hat his behavior has been part of his character-
makeup for most of his life. He is no doubt the butt of jokes of his
fellow workers. His own servant Petrushka is hard-pressed not to laugh at
him. It is in his mental makeup where, perhaps, is Dostoyevsky's greatest
success (in this novel) or perhaps his greatest failing. The descriptions
in this novel are ahead of their time. Dostoyevsky predates psychoanalysts
Freud and Jung. Some believe that what Dostoyevsky was describing was
mental illnesses that were present before any neurobiological sources were
ascribed to them. Dostoyevsky describes Golyadkin's multiple personality
disorder to the hilt. The constant strife that Golyadkin has with his
other self are perfectly describedâ€"and sometimes are a drag on the
narrative. But it also here that Dostoyevsky, not being able to
differentiate between mental illnesses, fails.
Throughout out the novel we see instances of paranoia and
schizophrenia. He is paranoid because he assumes that people are out to
get him. He seeks revenge. Though Golyadkin is not able to articulate
exactly who has wronged him or how he plans revenge. Golyadkin believes
that the lowly clerks at his workplace and also his servant are constantly
making jokes at his expense. It is not a few times that Dostoyevsky
emphasizes this through Golyadkin's perception of knowing and mischievous
Golyadkin's schizophrenia can be distinguished from the multiple
personality disorder. But consider these pre-psychotic, psychotic and post-
psychotic phases of schizophrenia. Golyadkin is socially impaired. He is
delusional. His behavior is often bizarre. For no apparent reason, he
attacks his boss at a party. He has prolonged bouts of anxiety. He is
often depressed and irritable...