess opponent. Trying desperately to foil the relentless control of this unknown opponent, Luzhin increasingly acts in irrational and unpredictable ways. Frustrated by his inability to escape the snares of his opponent, Luzhin commits suicide by jumping from his bathroom window. His last vision is of a vast chessboard, which he takes to be a sign of his future existence.
Mrs. Luzhin, a young woman with an independent mind and a compassionate spirit. She meets Aleksandr at a German resort and finds him so unusual that she decides to accept his abrupt and unmannered marriage proposal. She nurses him carefully after his breakdown, but because he never shares his inner fears with her, she remains unable to help him resist his suicidal anxiety.
Ivan Luzhin, Aleksandr's father, a writer of children's books. Although concerned for his son's well-being, Ivan does not know how to communicate with him. He had hoped that his son would turn out to be a musical prodigy, and he finds his son's chess genius unsettling. The senior Luzhin also has a difficult relationship with his wife, and he causes her pain when he enters into an adulterous affair. After the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, Ivan lives alone as an émigré in Berlin. He plans to write a novel based on his son's life, but he dies with his plans unfulfilled.
Valentinov (vah-lehn-TIH-nov), Aleksandr's manager during the youth's rise to international fame. A shameless promoter, Valentinov exploits Aleksandr's talent when he is still young, then returns at the end of the novel, causing Aleksandr to take his paranoid suicide leap.
Aleksandr's aunt, a coquettish young woman who enters into an adulterous relationship with Ivan and introduces Aleksandr to the mysteries of chess.
Turati (tew-RAH-tih), Aleksandr's opponent in the climactic championship match that triggers Aleksandr's mental breakdown.
Mrs. Luzhin's parents, Russian émigrés living in Berlin. Mrs. Luzhin's mother disapproves of her daughter's marriage to the eccentric chess player, but her husband provides financial resources to support the couple after their marriage.
A lady from the Soviet Union, a garrulous visitor who visits the Luzhin household in Berlin during the period of Aleksandr's recuperation from his mental breakdown. Her comments about Aleksandr's aunt crystallize his anxiety about being attacked by an invisible opponent, and her presence prevents Mrs. Luzhin from paying full attention to her distraught husband.