Dostoevsky's Formulation of the Problem of Suffering “That's rebellion” is Alyosha's response to his brother Ivan's solution of the problem of suffering in the world (Dostoevsky 16). What other response could be expected from a devout follower of the “word”? Yet, it is intriguing the Alyosha's response is, as Dostoevsky explains it, “murmured” while “looking down” (Dostoevsky 16). Perhaps this is a literary “tell” or a purposefully inserted reaction that Dostoevsky thinks is an appropriate psychological response to what Alyosha has just heard? Whatever it may be, there is surely some explanation needed for Ivan's claim that: “I don't want harmony. From love for humanity I don't want it. I would rather be left with the unavenged suffering.
