Existentialism

Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Plot 

The novel takes place in a provincial Russian setting, primarily on the estates of Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky and Varvara Stavrogina. Stepan Trofimovich's son, Pyotr Verkhovensky, is an aspiring revolutionary conspirator who attempts to organize a knot of revolutionaries in the area. He considers Varvara Stavrogina's son, Nikolai, central to his plot because he thinks Nikolai Stavrogin has no sympathy for mankind whatsoever.

Verkhovensky gathers conspirators like the philosophizing Shigalyov, suicidal Kirillov, and the former military man Virginsky, and he schemes to solidify their loyalty to him and each other by murdering Ivan Shatov, a fellow conspirator. Verkhovensky plans to have Kirillov, who was committed to killing himself, take credit for the murder in his suicide note. Kirillov complies and Verkhovensky murders Shatov, but his scheme falls apart. He escapes, but the remainder of his aspiring revolutionary crew is arrested. In the denouement of the novel, Nikolai Stavrogin kills himself, tortured by his own misdeeds.

Analysis

Existentialism emphasizes on existence, freedom, and choice.

This novel falls under existentialism because it is shown hear how an individual is accountable for their own actions. The case of Nikolai's death, karma went for him for all his wrong doings and misdeeds. It is also believe that individuals have free will to take responsibility for their own actions and accept the consequences. For Verkhovensky's case he chose to escape and runaway from his consequences but the rest of his crew was arrested. Although we have a choice not to face this consequences in life but we are still accountable for this and this actions will still get back to us.