The Body and Mind, a Second World, and Reclamation of Humanity: Themes of the Russian Prison Text
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Claire Brouillard
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2021-12-17T19:53:41+00:00
In the canon of Russian literature, there is a tradition of prison texts. The beginning of this tradition dates back hundreds of years and the texts typically chronicle either the author’s experience in prison or a fictional yet factual account of prison. For instance, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes from a Dead House is a fictional rendition of Dostoevsky’s own prison experience, while Leonid Andreyev’s Seven Who Were Hanged is a fictional account of a group’s experience on death row. In contrast to these texts, Vera Figner’s Memoirs of Revolutionist is the author’s memoir documenting her own prison experience. Although these texts were not all written during the same historical period and have varying levels of fictional elements, they share many similar themes. All three narratives deal with the relationship between the body and the mind, a second world with its own rules, and the reclamation of humanity. Through these themes, the writers are able to give a compelling description of how incarceration affects prisoners during their time in prison. While every prisoner’s experience may be different, themes such as these highlight the shared experience of incarceration and its physical and mental effects on prisoners in the writing of Dostoevsky, Andreyev, and Figner.
In Notes from a Dead House, the narrator, Goryanchikov, firmly believes that there is a strong connection between the body and the mind. For Goryanchikov, this means that he believes he can judge character based on appearance. For inmates such as Alei, whom Goryanchikov deems extraordinary, “His whole soul [is] expressed in his handsome—one might even say beautiful—face” (Dostoevsky 60). Alei’s physical appearance is a reflection of his goodness; Goryanchikov sees beauty in both his appearance and his soul. Other prisoners, such as Shishkov, a “cowardly and flimsy fellow” who killed his wife, are described as having “eyes [that are] somehow restless, and sometimes as if dully pensive” (212). In Shishkov’s eyes, Goryanchikov sees a reflection of his inner mind and thought process. This implies that one’s appearance is a physical representation of mind and soul.
A similar connection between the body and mind is seen through Sergey in Seven Who Were Hanged, as after he receives his execution sentence, he decides to manipulate his physical form. He first decides to exercise, but as his body grows stronger, so does his fear of death. To combat this, he decides to grow weaker as “he [threatens] his body, and at the same time sadly, yet tenderly he [feels] his flabby, softened muscles with his hand” (Andreyev 242). This threat to his form shows that Sergey’s mind holds power over his body; his body is simply the vessel in which his mind exists. It is the fears that his mind and soul hold that motivate him to manipulate his physical form, and it is his mind that he cannot alter.
The mind’s power over the body is also shown in Figner’s Memoirs of a Revolutionist, as Figner enters the prison and “[her] soul flew off somewhere, or rather it retreated and shrunk into a tiny lump. There was left only [her] body, which knew neither shame nor moral pain” (Figner 180). Throughout her incarceration, Figner is able to separate the pain and torture that her physical form experiences from her mind and soul, believing that it does not matter what happens to her body as long as her mind and soul remain intact. When Figner is finally able to see her family, she seems to lose control of her mind for the first time as “[her] consciousness, like an outside observer, [stands] terrified, and [asks]: What is happening? Will this go on, and am I losing my mind?” (305). In this instance, she is again separating her body and her mind, as her body does not experience the same fear and loss of control that her mind does. This division differs from the others, as it is her mind that is experiencing turmoil instead of her physical form. Nonetheless, the experience is separate from her body, meaning that this division is seen throughout all three texts and unites them under this theme.
Another theme seen throughout these texts is separation from the outside world. When Goryanchikov first arrives, he describes being “in a special world, unlike anything else; it [has] its own special laws, its own clothing, its own morals and customs, an alive dead house, a life like nowhere else, and special people (Dostoevsky 8). This description illustrates how the prison seems to be its own world, showing that in order for incarcerated people to survive, they must learn the morals and customs of this society that is new to them. The image of the dead house itself is a metaphor for the prison: it is a house without the warmth of a home and it holds those who are socially dead. This shows not only a separation between the prisoners and the outside world, but also an inversion in a domestic space. This house provides shelter, but instead of providing comfort it keeps inmates trapped inside.
Similarly, when Sergey’s parents come to visit him before his execution, there seems to be a difference in their behavior and appearance inside and outside of the prison. They find it “terrible for them to utter even a word, as though each word in the language had lost its individual meaning and meant but one thing—Death” (Andreyev 227). It is as though the meaning of their words has changed inside the prison as they are consumed by the thoughts of their son’s death. Sergey’s father also “had been taller than Sergey, but now he became short, and his dry, downy head lay like a white ball upon his son’s shoulder” (229). This shows a reversal of the father and son roles: Sergey has grown taller than his father and now must comfort him in his time of trouble. This transformation occurs only inside the prison, showing that while the prison may have similarities to the outside world, it is not subject to the traditions of society and instead has its own customs and roles for prisoners to play.
The idea of prison being separate from the outside world is also present in Figner’s text. When she arrives at her prison, she notes that “it called to mind one’s native village” (Figner 179). In spite of the nostalgia this might elicit, it shows how prison creates its own society; it creates its own village. While she is being checked by the military doctor, she also describes a woman “who had the physiognomy and manners of a housekeeper in charge of a ‘respectable’ home” (180). Like the dead house, these descriptions make it seem as though the prison is a house or village separate from society. It has its own houses and its own housekeepers, but they function differently than homes and housekeepers in the outside world. The houses keep prisoners from leaving instead of providing shelter and warmth and these housekeepers keep prisoners in line instead of keeping a home clean. These distinctions and references to the outside world show that there is a connection between the outside world in the prison, but that the prison society is somewhat warped due to the prisoners’ lack of autonomy. This is seen in all three texts, as they all invert domestic concepts. This is significant because a prison acts as a dwelling for those who are incarcerated, but it lacks the warmth and familiarity associated with the domesticity of the outside world.
In these texts, prisoners make efforts to reclaim their humanity. For Goryanchikov and his fellow inmates, this reclamation of humanity happens at Christmas, when “the prisoner unconsciously [feels] that by observing the holiday he [is] as if in contact with the whole world, that he [is] therefore not entirely an outcast, a lost man, a cut-off slice, that things in prison were the same as among other people” (Dostoevsky 131). Observing the holiday allows the prisoners to feel as if they are not alone, as if they are still connected to the outside world and its conventions. On this day, the prisoners are also guarded more leniently, giving them a sense of greater autonomy even though they still have very little, if any, which also connects them to the outside world. This also relates to the domestic inversion of prison, as Christmas is celebrated with inmates who act as a dysfunctional family. This allows the prisoners to recover the humanity that they have been stripped of, if only for a day.
Sergey and his comrades are also able to reclaim their humanity through connection to others. While they are on their way to be hanged, “they [glance] at each other, [smile] and immediately [begin] to feel at ease and unrestrained, as before” (Andreyev 254). This lack of restraint again echoes feelings of autonomy, but for this group it is the sense of camaraderie that connects them most to the outside world. Before their arrest and trial, the group worked very closely together and cared very deeply for each other, as if they were a family. They lose this connection in prison, as they kept separate for almost three weeks, but they are once again able to experience human connection before their deaths. It is this connection that allows them to reclaim their humanity in their final moments.
Like Sergey and his comrades, Figner also reclaims her humanity through human connection. When Ludmila Alexandrovna enters the prison, she and Figner quickly befriend each other and Figner notes that “she was [her comfort, [her] joy and happiness” and that “her smile alone, and the sight of her dear face dispelled [her] grief, and gladdened my heart” (Figner 196-197). By connecting with another human being, Figner’s spirits are lifted and she is comforted. Human connection is such a vital piece of humanity and is one of the pieces that suffers the most in prison, especially when prisoners are kept in solitary confinement. In these narratives, whenever characters are able to connect with each other, they feel almost as if they are connecting with the outside world where they were free to connect with others whenever they pleased. It is these connections that allow prisoners to reclaim the humanity that they are stripped of as they lose their autonomy.
The themes of the relationship between the body and the mind, separation from the outside world, and reclamation of humanity allow Dostoevsky, Andreyev, and Figner to represent incarceration in a manner that draws attention to the horrors that prisoners experience. Through the relationship of the body and the mind, we see how prisoners are forced to separate their minds from their bodies so that they are better able to handle to physical pain and torture of being incarcerated. This connects the texts, as it shows that while incarcerated, prisoners may find it beneficial to treat their mind as an entity that is separate from their physical being. Goryanchikov sees the body as a mere reflection of the mind, meaning that he holds the importance of the mind above that of the body. For Sergey and Figner, the body seems to be a container for the mind; as long as the mind is in control, it does not matter what happens to the body. By treating the body in this way, prisoners are able to better cope with the pain that is inflicted upon their bodies, allowing them to survive in dire conditions.
The separation from the outside world shows how prisoners are forced to learn new customs and social orders so that they can function inside the prison. By doing this, they become separated from the customs of the outside world, making it difficult for them to relearn social conventions and be rehabilitated into the outside world. The domestic inversion speaks to the idea that prison is a shelter inhabited by inmates, but it is unlike any shelter they might find elsewhere. This is because they lack autonomy, meaning that instead of being in control of their house or their housekeepers, these entities have control over them, as the walls of the prison keep them inside and the guards hold power over the inmates. Due to lack of human connection, prisoners are also deprived of humanity. By reclaiming this, the authors show how much prisoners lose along with their autonomy and how they are not allowed to function as they would in the outside world. This shows how the restrictive nature of prison does not benefit inmates, but instead causes harm to their emotional well being. These themes directly connect to the shared experience of incarceration and show how prisoners are forced to relearn how to survive because prison is so unlike the outside world. The Russian prison text functions as a demonstration of the prison experience and how it permanently affects prisoners as they are stripped of their humanity. This allows not only those who do not have personal experience to understand incarceration but might also provide a sense of comfort for current and former prisoners in the sense that they know someone has also experienced what they are being forced to go through—as evidenced by the intertextual nature of the Russian Prison Text.
BibliographyAndreyev, Leonid. Seven Who Were Hanged. Ten Modern Short Novels, edited by Leo Hamalian and Edmond L. Volpe, 195-274. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1958.
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Notes from a Dead House. Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. New York: Vintage Classics, 2015.
Figner, Vera. a. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 1991.
