Point of View

Dostoevsky writes in the third person, but limits the point of view to the main character Golyadkin. As a result, the reader gets an insight into Golyadkin's descent into madness, constantly knowing the strangeness of his ideas, firstly through Dostoevsky's use of free association and secondly by the extent he isolates himself from others. From the beginning it is obvious his strange behavior has been going on for a while by the way the characters react towards him. However, he rarely questions them personally on why they are acting in that way. This becomes Golyadkin's downfall because his mind becomes so withdrawn that he has no choice but to see the laughs, stares and bluntness of the people around him as the reactions of an enemy.

Since the reader sees everything through Golyadkin's eyes, Dostoevesky can convincingly present the characters as all part of a conspiracy...