Who Nastasya Filippovna is
Nastasya Filippovna is an orphan raised by Totsky, a wealthy landowner who makes her his mistress while she is young. He later offers money to a man willing to marry her, hoping to clear the way for his own marriage.
Her pride and sharp speech confront the people who treat her as something to be bought. When Prince Myshkin first studies her photograph, he notices suffering beneath her beauty.
What Nastasya Filippovna wants
Nastasya longs for love, but she also believes herself guilty and ruined. She both seeks Myshkin's gentleness and pulls away from it, unable to accept his compassion without pain.
At her birthday gathering, she challenges the men whose marriage plans depend on money. Her scorn exposes their greed, yet her cruel games also express her anger toward herself.
Nastasya Filippovna and the others in the story
Myshkin offers to marry Nastasya without asking anything from her, unlike those who bargain over her future. Rogozhin's desire is possessive and jealous, placing a different kind of pressure on her.
Ganya Ivolgin considers marrying her for money, a bargain that leaves him ambitious and ashamed. Through these relationships, Nastasya's longing for love meets a world that repeatedly confuses affection with ownership.
Questions
Who is Nastasya Filippovna?
Nastasya Filippovna is a proud woman whose beauty and suffering draw Myshkin and Rogozhin into her life.
Does Nastasya Filippovna love Prince Myshkin?
She longs for his love and kindness, but also recoils from them because she sees herself as ruined.
How does Nastasya Filippovna relate to Ganya?
Ganya is a prospective husband tempted by the money Totsky offers, rather than by love for her.