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 A.M.GORKY INSTITUTE OF WORLD LITERATURE
OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Povarskaya 25A, bld. 1, 121069 Moscow, Russia
fedor@dostmirkult.ru

ISSN 2619-0311 (Print)
ISSN 2712-8512 (Online)

The Father’s Curse in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Novel The Humiliated and the Insulted

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  • Author: Daria G. Shervarly
  • Information about the author:

    10th grade student, MAEI Kholm Secondary school, 66 October St., 175270 Kholm, Russia.

    E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • For citation:

    Shervarly, D.G. “The Father’s Curse in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Novel The Humiliated and the Insulted”. Dostoevsky and World Culture. Philological journal, no. 2 (14), 2021, pp. 172-179. (In Russ) https://doi.org/10.22455/2619-0311-2021-2-172-179
  • Received: 02 Jan. 2021
  • Published: 25 Jun. 2021
  • Issue: 2021 no. 2(14)
  • Department: YOUNG READINGS
  • Pages: 172-179
  • DOI: Visit Website
  • UDK: 821.161.1.0
  • BBK: 83.3(2Рос=Рус)
  • Keywords: Dostoevsky, The Humiliated and the Insulted, curse, blessing, Natasha, father, Nellie’s mother, parable, prodigal children.
  • Abstract: One of the significant themes of the novel The Humiliated and the Insulted is the father’s curse, marked throughout the text by a high degree of emotionality. The novel describes two similar stories: the one of Nelly’s mother and Natasha’s. Both escaped from home, both were cursed by their fathers. However, there are also differences: while one father forgave, the other not. In the article, the theme of the father’s curse is revealed by comparing these two stories with the famous parable of the prodigal son, with which the novel presents visible parallels. The parable is presented as a standard for proper behavior, and in its comparison, we can say how the hero should have behaved and how he did in the novel. While the images of “prodigal children” recall each other, it is the behavior of parents that draws a significant difference between Dostoevsky’s plot and the parable. The presence or absence of the father’s curse is revealed as one of the main factors determining the fate of all the characters of the story.

References:

1. Dal’, V.I. Tolkovyi slovar’ zhivago velikoruskago iazyka v 4 tomakh [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language in 4 Vols.]. 2nd Edition. M.O. Vol’fa Publ., 1880–1882. (In Russ.)

2. Dostoevskii, F.M. Polnoe sobranie sochinenii v 30 tomakh [Complete Works in 30 Vols.]. Leningrad, Nauka Publ., 1972–1990. (In Russ.)

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