Thirt…Fourteen Year Old Socialist

Book X of the Brothers Karamazov introduces the curious character of Nikolay Krasotkin.  Nikolay, or Kolya as he is often referred, is the son of a deceased civil servant.  He is attached to an overly protective mother, through which the young Nikolay actually yields a considerable level of influence.  The young boy is a high achieving student, but most of his conceptual awareness can be attributed to his outside reading rather than his in class learning. 

Throughout Book X I was struck by the near adult manner in which Nikolay conducted himself with others.  He is quite astute and is very tactful in how he carries himself.  It seems that Nikolay conducts himself with awareness as to how his behavior is to be potentially perceived.  If need be he ensures that he can distance himself with his plans, this evidenced in how he maintained an air of plausible deniability surrounding the incident with the goose. 

In many respects I liken Nikolay’s character to that of the civil servant Pyotr Ilyich.  In the last Book it was made apparent that Pyotr Ilyich was destined for greatness when he displayed the ability to act and avoid scandal.  In much of the same manner I feel that Nikolay exhibits similar behavioral traits in that he seeks to control his environment with a conscious attentiveness to the reactions of others, both harmful and kindly.  This poses the inevitable question of motive.  Why is it that a young thirteen…ahem almost fourteen year old boy would be so concerned with developing his ability to exert control over others and his own image? 

It seems that Nikolay is a product of a separated segment of Russian society.  Since young Nikolay spends his time supplementing his learning, it is clearly acceptable to count him in the ranks of the intelligentsia as an aspiring member.  As the son of a civil servant it seems that he has inherited some of the characteristics of a state official.  Nikolay, like other state officials we have met thus far demonstrates control over his environment, awareness of himself, and ultimately disjunction with common rank of society.  I feel as if Nikolay wishes to separate himself from the “little town” and from the customary Russians in which he finds himself surrounded.  His focus on elevating his own level of education and his comprehension of “high society” ideologies seems to denote that he wishes to express his separateness through the capacity of his intellect. 

Given the nature of Nikolay’s intellectual pursuits, I find it intriguing that he finds a role model in the form of Aleksey.  I much rather would have expected young Nikolay to extoll Ivan as a much more fitting patron.  The only likely explanation that I can place forth is that Nikolay values Aleksey’s connections in the “little town”.  Although Aleksey lacks the depth of formal education that Ivan possesses, he does have considerable charm and is quite capable of maintaining good relations with the rather complicated network of individuals that makes up the “little town”.  It very well might be Aleksey’s likeability that draws Nikolay to seek him out as an individual worth knowing.  As much as Nikolay’s behavior can be attributed to his own course of progress, it might also be that he simply wishes to compensate for his traits that formerly led to ridicule.  In order to seek the attention and control that he sought, Nikolay developed a superior cleverness and intellect to those with which he associated.  An appeal to Aleksey might indicate a wish to emulate more normalized behavior. 

            I find it interesting that the Aleksey introduced in Book X was a secularized version.  Dostoyevsky was quite clear that Aleksey was dressed in civilian attire and had separated himself from his religious cassock.  It seems that Aleksey still adheres to some of his religious beliefs, but ultimately I am curious as to why his appearance has changed so suddenly since the murder.  It should be interesting to see how the relationship between Aleksey and Nikolay unfolds, and whether Aleksey has indeed undergone a profound shift in character.