Food For Thought

A humorous story about a manipulative mother's attempts to arrange a marriage between her beautiful daughter and a wealthy elderly nobleman. The story provides an brilliant insight into the desperation, psychology, gossip, and rivalry of provincial merchants trying to better their position in life.

The story presents itself as a childhood memory, when the speaker was nine and living with his father in Tula province. The boy frightened by apparitions of a wolf prowling the countryside finds refuge with one of his father's serfs, Marey.

After teasing the crocodile, Ivan Matveich is swallowed alive. He finds the inside of the crocodile to be quite comfortable, and the animal's owner refuses to allow it to be cut open, in spite of the pleas from Elena Ivanovna. Ivan Matveich urges the narrator to arrange for the crocodile to be purchased and cut open, but the owner asks so much for it that nothing is done.

Aleksandr Petrovich Goryanchikov, has been sentenced to penalty deportation to Siberia and ten years of hard labor for murdering his wife. Life in prison is particularly hard for Aleksandr Petrovich, since he is a gentleman and suffers the malice of the other prisoners, nearly all of whom belong to the peasantry. Gradually Goryanchikov overcomes his revulsion at his situation and his fellow convicts, undergoing a spiritual re-awakening that culminates with his release from the camp. It is a work of great humanity; Dostoevsky portrays the inmates of the prison with sympathy for their plight, and also expresses admiration for their energy, ingenuity and talent. This semi-autobiographical text is a loosely knit collection of facts, events and philosophical discussion organized by theme. Dostoevsky himself spent four years in exile following his conviction for involvement in the Petrashevsky Circle.

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man follows the experiences of a man who decides that there is nothing of any value in the world. Slipping into nihilism, he is determined to commit suicide. A chance encounter with a young girl, however, begins the man on a journey that reawakens a love for his fellow man.

Prince Alexey, aka Alyosha, the son of Prince Valkovsky is a naïve but loveable young man who is easily manipulated by his father. Alyosha runs away with his girlfriend Natasha and as a result, her father, Nikolai, curses her. The only friend that remains by Natasha's side is Ivan – her childhood friend who is deeply in love with her, and whom Natasha has rejected despite their being engaged. Prince Valkovsky tries to destroy Alyosha's plans to marry Natasha, and wants to make him marry the rich princess Katerina. Alyosha falls in love with Katerina, but still loves Natasha. He is constantly torn between these two women.

Varvara Dobroselova and Makar Devushkin are second cousins twice-removed and live across from each other on the same street in terrible apartments. The novel follows their lives, their relationship with rich people, and poverty in general. A deep but odd friendship develops between them until Dobroselova loses her interest in literature, and later in communicating with Devushkin after a rich widower Mr. Bykov proposes to her.

Do honest thieves even exist? Dostoyevsky takes us through a journey of psychological exploration and discovery.

Unlike most people, who typically act out of revenge because they believe justice is the end, the Underworld Man is conscious of his problems and feels the desire for revenge, but he does not find it virtuous; the incongruity leads to spite towards the act itself with its concomitant circumstances. He feels that others like him exist, but he continuously concentrates on his spitefulness instead of on actions that would help him avoid the problems that torment him. He even admits that he would rather be inactive out of laziness.

Our narrator loves St. Petersburg at night time. He no longer feels comfortable during the day because all of the people he was used to seeing are not there. He drew his emotions from there. If they were happy, he was happy. If they were despondent, he was despondent. He felt alone when seeing new faces. He also knew the houses. As he strolled down the streets, they would talk to him and tell him how they were being renovated or painted a new color or being torn down. He lives alone in a small apartment in Saint Petersburg with only his older, non-social maid Matryona to keep him company.

A government official Golyadkin has a formative discussion with his Doctor Rutenspitz, who fears for his sanity and tells him that his behavior is dangerously antisocial. He prescribes 'cheerful company' as the remedy. Golyadkin resolves to try this, and leaves the office. He proceeds to a birthday party. He was uninvited, and a series of faux pas lead to his expulsion from the party. On his way home through a snowstorm, he encounters his double, who looks exactly like him. A new evolving relationship is formed.

Dostoevsky describes a society of superrich and very poor similar to modern day circumstances. The story highlights the tragic economic and social conditions of the common people, and the moral responsibility of human beings to respond. The story is told the eyes of a little boy left standing in freezing cold observing Christmas festivities of the rich.