The Brothers Karamazov

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brothers_Karamazov (for the images) - The book The Brothers Karamazov was Dostoevsky's last book that he published before he died. It was a philosophical fiction type of book which touched upon numerous topics that were controversial at the time and honestly still are such as existentialism, religion, free will, and morality. The majority of these topics are confronted in the chapter The Grand Inquisitor which is also sold separately from the whole of the novel.

Author Biographical Information
Dostoevsky was born on October 30, 1821 in Moscow. In 1837 he moved to St. Petersburg and attended the School of Military Engineers and was later made a lieutenant. However, 1n 1844 he resigned and began his life as an author. When he published Poor Folk in 1846 he was regarded highly for it and was believed to be one of the most promising young authors at the time. Yet, his subsequent few novels were not as successful, and gained him quite a bit of criticism. He also joined a group known as the Petrashevski circle. Later, in 1848 a wave reactionary sentiment flowed forth and the members of the circle were arrested and he was sent to Omsk in Siberia. After his return he published two more books and began a journal with his brother who along with his wife died shortly afterward. In the wake of these crises he fell into debt and was forced to flee Russia to avoid indictment. However, this flight led to one of the most productive periods of his life literarily. Later in his life he began work on a cycle of works to be known as The Life of a Great Sinner, however, he died one year after the publication of the first book in the cycle The Brothers Karamazov published on 1880. Source: The Brothers Karamazov biographical note

Setting: Historical Information
Much of the actual historical significance of the setting comes from the Optina Monastery in which Alyosha is said to reside for much of the novel. All the same Father Zosima is said to have been created to be similar Saint Amvrosy who resided at the monastery during Dostoevsky’s life.

Source: The Brothers Karamazov book

Genre
Dostoevsky created this novel not merely to be a work of fiction but also discuss the controversial topics of religion and freedom (the latter being discussed directly and bluntly in The Grand Inquisitor). In doing so this novel follows a number of other fictitious works with similar intent.

Plot Summary
The story opens with a description of Fyodor Karamazov and his children’s pasts. Then, it transitions to the gathering of the characters at the monastery at which Alyosha resides which for the most part goes rather badly for all involved. In book III it transitions to a focus on the sensualistic nature of the Karamazov family as a whole (much to Alyosha’s horror). The following book centers on Alyosha’s conviction that Katerina Ivanova’s current dilemma and mental state was due to “self-laceration”. The chapter which is subsequent (Pro and Contra) is about Alyosha’s haste to try and set in motion plans that he believes will set things right with his brothers, and then it later shifts to focus on Ivan and Alyosha’s conversation and Ivan’s poem The Grand Inquisitor. The following book goes into depth on the past of Father Zosima who Alyosha so deeply cares for. The next book Alyosha which is quite aptly named as it details one of Alyosha’s more tumultuous struggles (this one being with not only Father Zosima’s death but also his meeting with Grushenka. The subsequent book Mitya details Dmitri’s struggle to get money to pay back Katerina Ivanova the money he owes her so he can elope with Grushenka which leads to his implied killing of his father and subsequent arrest for it. The book The Preliminary Investigation is fairly representative of its contents and focuses on the interrogation of Dmitri. The following book is on the subject of the school boys who fleetingly appeared in Lacerations (book IV) and of Ilusha’s (one of the school boys) worsening health. The next book describes Ivan’s effect upon those around him and his meetings with Smerdyakov and the confession that Smerdyakov killed Fyodor Karamazov due to Ivan’s statements; it also covers Ivan’s hallucination. The last chapter covers the full trial of Dmitri and the various testimonies for and against Dmitri and his eventual guilty verdict. The epilogue discusses Dmitri’s plans to escape hard labor in Siberia and the funeral of Ilusha.

Characters
1 Alyosha Karamazov

2

Dmitri Karamazov

3

Ivan Karamazov

4 Pavel Smerdyakov

5 Fyodor Karamazov

6 Father Zosima

7 Grushenka

8 Katerina Ivanovna

1

Protagonist, main character

2 Major character, older half-brother of Alyosha

3 Major character, older brother of Alyosha

4 Rumored half-brother of Alyosha, major character

5

Father of Alyosha, major character

6

Major character, spiritual guide to Alyosha

7

Major character, mistress of both Dmitri and Fyodor Karamazov 8

Major character, wife of Dmitri 1 It is through his eyes that we view the plight of the Karamazovs.

2

He is the focus of most of Alyosha’s attempts to mend his family.

3

He is the existential foil to Alyosha in the novel.

4

He is the rumored son of Fyodor Karamazov whom he kills. After which Smerdyakov commits suicide.

5 He is the drunk father of Alyosha who attempts to bring his eldest son Dmitri to ruin.

6 He serves to guide Alyosha and to foster his characteristic faith and generosity

7 She serves to enhance the hate between Dmitri and Fyodor Karamazov.

8

She is the wife of Dmitri who is trying to regain her husband from Grushenka. 1 Pure, honest, generous

2

Sensualistic, violent, alcoholic

3

Nihilistic, existentialist, serious

4

Unstable, atheist, cold

5 Alcoholic, hateful, buffoon

6 Kind, generous, religious

7 Violent, manipulative, lascivious

8 Intelligent, unstable, patient

Author's Style
The author Dostoevsky writes in a rather chilling and moving style that truly moves one to despair as the characters move towards their own undoing. “Now Alyosha was impressed by Madame Hohlakov’s blunt and persistent assertion that Katerina Ivanova was in love with Ivan and only deceived herself through some sort of pose, from “self-laceration,” and tortured herself by her pretended love for Dmitri from some fancied duty of gratitude.” ~page 95

Setting
The story takes place in a village and the nearby monastery. The village is described as being poor and the most notable locations within are Grushenka’s home, Fyodor’s home, the tavern, Katerina Ivanonva’s home, and Ilyusha’s home.

Themes
That mankind has descended into a realm of darkness that is sinfulness. /That no one person can create a significant impact even if they are pure and filled with conviction.

Motifs
The single most reoccurring idea in this novel is sin which is visible and often discussed at almost every change in setting in the novel. This in and of itself helps to illustrate that sinfulness is tearing the family apart and eventually leads to the ruin of most of the characters.

Symbols
The Grand Inquisitor represents the sins of religion./

Grushenka represents the sins of mankind./

Ivan represents the hopelessness of purpose and existence./

Katerina represents the sins of obsession./

Fyodor and Dmitri represent the sins of hatred./

Alyosha represents the little purity left in the world./

Smerdyakov represents the sins of ignorance and following.

Significance of the Opening/Closing Scenes
OPENING:The opening scene serves to inform the reader about Fyodor Karamazov and his sons giving a picture of their conflicting personalities and backgrounds to foreshadow future conflict. CLOSING:The closing scene has Alyosha leaving town after giving a speech to the schoolboys which serves to give the reader more hope about the future in an otherwise tragic book.

Memorable Quotes
“that if I didn’t believe in life, if I lost faith in the woman I love, lost faith in the order of things, were convinced, in fact, that everything is a disorderly, damnable, and perhaps devil-ridden chaos, if I were struck by every horror of man’s disillusionment- still I should want to live,” ~ page 118

This statement covers a subject which Dostoevsky purposefully inserted: the antithesis of Alyosha’s religious zeal, nihilistic sentiment. - “Certainly, love it [life], regardless of logic as you say, it must be regardless of logic, and it’s only then one will understand the meaning of it. I have thought so a long time. Half your work is done, Ivan, you love life, now you’ve only to try to do the second half and you are saved.” ~page 119

This is Alyosha’s response to Ivan’s existentialism and atheism implemented to create immense contrast to the reader. -- “You are trying to save me, but perhaps I am not lost!” ~page 119

This is Ivan’s rebuttal to Alyosha’s attempts to save his soul; contesting that perhaps he does not need to be saved as he does not need his religion.

Allusions
The novel references the doctrines and corruption of the Catholic Church by alluding to the Spanish Inquisition. Fyodor Karamazov himself references Balaam of the Torah.

Adaptations
The Brothers Karamazov has been made into a number of films the most recent of which is Karamazovi a Czech film. It has also made its way into the plot of a Turkish television show titled Karadağlar.