Comparison Between Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky and Herman Melville

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Comparison between Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky and Herman Melville
A majority of authors of the past would be surprised at how successful their works have become long after they are gone. Some of these authors never got the recognition or received any financial success with their works. In fact, many were poor but continued writing holding on to the hope that one day, their works will bring about the success they anticipated. However, the success they wanted never seemed to come around. A good example is Herman Melville. Melville is famous for writing a lot of books, but a majority of these came to be critically acclaimed long after he had died. For example, his masterpiece Moby-Dick was not appreciated as it is today. However, he kept on writing. His story is similar to that of Fyodor Dostoevsky who enriched the world of literature with his writing as well. However, like Melville, Dostoevsky did not live to see how his work is currently viewed. These two authors are indeed on a pedestal as far as literature is concerned as their works have helped to pave the way for today’s authors. This essay thus seeks to take a deeper look at their lives as well as a comparison of some of two of their works that stand out till today.
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Dostoevsky was born in 1821 as the second child to a strict father and a kind father. Being born in such a family influenced him and what he came to write later in his life. From an early age, Dostoevsky showed the spirit of a rebel and school life for him was a boring adventure. Unlike today, school life back then was ordinary, and students were expected to follow similar routines throughout their lives. So, for Dostoevsky, he decided to bury himself deep into literary works of the time. He read what was being published at the time and unknowingly to him, his desire to write grew. His life, however, took a turn for the worst when his father was murdered. After his father’s death, Dostoevsky was preoccupied with death. It is said that some of his works were influenced by the events that led to his father’s death. A theme like crime was also quite evident in his works, for example, in Crime and Punishment, death and crime take center stage.
Once he came of age, Dostoevsky joined the army, and after two years in the army, he started writing. Poor Folk was his first, and this was quite successful. With his first literary piece, Dostoevsky had already catapulted himself to the summit of Russian literature. The groundwork had been laid, and it was only left for Dostoevsky to continue with his ascend. However, immediately after Poor Folk, things changed in Russia, and a period of change was initiated. Not to be left behind, Dostoevsky threw himself in the middle of it all and through his pieces, he made sure that he was involved in the political matters of the day. Knowing that it was illegal to publish certain material, Dostoevsky continued to publish and soon the government caught up with him and his friends.
He was arrested, sent to jail, and sentenced to death. However, this was only a ploy to make sure he will be silenced. Once the death sentence was rescinded, Dostoevsky was sent to Siberia where he was imprisoned for four years. After prison, he regained his appetite for writing, and this is where his genius was born. Notes from Underground came in 1864 and in this particular piece, he provides details of how mankind often craves freedom more than happiness. He shows that individual freedom appears more important to many within the human race. However, he does make it clear that this freedom has to be kept in check. Later on, Dostoevsky delivered Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Possessed, among others. All these were masterpieces and continued to elevate him in the world of literature.
Herman Melville
Herman was born two years before Dostoevsky was born (1819). He was born to Allan Melvill and Maria Gansevoort. His father was a successful businessman, and Melville’s family was thus rich at the time. However, things changed as soon as their father died in 1832, and the family was left with huge loans to pay. For their mother, feeding a family of eight children was indeed a tall order, and soon everyone had to play a role in making sure the family had something to eat and run their businesses.
As a young boy, Herman was struck by scarlet fever and by the time he was age seven, he had already lost his left eyesight. This made for a troubled childhood and coupled with the fact that the family was struggling, Herman’s life was set for a troublesome ending. His education was not as consistent as he would have liked, but Herman soldiered on. Like Dostoevsky, his desire to write was slowly growing inside him.
At some point in his life, Melville started working as a cabin boy and here is where his writing prowess started to show. In 1846, he published his first piece called Typee, which was inspired by what he had done and saw during his many sea travels. This is quite similar to Dostoevsky whose work was also influenced by his life and what he had gone through. The reaction from this piece encouraged him to do more, and he continued to ...