Bridget Fyson
Johnson
AP Lit, Per. 1
7 October 2015
Brothers Karamazov Discussion Questions
Alyosha is the saintly character in the novel that puts away his own self-interests for the sake of others. He is patient with his father and tries to see the good in people. Alyosha’s caring ways differ from that of Ivan. Ivan makes decisions based on intellect and has a pessimistic view of the world. Ivan does not believe in God, contrary to Alyosha’s devout faith, and looks for reason over emotion, often leaving him unhappy and dissatisfied. The oldest brother, Dmitri reflects characteristics of both Alyosha and Ivan in that he is not an atheist and truly wants to be a good person, but also is led into temptation, often leading away from God. He …show more content…
His sons are embarrassed of his crude nature and have a bitterness towards him. He is neglectful of his own sons because he is too self-absorbed with his own pain from his wife’s rejection of him and eventually her death. When Dmitri, his oldest son believes he has a fortune to accept when he is of age, Fyodor cruelly deceives Dmitri and leaves him with nothing. Fyodor also makes fun of Alyosha and the church in general. Nevertheless, Fyodor is disliked by most characters in the novel.
Fyodor’s relationship with Smerdyakov is unlike his relationship with his sons because Smerdyakov is illegitimate. Fyodor treats Smerdyakov as if he were one of the servants. Although he does not show his other three sons an immense amount of love, he still feels responsible for their success in some way and does not discard them completely when they come to …show more content…
He does not understand how children, the epitome of innocence, can endure so much pain while there is a higher being that allows it to go on. Ivan’s rejection of God is shown in the story because it discusses how the church chose to follow the works of Satan rather than Christ. This is because Christ gave humanity the freedom to choose how to live their life and what to believe in. Ivan’s story states that Christ should have given security instead because humans tend to choose the wrong path, thus leading humanity to a world of pain. The Grand Inquisitor therefore provides humanity with comfort, and rejects free will even if it will lead them all to
Johnson
AP Lit, Per. 1
7 October 2015
Brothers Karamazov Discussion Questions
Alyosha is the saintly character in the novel that puts away his own self-interests for the sake of others. He is patient with his father and tries to see the good in people. Alyosha’s caring ways differ from that of Ivan. Ivan makes decisions based on intellect and has a pessimistic view of the world. Ivan does not believe in God, contrary to Alyosha’s devout faith, and looks for reason over emotion, often leaving him unhappy and dissatisfied. The oldest brother, Dmitri reflects characteristics of both Alyosha and Ivan in that he is not an atheist and truly wants to be a good person, but also is led into temptation, often leading away from God. He …show more content…
His sons are embarrassed of his crude nature and have a bitterness towards him. He is neglectful of his own sons because he is too self-absorbed with his own pain from his wife’s rejection of him and eventually her death. When Dmitri, his oldest son believes he has a fortune to accept when he is of age, Fyodor cruelly deceives Dmitri and leaves him with nothing. Fyodor also makes fun of Alyosha and the church in general. Nevertheless, Fyodor is disliked by most characters in the novel.
Fyodor’s relationship with Smerdyakov is unlike his relationship with his sons because Smerdyakov is illegitimate. Fyodor treats Smerdyakov as if he were one of the servants. Although he does not show his other three sons an immense amount of love, he still feels responsible for their success in some way and does not discard them completely when they come to …show more content…
He does not understand how children, the epitome of innocence, can endure so much pain while there is a higher being that allows it to go on. Ivan’s rejection of God is shown in the story because it discusses how the church chose to follow the works of Satan rather than Christ. This is because Christ gave humanity the freedom to choose how to live their life and what to believe in. Ivan’s story states that Christ should have given security instead because humans tend to choose the wrong path, thus leading humanity to a world of pain. The Grand Inquisitor therefore provides humanity with comfort, and rejects free will even if it will lead them all to