Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Dmitry vs. Fyodor

Dmitry does act like a scoundrel to his father, but I don't know if Dmitry can entirely control his anger. The things a man will do for the woman he loves is sometimes over-the-top. When I think of the scene in Chapter 8 of the third book it reminds me of the quote "Jealousy can drive a man mad." (Moulin Rouge) Dmitry acts more like an animal than a human.
There were several obstacles that Dmitry had to overcome to get to Fyodor. Grigory and Smerdyakov had both tried to stop Dmitry in the front hallway. Then Dmitry struggled with Grigory until Dmitry punched him and Grigory fell to the ground. When he had gotten Grigory and Smerdyakov out of his way; Dmitry started screaming at his father. (pg 138)
"..Dmitri raised both hands and suddenly seized the old man by the two surviving wisps of hair on his temples, pulled, and smashed him against the floor. He even had time to kick the fallen man in the face two or three times with his heel." (pg 139) Dmitry had so much anger, he was hitting his father. That's no being honorable at all; the sad part is, the entire brawl is all about a woman.
I have mixed feelings about the way Dmitry treated his father. During the scene, Dmitry wasn't really thinking; he was just so upset that he acted on a whim when he saw Gruschenka running toward Fyodor's house. Maybe he'll feel badly about it later or come to his sense and realize that his family is more important than a prostitute.

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