Nastasia Philipovna
Nastasia Philipovna is one of the main characters and attention to her appearance is important for the author. When Myshkin sees her for the first time of a portrait he exclaims: “How wonderfully beautiful!” besides, the picture was certainly that of an unusually lovely woman: “she was photographed in a black silk dress of simple design, her hair was evidently dark and plainly arranged, her eyes were deep and thoughtful, the expression of her face passionate, but proud. She was rather thin, perhaps, and a little pale”. Nastasia Philipovna’s beauty was her biggest enemy. The image of this beautiful woman reminds that beauty does not mean happiness.
Aglaya
Another very important female character of the novel is Aglaya. This is one of the most controversial images of the novel. On the one hand, Aglaya is kind, gentle, receptive, full of high motifs. On the other hand, in spite of all her purity, there is no wholeness, all understanding and ability to forgiveness. Her vanity is destructive. All her actions are subject to emotions, feelings that are most similar to rebellion against society. But despite this rebellious focus of action, she is still subjected to the laws of society and acts according to these rules, and does not yet have a deep understanding of things. And this is understandable, because “happiness is bought by suffering,” according to the writer, but she has not suffered yet, because she plays with everyone “like a child”, cramming from her forced “idleness” and boredom. Spoiled by attention, proud of its exclusivity, aware that in life it expects all the best: the groom, wealth and high position in society - Aglaya does not know the price of really expensive things. But, unfortunately, despite all her sympathy and even love for Myshkin, she does not find the strength to overcome external conventions. For her, external conventions, "secular propriety" is more important than his love.
An evening of confusions
The evening when Nastasia Philipovna came to meet Gania’s family was a pivotal one in her life as well as in Gania’s. Her refusal to marry Gania was influenced by Myshkin and when Rogojin entered the room with ten or a dozen men – “a decidedly mixed-looking collection, and some of them came in in their furs and caps. None of them were quite drunk, but all appeared to be considerably excited”. Everyone was in confusion of seeing this group of strange people, but everyone was even in bigger confusion when Nastasia Philipovna asked Mushkin if she should merry Gania and Prince said “No”. The scene was really ridiculous, and image of the evening portrays the life of contemporary Russia.
