Myshkyn's character

[The lone cake face]

A sanctimonious way to look at it. The essence of Myshkin's saintliness is the meek submission that he (and the Christian faith) espouses. Maybe not so much on the latter. But the point remains. Extreme goodness is not validated in some way by the effects it has on the external corporeal world. Rather, it is self-contained (and i think Dostoevsky was trying to say this) submissive and ultimately doomed to destruction in the bitter, cynical world of every-day life.

[Sally]

Yes, Myshkyn was good and saintly. But he was unforgiveably weak. What happened to the man who, early on, rallied the children - and ultimately the citizens - of a small Swiss village on behalf of a suffering young woman?<br><br>Why didn't he stand up for Ippolit, for example, a young (18 years old!) man close to death, rather than allowing the revellers to mock him mercilessly. Why couldn't he tell Aglaia how he felt about her? No wonder the Mme Epanchin wasn't sure he was a good match for her daughter! <br><br>Saintliness is more than dumb unselfishness -- it is the willingness to confront evil and wrongdoing and make a real difference by opposing it.