"Under Western Eyes" is regarded in British and American academic circles as a companion piece to Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment". The protagonist Razumov is a top student at St. Petersburg University and hates revolution. His classmate Holding came to his residence to hide after assassinating a government official. However, he was afraid of being implicated and reported Holding, causing the latter to be executed by the government. But Razumov did not return to the study life he had hoped for because of his informant. Instead, he was coerced by government intelligence agencies and sent to Geneva, Switzerland, to spy on exiled Russian revolutionaries. In Geneva, Razumov happened to meet Holding's mother and sister. When Holding's sister confided her love to him, Razumov was tortured by his conscience and told the truth. He was eventually retaliated by the revolutionaries, beaten to deafness, and ended up spending the rest of his life in a remote village in Russia with a maid.
Reader comments
Conrad, with his delicate brushwork and profound insight, vividly depicts the protagonist Razumov's inner struggle and sinking fate. This novel not only reveals the cruel autocracy of the Tsarist Russian government, but also explores the complexity and weakness of human nature. Conrad's narrative skills and thoughts on human nature are amazing, giving readers a deeper understanding of the society of that era. This is a masterpiece worth reading again and again.
Conrad, with his delicate brushwork and profound insight, vividly depicts the protagonist Razumov's inner struggle and sinking fate. This novel not only reveals the cruel autocracy of the Tsarist Russian government, but also explores the complexity and weakness of human nature. Conrad's narrative skills and thoughts on human nature are amazing, giving readers a deeper understanding of the society of that era. This is a masterpiece worth reading again and again.