Netochka Nezvanova: Analysis of Major Characters
"Netochka Nezvanova" is an unfinished novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, centered around the life and experiences of its young protagonist, Anna "Netochka" Nezvanova. The narrative explores themes of loyalty, family conflict, and personal growth through Netochka's interactions with various characters. She begins her journey in an unhappy household with her mother and flawed stepfather, Yegor Petrovich Yefimov, whose struggles with his musical aspirations and personal demons profoundly impact her life.
As the story unfolds, Netochka is taken in by Prince Khy, where she encounters a luxurious lifestyle marred by class prejudices and familial tensions, particularly with Princess Katya, the prince's daughter. Their evolving friendship highlights the complexities of childhood relationships, but ultimately, societal pressures lead to their separation. The narrative then shifts to Netochka's time with Aleksandra Mikhailovna, Katya’s introspective older sister, where she finds a more nurturing environment conducive to her talents.
The characters are richly drawn, each representing different facets of society and personal ambition, but the story remains incomplete, leaving many of their arcs unresolved. Overall, "Netochka Nezvanova" presents a poignant exploration of a young girl's quest for identity and belonging amidst the turmoil of her surroundings.
Netochka Nezvanova: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Fyodor Dostoevski
First published: 1849 (English translation, 1920)
Genre: Novel
Locale: St. Petersburg
Plot: Autobiographical
Time: The early 1800's
Anna “Netochka” Nezvanova (NEH-toch-kah neh-ZVAHnoh-vah), the narrator and protagonist, a young girl. Her character—introspective, naturally calm, and sedentary—is revealed through her reactions to the often unlucky circumstances in which chance places her. Netochka is a good-hearted girl; she has less of the moral duplicity than one would expect from a Dostoevski protagonist. She does find herself repeatedly in irresolvable conflicts of loyalty. As a young girl (she is eight or nine when the story begins), she lives with her mother and stepfather in an unhappy family. As her stepfather's character deteriorates, he enlists Netochka's help in stealing money from his wife, leaving Netochka to face her mother's ever more terrible anger alone. Both parents die as the family dissolves, and Netochka falls seriously ill. The wealthy Prince Khy takes Netochka to heart and takes her to live with his family. There, she finds herself living in the luxury of which she and her stepfather had dreamed, but she finds herself again at the center of family conflict. The prince's wife and mother-in-law object to Netochka's low origins. She is tolerated as long as she and Princess Katya, the prince's willful and energetic daughter, are at odds. When Netochka manages to win Katya's friendship, and thus wins for herself some happiness in this sterile home, she is condemned as a bad influence. She is then sent to live with Aleksandra Mikhailovna, the prince's married daughter and Katya's half sister. Aleksandra and Netochka are temperamentally suited to each other, and together they begin an informal education. They discover, among other things, Netochka's talent for singing. This happy situation does not last, and Netochka is again compelled to choose between alternatives she cannot understand. Her story ends here. The book is unfinished, interrupted when Dostoevski was arrested and sent to Siberia.
Yegor Petrovich Yefimov (yeh-GOHR peh-TROH-vihch yeh-FIH-mov), Netochka's stepfather. A low and debased man, he has real talent as a violinist that, because of the flaws in his character, he can never develop. He is taken with the glory of being a musical genius and with the fame and wealth that could be his, much more than with music itself. He gets through life by his talent for self-deception, which is better developed than his musical gift. Finally, this talent fails him. He hears a violinist—a virtuoso he had sworn was a fraud—on the night when his overburdened wife, whom he had blamed for keeping him from his vocation, dies, perhaps by his own hand. His last, and greatest, illusions toppled, he dies. His last act is to run from Netochka, abandoning her on a dark street.
Princess Katya, the younger daughter of Prince Khy. She is a willful child with an aristocratic soul. She is haughty, daring, and, when the mood strikes, unabashedly affectionate. When Netochka comes to be part of her family, Katya runs through a gamut of emotions. She is first jealous, next contemptuous, then competitive, and finally friendly. In this last mood, she and Netochka grow perhaps as close as any two people can. This intimacy alarms Katya's mother and grandmother. Katya leaves the story when, to keep her from Netochka's “improper” influence, Katya's relatives separate the two.
Aleksandra Mikhailovna (mih-KHAH-ih-lov-nah), Katya's older sister, with whom Netochka lives after leaving the prince's family. She is a sedate and introspective woman, young and not long married. She is perhaps an adult Netochka; certainly these two find themselves well matched. With Netochka, Aleksandra is free to become something of a dilettante, indulging herself over a wide range of culture and learning. Her husband's propriety compels her respect because he is living with the knowledge of a long-past love affair of hers, a chaste affair that had involved the noblest of feelings. Nevertheless, he lives hourly with the humiliation of it, with a great brooding bitterness that alternately awes and terrorizes his wife. Their story is unresolved when the novel ends.