The Dream of a Ridiculous Man by Fyodor Dostoevski
"The Dream of a Ridiculous Man" by Fyodor Dostoevski is a thought-provoking short story that explores themes of meaning, redemption, and the nature of human existence. The narrative centers around a man who recognizes himself as ridiculous, an identity shaped by societal perceptions and his own sense of worthlessness. In a moment of despair, he contemplates suicide, only to be interrupted by the plight of a young girl, which rekindles his capacity for empathy and prompts a transformative dream.
In this dream, he is transported to a utopian world that mirrors Earth, inhabited by joyful people who live in harmony with nature and one another. As he witnesses their perfect society, he becomes a catalyst for its downfall, introducing elements of jealousy and violence that lead to chaos. This pivotal experience conveys the notion that humanity's inherent goodness can be corrupted, yet it also instills in him a renewed belief in the potential for happiness and a better world.
Ultimately, the protagonist awakens with a sense of purpose, determined to share the truths he gleaned from his dream, despite being perceived as ridiculous by those around him. The story reflects Dostoevski’s profound insight into the human condition, raising questions about morality, the impact of individual actions, and the hope for societal improvement.
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The Dream of a Ridiculous Man by Fyodor Dostoevski
First published: "Son smeshnogo cheloveka," 1877 (English translation, 1916)
Type of plot: Fable
Time of work: The 1870's
Locale: St. Petersburg
Principal Character:
The ridiculous man , the unnamed protagonist
The Story
The ridiculous man introduces himself as he is seen by his friends and neighbors, a madman who was formerly considered to be merely ridiculous. He states, however, that he does not mind being the object of laughter and does not dislike those who ridicule him; on the contrary, he pities them. He alone possesses the Truth; he wishes that others would believe him. After this introduction, the narrator goes back in time to describe why he was always considered ridiculous, how a dream changed his life, and why he is now considered a madman by his peers.
The narrator relates that he has always been considered ridiculous, that he himself knows that he has always been ridiculous, but that pride has kept him from admitting this fact to anyone else. As he gets older, this feeling of ridiculousness is balanced somewhat by a growing realization that nothing matters; life is meaningless. One evening, this latter feeling oppresses the narrator, and he decides to commit suicide that very night by shooting himself with a revolver that he has bought for that specific purpose. On his way home to commit the act, he is intercepted by an eight-year-old girl who is sobbing and seeking help for her mother. The narrator dismisses the girl, but he returns home deeply impressed by the poverty and fear that she exhibited. He places the revolver on the table before him, but as he sits and stares at the gun, his mind wanders back to the girl. He reflects on the fact that he can still feel pity for another person and that there are people who are, or who might be, dependent on him. This startling conclusion leads him to think about life again, and he decides to put off his suicide until he can resolve the questions in his mind. He then falls asleep in his chair and begins the dream that will change his life and his attitude toward the world.
The narrator imagines his own suicide, the ensuing confusion when his body is discovered by the landlady and neighbors, and then the placing of his coffin into the grave. After an unspecified time, a strange being opens the coffin, picks the narrator up, and begins flying through space. The ridiculous man realizes that he was wrong; death does not mean the end of existence but the beginning of some new type of life. That conclusion is confirmed when the strange being deposits him on another planet, which he recognizes as a duplication of Earth. The setting is beautiful; left alone by the strange being, the narrator inspects the trees and birds of his new home. The inhabitants of the area find him and welcome him with open arms. He, in turn, is impressed with their sincere friendliness, their beauty, and the joy that they project. He then realizes that these people have never done evil and reside in a paradise with an almost perfect society. They seem to know of the suffering on Earth of the ridiculous man and they attempt to cheer him up by loving him. He, on the other hand, is touched by the fact that he is finally being accepted by a group of people as their equal.
As the story progresses, the narrator describes his new neighbors and the society in which they live. There is no science or technology, yet these people have a mature understanding of life that makes science and technology irrelevant. Science seeks to explain the meaning of life and to explore the frontiers of knowledge, but these people already knew the meaning of life, were perfectly contented, and, therefore, saw no need to develop scientific knowledge. The ridiculous man is impressed by the bond between the people and the other manifestations of nature, such as trees and animals. When the people speak to the trees, the narrator senses that some understanding is taking place. The people live in perfect harmony with the beasts, neither fearing the other. People work only to procure what they need.
After this glowing report of the society that he discovered on this planet, the ridiculous man then discloses that he corrupted all these happy people and that their nearly perfect civilization degenerated into a society very similar to the one he had left on Earth. He cannot remember exactly how it happened—after all, this is only a dream—but it did occur and he was responsible for it. The citizens of this lost paradise began to tell lies, gave themselves over to lust instead of the selfless love they had practiced, and allowed jealousy to be introduced into relationships. In time, jealousy led to violence, and the first person was killed as a result. The people were horrified; they formed protective associations, but these groups turned hostile and eventually engaged in violence against one another.
The animals, sensing the discord and experiencing the cruelty of people, withdrew to the mountains and forests; hostility ensued between the humans and the beasts. The various groupings of people began to develop their own languages and became even more hostile to one another. To prevent crime, a system of justice, including the guillotine, was invented. The people sought to develop science and technology to bring civilization into their unruly lives; once having known the meaning of life and having possessed sufficient knowledge to lead a full life, they were compelled to attempt the slow and painful re-creation of a livable society.
Surveying the destruction of this society, the ridiculous man implored the people to crucify him; perhaps then they would return to their old ways. Having only dim memories of a better society, however, they viewed the narrator as a saintly fool preaching an impossible morality. He was informed that he would be incarcerated in a mental institution if he continued to proclaim the virtues of an ideal society. At the point of despair, the ridiculous man suddenly awakened from his dream, finding himself in his room with the revolver on the table before him.
The dream changed the life of the ridiculous man, as he explains; he now believes that people can be happy and construct a much better society. Evil is not natural; the present human condition is merely a fall from that state to which human beings can aspire. It is this newfound belief that allows the narrator to carry on with his life and to view people with affection and love. He puts aside all ideas of suicide and begins to preach the Truth that he has seen in his dream. People still believe that he is ridiculous, but he loves them anyway.