BREAKING NEWS
Demons Unleashed: New Developments in the World of the Damned
Chapter 4, Sections 5-6: The Descent into Darkness
As the world teeters on the brink of chaos, a new chapter has unfolded in the epic saga of Demons. The latest revelations have left fans and experts alike stunned, and we’re bringing you the latest updates as they happen.
The Hellish Hordes Descend
In the most recent sections of Chapter 4, the demonic forces have been mobilized, and the boundaries between the mortal realm and the underworld have grown perilously thin. The dark armies, led by the infernal legions, are pouring forth from the abyss, bringing with them an unholy terror that threatens to consume all in their path.
The Apocalypse Unfolds
As the demons wreak havoc upon the world, the fabric of reality begins to unravel. The skies are filled with the screams of the damned, and the very earth itself seems to tremble with the weight of the coming apocalypse.
The Chosen Ones Emerge
In a desperate bid to stem the tide of darkness, a small band of heroes has risen to the challenge. Led by the enigmatic [Name], this brave group of warriors has taken up the mantle of salvation, determined to vanquish the forces of evil and restore balance to the universe.
The Stakes Have Never Been Higher
As the battle rages on, the stakes have never been higher. With the very fate of humanity hanging in the balance, the outcome of this conflict is far from certain. Will the forces of light prevail, or will the darkness consume all in its path?
The Wait is Over
Get ready for the most epic struggle of all time! Stay tuned for the next installment of Demons, where the war between light and darkness will reach a fever pitch. Don’t miss out on the thrilling action, heart-pumping suspense, and unforgettable characters that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
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Next Weeks Schedule:
Monday: Part 1 Chapter 4 Section 7
Tuesday: Part 1 Chapter 5 Sections 1-3
Wednesday: Part 1 Chapter 5 Section 4
Thursday: Part 1 Chapter 5 Section 5
Friday: Part 1 Chapter 5 Section 6
Discussion Prompts:
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We meet Marya Timofyevna. What stood out the most to you about her?
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Marya uses a pet name for Shatov and remembers him even though she has memory issues. Do you feel like they have a special connection?
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What did you think about Marya's fortune? A journey, a wicked man, somebody’s treachery, a death-bed, a letter, unexpected news. Any clues here as to where the story is headed?
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Marya talks of a baby and it being brought to a pond. Do you think she could have drowned her baby, or is this simply a dream?
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Another reference to suffering for another man's sin. A phrase first used by Stephan and this time from Lebyadkin. Do you think they are both talking about the same man?
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What stood out to you from Shatov and Lebyadkin's shouting match through a door?
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Anything else to discuss?
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Last Line:
Up Next:
Part 1 Chapter 4 Section 7
View info-news.info by otherside_b
I’d like to share a little diagram I made of the characters in Demons and their connections to one another. I’ve updated it since I linked it in the comments of the last discussion post. It’s kind of messy, but hopefully it’ll help someone keep track of the many, many characters in this book.
https://imgur.com/a/TWLXTXF
So, section 5! Shatov introduces Anton to Lebyadkin’s disabled, mentally ill sister, Marya Timofeyevna. The strange and disconnected way Marya speaks is pretty confusing, I think, so I wanted to give notes on a few of her statements. I apologize if everyone had already picked up on this. But first, a couple definitions.
SAMOVARS
– “The stove was not heated, food was not cooked; they had not even a samovar as Shatov told me.”
Anyone who’s used to reading Russian literature will recognize this word, but just in case: a samovar is a metal container used to heat water for tea and other uses. It’s often made of brass and has a spigot near the bottom. Tea can be heated by placing it on top of the samovar, and then water from the spigot can be used to dilute the tea as desired.
GARRET
– “Are you tired of walking up and down alone in your garret?” she laughed, displaying two rows of magnificent teeth.”
I’m not sure if all translations call Shatov’s room a “garret,” but Garnett does. Raskolnikov in C&P also lives in a garret, and Smerdyakov falls down from one in TBK. It means “attic.”
MOTHER PRASKOVYA
– “I said the same thing to Mother Praskovya, she’s a very venerable woman, she used to run to my cell to tell her fortune on the cards, without letting the Mother Superior know. Yes, and she wasn’t the only one who came to me. They sigh, and shake their heads at me, they talk it over while I laugh. ‘Where are you going to get a letter from, Mother Praskovya,’ I say, ‘when you haven’t had one for twelve years?’”
Here’s where things start to get pretty confusing. All the way back in Chapter 3, Section 4, Liputin said the following about Lebyadkin: “This captain to all appearances went away from us at that time; not because of the forged papers, but simply to look for his sister, who was in hiding from him somewhere, it seems; well, and now he’s brought her and that’s the whole story.”
The discussion in THIS section implies that Marya was hidden from her brother in a convent of some kind. One of the nuns in the convent was evidently called Mother Praskovya—a TOTALLY DIFFERENT Praskovya from Liza’s mother, and one you don’t need to remember.
LIZAVETA THE BLESSED
– “We were drinking our tea, and the monk from Athos said to the Mother Superior, ‘Blessed Mother Superior, God has blessed your convent above all things in that you preserve so great a treasure in its precincts,’ said he. ‘What treasure is that?’ asked the Mother Superior. ‘The Mother Lizaveta, the Blessed.’ This Lizaveta the Blessed was enshrined in the nunnery wall, in a cage seven feet long and five feet high, and she had been sitting there for seventeen years in nothing but a hempen shift, summer and winter, and she always kept pecking at the hempen cloth with a straw or a twig of some sort, and she never said a word, and never combed her hair, or washed, for seventeen years.”
This Lizaveta the Blessed seems to be what’s sometimes called an “anchoress”—that is, a woman who is sealed up in a cell attached to a church or convent. She remains confined there for life, praying, reading, hearing mass, and receiving the Eucharist. At least in Europe, an anchoress would usually have a window called a “squint” that allowed her to see the altar of the church, as well as another window through which she could counsel women and receive visitors.
GOD AND NATURE
– “‘I think,’ said I, ‘that God and nature are just the same thing.’ They all cried out with one voice at me, ‘Well, now!’ The Mother Superior laughed, whispered something to the lady and called me up, petted me, and the lady gave me a pink ribbon. Would you like me to show it to you? And the monk began to admonish me. But he talked so kindly, so humbly, and so wisely, I suppose. I sat and listened. ‘Do you understand?’ he asked. ‘No,’ I said, ‘I don’t understand a word, but leave me quite alone.’.. Since then when I bow down to the ground at my prayers, I’ve taken to kissing the earth. I kiss it and weep.”
The way that Marya expresses her beliefs comes across a little pagan (the idea of God and nature being the same, or of nature being the Holy Mother), which is why her statement gets such a big reaction. A monk scolds her and tries to explain proper doctrine to her, but she doesn’t understand it. Ultimately, it seems like everyone cuts her slack because of her mental condition.
MARYA TIMOFEYEVNA’S BABY
– “Why, of course. A little rosy baby with tiny little nails, and my only grief is I can’t remember whether it was a boy or a girl. Sometimes I remember it was a boy, and sometimes it was a girl. And when he was born, I wrapped him in cambric and lace, and put pink ribbons on him, strewed him with flowers, got him ready, said prayers over him.”
Marya’s words about her baby are very alarming. Did she actually have one? If so, what happened to it? Did it die? Was it given away to someone? And who fathered the child? We’ve been told that Nikolai may have wronged her in some way…
“HE”
– I’ve had a dream: he came to me again, he beckoned me, called me. ‘My little puss,’ he cried to me, ‘little puss, come to me!’ And I was more delighted at that ‘little puss’ than anything; he loves me, I thought.” /“Perhaps he will come in reality,” Shatov muttered in an undertone. / “No, Shatushka, that’s a dream.… He can’t come in reality.”
It sounds like Marya’s been involved with a man in the past. We can presume this “he” was the father of her baby (if the baby ever existed) and has since abandoned her. What are we to make of Shatov’s words that “perhaps he will come again”?
A SIN
– “Ach, what is it to do with me, and it’s a sin.” Shatov suddenly got up from the bench.”
So many insinuations! Whatever happened to Marya Timofeyevna, Shatov seems to know more about it than he’s letting on.