Summary of White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky
White Nights Synopsis
Published in 1848, White Nights, or Belye Nochi in Russian, is one of Dostoevsky’s earlier works.
Told in a first person narrative, the nameless narrator lives alone in St. Petersburg. He suffers from intense loneliness, alienation and longing. He meets and falls in love with a beautiful woman named Nastenka. But, she does not love him in back.
In the end, Nastenka reunites with her long lost lover, leaving the narrator is alone once more.
Book Information
Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Genre: Classics, Romance
Themes: Loneliness, Fleeting Love, Dreams vs. Reality, Emotional Vulnerability
Tone: Romantic, Melancholic, Introspective
Published: 1848 (Published in English in 1918)
Page Count: 128 (Penguin Classics)
Plot Summary
The short story takes place over four nights and a morning.
First Night
“It was a wonderful night, the kind of night, dear reader, which is only possible when we are young. The sky was so starry, it was such a bright sky that looking at it you could not help but ask yourself: is it really possible for bad-tempered and capricious people to live under such a sky?”
The narrator begins by describing his experience of walking through St. Petersburg. He expresses his feelings of distress. The people he usually sees on his walks are gone, far away from the city into the countryside. He presents himself as a reactionary man. If the people walking by were joyful or sad, then so was he. Not being able to see the faces he always recognized made him feel completely alone. The narrator lives with his old and unsociable maid Matryona. Yet, it makes no difference to how he feels. He is completely alone.
The narrator begins telling the tale of his encounter with Nastenka. One summer night, he meets a crying woman. After saving her from a drunkard, the two characters spark conversation.
The narrator tells Nastenka about his feelings of loneliness. He talks about his lack of courage with regards to speaking to women. She reassures him as they continue their walk through the city. They spend the night together talking about themselves. The narrator talks about his dream of having a woman in his life who loves him.
Once they finally reach Nastenka’s door, he asks if he will ever see her again. They both say that they will be at the same spot tomorrow, the place where they first met. If the two happen to meet there tomorrow, Nastenka will tell the narrator her story and be with him. The only condition is this: the narrator must not fall in love her no matter what.
Second Night
“The dreamer—if you want an exact definition—is not a human being, but a creature of an intermediate sort.”
The two meet again and talk about their personal lives. The narrator speaks very little of himself, saying that he has lived no life at all due to his loneliness. He says the he is a “dreamer”, dreaming up a life that he has always wanted before his own eyes. To him, reality is boring. The narrator lives in his own world of dreams. He fantasizes about all things from befriending poets to having a woman in his life.
Nastenka tells the narrator that she will be his friend. She tells him the story of her life. She speaks of the restricted upbringing she had due to her strict and blind grandmother. The house the two lived in contained a room that served as a lodging. This is how she met a particular young man. Nastenka is cared for by the young man, who helps her to develop a reading habit and brings her to the opera.
On the night that the young man is to leave the lodging, Nastenka urges him to marry her. He tells her that he does not have the money to fund such a thing, but insists that he will return to her in a years time.
Nastenka reveals to the narrator that a year has now passed. She has not received a single letter from the young man in this time.
Third Night
Despite the boundaries set by Nastenka, the narrator has developed feelings. Regardless, he helps her write and send off a letter to her lover, the young man, and that he hides his love for her. Waiting for a sign from the young man, Nastenka becomes more fond of their relationship.
Nastenka is completely unaware of the narrators feelings for her. Yet, she admits that she loves him because he hasn’t fallen in love with her. Full of despair, the narrator begins to feel alienation from Nastenka.
Fourth Night
Nastenka is losing hope because she knows that the young man is in St. Petersburg, but hasn’t contacted her. In trying to comfort her, the narrator breaks. He confesses his feelings for her. Nastenka becomes confused as the narrator says that the two should never meet again. Nastenka insists that the narrator should stay. She suggests that they could have a romantic relationship one day in the future. This fills the narrator with immense hope.
As they continue walking through the city, the two meet a young man; Nastenka’s lover. She jumps into his arms, before leaving the narrator with a kiss.
Nastenka and the young man walk into the white night. leaving the narrator with a broken heart. He is alone once again.
The Morning
“May your sky be always clear, may your dear smile be always bright and happy, and may you be for ever blessed for that moment of bliss and happiness which you gave to another lonely and grateful heart … Good Lord, only a moment of bliss? Isn’t such a moment sufficient for the whole of a man’s life?”
The morning is an afterword about a letter that the narrator has received from Nastenka. She apologizes for hurting him and that she will forever be grateful for his help and compassion. She plans marrying within a week and hopes to see the narrator at the wedding.
Reading the letter, the narrator begins to cry. Matryona interrupts him, causing him to wonder. Will he too become old without a partner? Yet, he does not give up hope, as the story comes to an end.
Theme Analysis
Loneliness
The narrator is desperate for a meaningful human relationship. Dostoevsky provides an insight into the mind of a man who is yearning for love.
Fleeting Love
Dostoevsky highlights the transient nature of love. We can see the pain that comes with unrequited love through the character of the narrator. His feelings for Nastenka showcase the perishability of human relationships.
Dreams vs. Reality
The narrator is a self-proclaimed “dreamer”. He would much rather conjure up a false reality than face the truth of being itself. The narrator would rather live in a world of delusion.
Emotional Vulnerability
Nastenka acts as a vehicle that for the narrator to express his feelings. He struggles, but he manages to open up and talk about his feelings to the longing Nastenka.
Conclusion
White Nights is a terrific short story and a quick read. It is easy to comprehend and does a great job at exploring the depth of the human psyche.
Love is transient in this tale. Dostoevsky explores human feelings like love, despair and longing. He also tackles complex themes like loneliness and dream-like delusion. Although not his most lengthy piece of work, the impact that the story leaves on the reader is profound.
After reading this book, one cannot help but ask an important question. Should we be dreaming our life away, within a world of mundaneness, pain and upsetting truths? Why not live in the world you want to live in inside your head?
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