Scan barcode
A review by evstank
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
5.0
What is the meaning of suffering? Does God exist? And if not, what are the consequences of disbelief? How to derive purpose within life? What is the nature of free will? Are there truths to morality?
Many of these deeply philosophical and ethical questions are the thematic concerns of this novel. Dostoevsky felt a personal and pertinent need to address these questions as a culmination of his life, as if his whole being pivoted on the delivery of his thoughts. Successfully, the Brothers Karamazov is often cited as the best novel of all time by many prominent writers and great thinkers of his time and today.
The main plot surrounds four brothers and the investigation of a patricidal murder of their greedy father. The father, Fyodor Karamazov, has a weak and uninterested relationship in his sons who he sired over two marriages. The eldest brother, Dmitri, is sensualist, hedonistic, and succumbs to the whims of his desires and emotions much alike to his father. The middle brother, Ivan, is critical, caustic, rational, individualistic, yet often pessimistic and sullen. The youngest, Alyosha, is an idealistic, charismatic, and forgiving novice in the Russian Orthodox monastery. The fourth brother, is Fyodor's rumored illegitimate bastard son, Smerdyakov, who he keeps as a servant on his estate. Smerdyakov is bitter, resentful, conniving, and jealous for his mistreatment.
The four brothers have vastly different characteristics in order to convey important themes, morals, contemporary issues, and lessons of human understanding. Dmitri's pursuit of sensuality, materialism, and irrational decision-making, is an attempt to highlight the volatility of following one's passions and to rid oneself of superfluous desires. Ivan represents the growing and pervasive nihilism, atheism, and existentialism of the time period. His conversation with Alyosha provides one of the best arguments against the existence of a god in the widely known chapter, The Grand Inquisitor. While he approaches religion and the spirit with a high degree of skepticism and logical rationale, he is deeply conflicted in understanding the meaning of suffering inherent to existence and struggles to define truth. Ivan has a direct confrontation with the evils of humanity in the chapter, The Devil, which highlights the consequences of a life without inherent meaning or understanding. Personally one of my favorite passages I can recall. Alyosha in contrast to Ivan, embodies the Christian ideals of self-sacrifice and unconditional love, but reveals the acceptance of contradiction required to maintain that faith in a higher entity. Smerdyakov represents the consequence of letting suffering consume your actions and his growing disdain towards humanity.
This story is inherently ambiguous and complex with a biased narration, meant to convey the pursuit to discover meaning in life is wrought with the same uncertainty. By revealing the consequences of each path, Dostoevsky successfully weighs all aspects of humanity and the inner conflict that takes place in all of us. And manages to reveal an empathetic light toward each individual. However in the ambiguous ending, Dostoevsky does assert one definitive lesson, that we ought to exhibit Christ-like love to everyone.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who have the patience and open-mindedness for its immense philosophical and emotional weight. The story, character development, and dialogue is incredible. I attribute much of my human understanding to this novel alone.
Many of these deeply philosophical and ethical questions are the thematic concerns of this novel. Dostoevsky felt a personal and pertinent need to address these questions as a culmination of his life, as if his whole being pivoted on the delivery of his thoughts. Successfully, the Brothers Karamazov is often cited as the best novel of all time by many prominent writers and great thinkers of his time and today.
The main plot surrounds four brothers and the investigation of a patricidal murder of their greedy father. The father, Fyodor Karamazov, has a weak and uninterested relationship in his sons who he sired over two marriages. The eldest brother, Dmitri, is sensualist, hedonistic, and succumbs to the whims of his desires and emotions much alike to his father. The middle brother, Ivan, is critical, caustic, rational, individualistic, yet often pessimistic and sullen. The youngest, Alyosha, is an idealistic, charismatic, and forgiving novice in the Russian Orthodox monastery. The fourth brother, is Fyodor's rumored illegitimate bastard son, Smerdyakov, who he keeps as a servant on his estate. Smerdyakov is bitter, resentful, conniving, and jealous for his mistreatment.
The four brothers have vastly different characteristics in order to convey important themes, morals, contemporary issues, and lessons of human understanding. Dmitri's pursuit of sensuality, materialism, and irrational decision-making, is an attempt to highlight the volatility of following one's passions and to rid oneself of superfluous desires. Ivan represents the growing and pervasive nihilism, atheism, and existentialism of the time period. His conversation with Alyosha provides one of the best arguments against the existence of a god in the widely known chapter, The Grand Inquisitor. While he approaches religion and the spirit with a high degree of skepticism and logical rationale, he is deeply conflicted in understanding the meaning of suffering inherent to existence and struggles to define truth. Ivan has a direct confrontation with the evils of humanity in the chapter, The Devil, which highlights the consequences of a life without inherent meaning or understanding. Personally one of my favorite passages I can recall. Alyosha in contrast to Ivan, embodies the Christian ideals of self-sacrifice and unconditional love, but reveals the acceptance of contradiction required to maintain that faith in a higher entity. Smerdyakov represents the consequence of letting suffering consume your actions and his growing disdain towards humanity.
This story is inherently ambiguous and complex with a biased narration, meant to convey the pursuit to discover meaning in life is wrought with the same uncertainty. By revealing the consequences of each path, Dostoevsky successfully weighs all aspects of humanity and the inner conflict that takes place in all of us. And manages to reveal an empathetic light toward each individual. However in the ambiguous ending, Dostoevsky does assert one definitive lesson, that we ought to exhibit Christ-like love to everyone.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who have the patience and open-mindedness for its immense philosophical and emotional weight. The story, character development, and dialogue is incredible. I attribute much of my human understanding to this novel alone.