Theme of Suicide in Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky’s The Dream of a Ridiculous Man

Abstract

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky’s fiction has been described differently by Sigmund Freud, Albert Camus, Jean -Paul Sartre, Friedrich Nietzsche, and others. Indeed, Dostoevsky frequently employed different psychological cases and themes in his works to give a clear depiction of each issue through his multi-layered characters. This dissertation tackles precisely the theme of suicide and it is substantiated in psychoanalysis of Dostoevsky’s short story “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (1877). The study is divided into two chapters. The first one is dedicated to reviewing historical and psychological theories on the theme of suicide. It also presents the author’s interest in such a theme. The second chapter is devoted to analyzing psychological aspects in suicide as a major theme in the narrative though the application of Freud’s interpretation of dreams model.