The Brothers Karamazov

Within Dostoyevsky’s The Grand Inquisitor and Herman Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener are expressive figures facing problems of an existential nature. Consumed by an inability to find purpose in life, their actions and reactions become characterized by absurd and illogical streaks. The characters begin to align with the ideas surrounding existentialism, most notably with the “sense of disorientation and confusion in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world." As they attempt to…

intellectual and detached characteristic contrasts the active love Father Zosima teachers and Alyosha practices. In the end, there is a hope for Ivan, who mirrors the classic war between the mind and heart. Ivan proclaims that if nothing else, the Karamazovs all share a “passion for living.” In Fyodor’s case, this passion consists of a constant appetite for sensual gratification. Alyosha, however, simply desires to be connected to the world and its creatures, spreading love and understanding.…

if not all, of both authors’ works, large novels and short stories alike. Both authors seem to agree that, under many circumstances, lustful feelings and actions are terribly sinful and lead to awful consequences. Both War and Peace and The Brothers Karamazov, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky’s greatest works, respectively, portray characters that have an incredible sexual desire for a person or several people. From Natasha in War and Peace to Fyodor…

In the book The Brother Karamazov, two of the major themes that are discussed in the chapter of Rebellion are the contrasting relationships between naturalism and Christianity in relation to suffering. To better understand the relationship between both of these differing beliefs, it is best understood from the main character’s perspective, who is Ivan. He does not endorse either naturalism or Christianity because he believes that neither of them are the solution to stop the suffering in the…

In The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky displays how a paternal relationship can affect a child’s outcome. Fyodor Pavlovich bore four sons of three different women, Dmitri, Ivan, Alyosha, and Smerdyakov. The four sons’ upbringings were not ideal as it fell upon other people, like servants and distant relatives to raise them , instead of their real parents. Due to Pavlovich’s absence in his son’s lives, the boys were raised in turmoil without a solid parental figure to lean on for support.…

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,…

sloth, wrath, and greed. The presence of sin is unwelcome but runs current into the lives of mankind, bringing havoc along its trail. In the 19th-century Russian novel, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, the little to nothing father and son relationship between the protagonists Fyodor and Dmitri crumbles as both Karamazovs antagonize each other with the seven deadly sins. Their alternating conflict ends abruptly when Fyodor is brutally murdered and Dmitri is wrongly accused of the…

In the brother’s Karamazov, Ivan’s Inability to analyze his own actions ultimately leads to his insanity, in contrast to Alyosha who is a reflective person able to show more compassion for people. The idea that those who are better able to reflect on their actions show better ability to make wise choices is a common theme in the brothers Karamazov, and can specifically be seen between Alyosha and Ivan, who both differ ideologically in their beliefs about god and humanity. Ivan is an atheist…

two very religious brothers to discuss God, the meaning of life and the role of God in life. He calls into question whether God is truly benevolent or a god of “Mockery” who enjoys watching mankind suffer and struggle. In this passage, Ivan is telling the story of the encounter between “the grand inquisitor” and Jesus Christ. Ivan had previously discussed how the inquisitor had questioned Jesus and his true intentions as God and in the passage above Ivan questions his brother about the possible…

Dostoevsky frames what he calls the “Eastern Question” differently in Diary of a Writer. Pan-Slavism comes from a desire for “blessed and genuine union of all humanity in a…universal alliance whose fundamental principles are already found in the animating spirit of the Slavs and above all in the spirit of the great Russian People” (Dostoevsky, 1063-64). It is not a quest for vengeance and murder as posited by Levin. Even in interactions with the Turkish enemy, Russians are noted for their…