The Margin

Object

Mitya's Fatal Letter

Also known as a drunken letter.

Mitya's fatal letter first appears as a document in Katerina's possession that Ivan says proves Dmitri meant to kill his father. Alyosha rejects that conclusion at once, insisting that Dmitri is not the murderer. At this horizon the letter is frightening because its contents are still only Ivan's claim and Katerina's hidden power.

XI-VII. The Second Visit To Smerdyakov

The letter is shown in full as a drunken, frantic note written on cheap paper at the Metropolis, threatening violence against Fyodor Pavlovitch if Dmitri cannot find money elsewhere.

XII-V. A Sudden Catastrophe

After Ivan's courtroom collapse, Katerina produces the letter before the judges, and its apparent fit with the case becomes the strongest blow against Dmitri.

XII-XI. There Was No Money. There Was No Robbery

Fetyukovitch tries to blunt the letter by calling it the shout of a drunken man rather than a program of murder, and by separating its threats from proof that robbery occurred.

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The Margin

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Mitya's Fatal Letter