The Gold Mines

I don’t think Khokhlakov’s offer of the gold mines is all that funny. But I also don’t think that this novel is very funny so it’s possible it’s one of the more comical scenes. I think it’s creepy if anything.

Madame Kholkhlakov doesn’t know Dmitry that well and doesn’t like him. Why on earth would she want to help him? And how did she get the idea of mines? It’s weird that this woman who barely knows this man is telling what he he’s going to do; even makes him answer on the spot. “’Enough, Dmitry Fyodorovich, enough!’ Madame Khokhlakov interrupted insistently. ‘The question is: are you going to the mines or not? Have you fully decided? Answer mathematically.’(386)” This is a life changing decision and she’s making him decide right away? She’s acting like a control freak.

Dostoevsky creates an eerie affect about this woman. To make her sound even weirder, she realized this all from his gait. “I even studied your gait and decided: this man will find many mines (385).” Deciding a man’s future based on their walk? I don’t know if I’ve heard that one before. She’s seems to have lost her mind and become crazy. What’s more is the fact that she had a feeling Dmitry was coming, although they are rarely visit. It’s almost as if she has a fortune-teller aura about her.