dostoevsky and suicide

many of dostoevsky's early narratives center on characters burdened with a unique combination of personal traits—a mix of destructive and self-destructive tendencies—that seem destined to lead to failure.

in his early works, dostoevsky presents a gallery of dreamers, cowards, clowns, masochists, loners, and those born to lose. these characters are at odds with themselves, succumbing to internal contradictions and weaknesses. they fail to adapt to the demands of their social environment and are ultimately undone by their inability to reconcile their inner lives with external realities.

dostoevsky's dreamer is doomed to disappointment, striving for goals they can never hope to achieve. this isolated recluse severs ties with the outside world and attempts to construct a personal reality grounded in illusion. yet, as soon as this dream encounters the tangible world, it crumbles. the protagonist, overwhelmed by guilt, punishes themselves for the dissonance between their actions and their moral values. these individuals, often consumed by delusions of grandeur, are destroyed by their unrealistic perceptions of their own potential. all of them are victims of irrational, self-destructive instincts they neither control nor fully comprehend.

the question of whether it takes strength or weakness for a person to take their own life does not have a definitive answer. a man of weak will often struggles to cope with his existence, unable to adapt to life's external demands. for such a person, suicide may seem like an escape from a reality that has become unbearable and impossible to manage.

however, a weak individual is often indecisive, lacking the inner strength and resolve required to end their own life. conversely, a person with a strong character may possess the willpower to destroy themselves, yet that same strength can also drive them to fight for a better life, to combat the very causes of their despair. this paradox highlights that those who take their own lives can be either strong or weak. no two suicides happen for the exact same reason.