Afanasy Ivanovitch Totski
Afanasy Ivanovitch Totski is a wealthy, refined, and morally corrupt Petersburg gentleman whose long-term exploitation of Nastasia Philipovna Barashkoff as his kept mistress sets the central tragedy of The Idiot in motion. A man of fifty-five, high connections, and artistic tastes, Totski attempts to free himself from Nastasia by arranging her marriage to Gavrila Ardalionovitch Ivolgin, only to find that his former victim has become an uncontrollable force who derails his plans and exposes the hollowness of his world.
Identity and Background
Totski is introduced as a gentleman of immense wealth, high connections, and good standing, a man of fifty-five years of age who is artistically gifted and of most refined tastes. He is a keen admirer and judge of beauty. He is a director of companies and a great friend of General Ivan Fedorovitch Epanchin, with whom he is a partner in several financial enterprises. His position in society has long been firmly fixed upon safe foundations, and he loves himself, his personal comforts, and his position better than all the world. He is a handsome man, rather stout, with a very polite and dignified manner, always well dressed, with exquisite linen, plump white hands, and a magnificent diamond ring on one finger.
History with Nastasia Philipovna
Eighteen years before the novel's main action, Totski, while living near his estate, adopted two young orphaned girls after their father, a poor gentleman named Barashkoff, died in a hospital following a house fire that killed his wife. One of the girls died of whooping cough, leaving only Nastasia. Totski, living abroad at the time, forgot about the child, but upon returning to Russia five years later, he discovered a most lovely little girl of twelve living with his bailiff. He arranged for her education with a good governess, a Swiss lady of experience and culture, for four years. When the education was considered complete, Totski transported the child to another of his estates in a distant part of the country, where she lived in a delightful little house prepared for her with great care and taste, complete with musical instruments, a library, pictures, and everything to make life agreeable. From that time, Totski appeared to have taken a great fancy to this part of the world and came down each summer, staying two and three months at a time. This arrangement continued peacefully for four years.
The Transformation of Nastasia
When Totski was about to be married in St. Petersburg to a rich, eminent, and lovely woman, Nastasia suddenly displayed unusual decision of character, left her country home, and came up to St. Petersburg, straight to Totski's house, all alone. Totski, amazed at her conduct, began to express his displeasure, but he very soon became aware that he must change his voice, style, and everything else with this young lady. An entirely new and different woman sat before him, one who understood a good deal more than was usual for young people of her age, even embracing legal matters and the world in general. Her character was absolutely changed; she informed him to his face that she had never had the faintest feeling for him of any kind, except loathing and contempt. She further gave him to understand that though it was absolutely the same to her whom he married, she had decided to prevent this marriage—for no particular reason, but because she chose to do so and because she wished to amuse herself at his expense, for it was quite her turn to laugh a little now.
Totski's Fear and Strategy
Totski, a man of fifty with a solid and respectable position, realized he now had to deal with a being who was outside the pale of the ordinary rules of traditional behaviour and who would not only threaten mischief but would undoubtedly carry it out. He concluded there was something at work here—some storm of the mind, some paroxysm of romantic anger, some insatiable contempt—altogether absurd and impossible, but at the same time most dangerous to be met with by any respectable person with a position in society to keep up. He understood that Nastasia was quite capable of ruining herself, and even of perpetrating something which would send her to Siberia, for the mere pleasure of injuring a man for whom she had developed so inhuman a sense of loathing and contempt. He valued nothing in the world—herself least of all—and Totski made no attempt to conceal the fact that he was a coward in some respects. He would have been frightened not so much at the idea of being murdered, wounded, or insulted, as at the thought that if such things were to happen he would be made to look ridiculous in the eyes of society. Totski decided to conciliate her by giving up the marriage, and determined to establish her in St. Petersburg, surrounding her with all the comforts and luxuries that his wealth could command. For five years, Totski lived in fear of Nastasia, unable to understand her refusal to marry him or to be bribed. He tried to tempt her in various ways to lose her heart, inviting princes, hussars, secretaries of embassies, poets, novelists, even Socialists to see her, but not one of them all made the faintest impression upon Nastasia.
The Plan to Marry Her Off
When Totski approached General Epanchin with his request for friendly counsel as to a marriage with one of his daughters, he made a full and candid confession. He said that he intended to stop at no means to obtain his freedom; even if Nastasia were to promise to leave him entirely alone in future, he would not believe and trust her—words were not enough for him; he must have solid guarantees of some sort. He and the general determined to try what an attempt to appeal to her heart would effect. Totski proposed that Nastasia marry Gavrila Ardalionovitch Ivolgin, a young gentleman of good family who, he claimed, had long loved her passionately. He offered Nastasia seventy-five thousand roubles as a gift to guarantee her future, which he said would have been left her all the same in his will. Nastasia's reply astonished both the friends considerably; she seemed charmed and really glad to have the opportunity of talking seriously with him for once in a way, and admitted that such a storm as that of five years ago was now quite out of the question. She accepted the money and agreed to consider the marriage, though she desired not to be hurried. Totski, once bitten, was twice shy, and looked for hidden snakes among the flowers, but gradually even he began to believe in the possibility of success.
The Birthday Party and Aftermath
At Nastasia's birthday party, Totski is present and is one of the most anxious guests. He is described as a capital talker, usually the life and soul of these entertainments, but on this occasion he is as silent as any, sitting in a state of, for him, most uncommon perturbation. When Nastasia, in a wild and defiant mood, asks the prince whether she should marry Gania or not, and then declares she will not, Totski cries out in a quaking voice. Nastasia later tells him to take his seventy-five thousand roubles back, declaring she lets him go free for nothing. After the scandalous conclusion of the evening, Totski and Ptitsin walk away together, with Totski reflecting that Nastasia is an uncut diamond and that he had done all he possibly could. The marriage between Alexandra and Totski is subsequently broken off, much to the joy of Mrs. Epanchin. After a time, it becomes known that Totski has married a French marquise and is to be carried off by her to Paris, and then to Brittany. The general, who had regretted Totski for a long while, sighs that he is lost to them for good now.
