The Brothers Karamazov
- tags
- Fiction/Classics
- author
- Fyodor Dostoevsky
Motivation for reading
Heavily referenced in Camus’ Rabel.
Memo Quote
Ivan’s view of the physical world and religion
I have a Euclidian earthly mind, and how could I solve problems that are not of this world? And I advise you never to think about it either, my dear Alyosha, especially about God, whether He exists or not. All such questions are utterly inappropriate for a mind created with an idea of only three dimensions. And so I accept God and am glad to, and what’s more, I accept His wisdom, His purpose—which are utterly beyond our ken; I believe in the underlying order and the meaning of life; I believe in the eternal harmony in which they say we shall one day be blended. I believe in the Word to Which the universe is striving, and Which Itself was ‘with God,’ and Which Itself is God and so on, and so on, to infinity.
The Grand Inquisitor
I am so fancinated by Ivan. He holds view totally in opposition to Dostoevsky himself and yet Ivan’s arguments are fantasitic and penerating. Dostoevsky knows all the problems of mankind but still decides a life without spiritual freedom doesn’t worthwhile.
- The inquisitor wants Him to redecide whether Him or the one who questioned him was right:
Most man’s nature are weak, they want earthily bread and can’t handle freedom
“You want to go into the world, and you are going empty-handed, with some promise of freedom, which they in their simplicity and innate lawlessness cannot even comprehend, which they dread and fear—for nothing has ever been more insufferable for man and for human society than freedom! But do you see these stones in this bare, scorching desert? Turn them into bread and mankind will run after you like sheep, grateful and obedient, though eternally trembling lest you withdraw your hand and your loaves cease for them.” But you did not want to deprive man of freedom and rejected the offer, for what sort of freedom is it, you reasoned, if obedience is bought with loaves of bread? You objected that man does not live by bread alone, but do you know that in the name of this very earthly bread, the spirit of the earth will rise against you and fight with you and defeat you, and everyone will follow him exclaiming: “Who can compare to this beast, for he has given us fire from heaven!”
Oh, never, never will they feed themselves without us! No science will give them bread as long as they remain free, but in the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us: “Better that you enslave us, but feed us.” They will finally understand that freedom and earthly bread in plenty for everyone are inconceivable together, for never, never will they be able to share among themselves. They will also be convinced that they are forever incapable of being free, because they are feeble, depraved, nonentities and rebels. You promised them heavenly bread, but, I repeat again, can it compare with earthly bread in the eyes of the weak, eternally depraved, and eternally ignoble human race? And if in the name of heavenly bread thousands and tens of thousands will follow you, what will become of the millions and tens of thousands of millions of creatures who will not be strong enough to forgo earthly bread for the sake of the heavenly? Is it that only the tens of thousands of the great and strong are dear to you, and the remaining millions, numerous as the sands of the sea, weak but loving you, should serve only as material for the great and the strong? No, the weak, too, are dear to us. They are depraved and rebels, but in the end it is they who will become obedient. They will marvel at us, and look upon us as gods, because we, standing at their head, have agreed to suffer freedom and to rule over them—so terrible will it become for them in the end to be free! But we shall say that we are obedient to you and rule in your name. We shall deceive them again, for this time we shall not allow you to come to us. This deceit will constitute our suffering, for we shall have to lie.
In simple term: the paragraph says: The people cannot take care of themselves without us. They can’t get enough food if they stay free. Eventually, they will give up their freedom and ask us to take care of them and give them food. They will understand that freedom and enough food for everyone are not possible. Even if many people follow us for the promise of heavenly food, what about the millions of other people who can’t give up their earthly food? We care about the weak people too. They may be bad and disobedient, but in the end they will obey us. They will think of us as gods because we are willing to give up freedom and lead them. We will have to lie to them and say we are doing it in your name. This will be our punishment because we have to be dishonest.
And this need for communality of worship is the chief torment of each man individually, and of mankind as a whole, from the beginning of the ages. In the cause of universal worship, they have destroyed each other with the sword. They have made gods and called upon each other: “Abandon your gods and come and worship ours, otherwise death to you and your gods!” And so it will be until the end of the world, even when all gods have disappeared from the earth: they will still fall down before idols. You knew, you could not but know, this essential mystery of human nature, but you rejected the only absolute banner, which was offered to you to make all men bow down to you indisputably—the banner of earthly bread; and you rejected it in the name of freedom and heavenly bread. Now see what you did next. And all again in the name of freedom! I tell you that man has no more tormenting care than to find someone to whom he can hand over as quickly as possible that gift of freedom with which the miserable creature is born.
give man bread and he will bow down to you, for there is nothing more indisputable than bread.
peace and even death are dearer to man than free choice in the knowledge of good and evil
You thirsted for love that is free, and not for the servile raptures of a slave before a power that has left him permanently terrified. But here, too, you overestimated mankind, for, of course, they are slaves, though they were created rebels. Behold and judge, now that fifteen centuries have passed, take a look at them: whom have you raised up to yourself? I swear, man is created weaker and baser than you thought him! How, how can he ever accomplish the same things as you? Respecting him so much, you behaved as if you had ceased to be compassionate, because you demanded too much of him—and who did this? He who loved him more than himself! Respecting him less, you would have demanded less of him, and that would be closer to love, for his burden would be lighter.
Grand man freedom, they will use their freedom to destroy their beliefs
You desired the free love of man, that he should follow you freely, seduced and captivated by you. Instead of the firm ancient law,23 man had henceforth to decide for himself, with a free heart, what is good and what is evil, having only your image before him as a guide—but did it not occur to you that he would eventually reject and dispute even your image and your truth if he was oppressed by so terrible a burden as freedom of choice? They will finally cry out that the truth is not in you, for it was impossible to leave them in greater confusion and torment than you did, abandoning them to so many cares and insoluble problems. Thus you yourself laid the foundation for the destruction of your own kingdom, and do not blame anyone else for it.
Man is not God, nor the son of God, they won’t remain faithful once they are granted with freedom
Oh, of course, in this you acted proudly and magnificently, like God, but mankind, that weak, rebellious tribe—are they gods? Oh, you knew then that if you made just one step, just one movement towards throwing yourself down, you would immediately have tempted the Lord and would have lost all faith in him and been dashed against the earth you came to save, and the intelligent spirit who was tempting you would rejoice. But, I repeat, are there many like you? And, indeed, could you possibly have assumed, even for a moment, that mankind, too, would be strong enough for such a temptation? Is that how human nature was created—to reject the miracle, and in those terrible moments of life, the moments of the most terrible, essential, and tormenting questions of the soul, to remain only with the free decision of the heart? Oh, you knew that your deed would be preserved in books, would reach the depths of the ages and the utmost limits of the earth, and you hoped that, following you, man, too, would remain with God, having no need of miracles.
Man want’s miracles more than they want God, hence once they reject the miracles, they will at once reject God as well.
As soon as man rejects miracles, he will at once reject God as well, for man seeks not so much God as miracles.
on the Universal Kingdom
Had you accepted the world and Caesar’s purple, you would have founded a universal kingdom and granted universal peace. For who shall possess mankind if not those who possess their conscience and give them their bread? And so we took Caesar’s sword, and in taking it, of course, we rejected you and followed him.
Background
Impression
- Characters are very complicated. If someone sees a person like Demitri in real life, no doubt he will be treated like a buffoon. However, the character in the book sometimes displays insights into certain issues and also seems to possess a noble heart.
- Love is a frequent theme in Dostoyevsky’s work, if not the most frequent…
Reading log
<2022-11-15 Tue> : Reading Progress : 100%
- A very exciting confrontation between the prosecutor and the defender.
- Love the state of what qualifies a person to be a true father.
the father is not merely he who begets the child, but he who begets it and does his duty by it.
<2022-11-13 Sun> : Reading Progress : 84%
- Smerdyakov kills himself
- Ivan was in delirium and believed Smerdyakov mocked him before he committed suicide
<2022-11-12 Sat> : Reading Progress : 79%
- Kolya’s conversation with Alyosha (he respects him)
- Dmitri’s conversation with Alyosha (again, shows he’s passionate personality and noble heart)
It’s God that’s worrying me. That’s the only thing that’s worrying me. What if He doesn’t exist? What if Rakitin’s right—that it’s an idea made up by men? Then if He doesn’t exist, man is the chief of the earth, of the universe. Magnificent! Only how is he going to be good without God? That’s the question. I always come back to that. For whom is man going to love then? To whom will he be thankful? To whom will he sing the hymn? Rakitin laughs. Rakitin says that one can love humanity without God. Well, only a sniveling idiot can maintain that. I can’t understand it. Life’s easy for Rakitin. ‘You’d better think about the extension of civic rights, or even of keeping down the price of meat. You will show your love for humanity more simply and directly by that, than by philosophy.’ I answered him, ‘Well, but you, without a God, are more likely to raise the price of meat, if it suits you, and make a rouble on every kopeck.’ He lost his temper. But after all, what is goodness? Answer me that, Alexey. Goodness is one thing with me and another with a Chinaman, so it’s a relative thing. Or isn’t it? Is it not relative? …"
- Alyosha’s conversation with Lise about evil is very interesting! The love of crime.
“…There are moments when people love crime,” said Alyosha thoughtfully. “Yes, yes! You have uttered my thought; they love crime, every one loves crime, they love it always, not at some ‘moments.’ You know, it’s as though people have made an agreement to lie about it and have lied about it ever since. They all declare that they hate evil, but secretly they all love it.”
- At the point where Smerdyakov is having the second conversation with Ivan and Ivan is suspecting he’s the real killer of Fyodor Karamazov.
<2022-11-11 Fri> : Reading Progress : 71%
Dmitri can’t defend himself to be innocent and was put into prison. Kolya went to see Illusha and brought him back the dogs. The conversation between Kolya and the Peasant is hilarious.
“Nothing could stop me, now I am once off. Hey, good morning, peasant!” A sturdy-looking peasant, with a round, simple face and grizzled beard, who was walking by, raised his head and looked at the boy. He seemed not quite sober. “Good morning, if you are not laughing at me,” he said deliberately in reply. “And if I am?” laughed Kolya. “Well, a joke’s a joke. Laugh away. I don’t mind. There’s no harm in a joke.” “I beg your pardon, brother, it was a joke.” “Well, God forgive you!” “Do you forgive me, too?” “I quite forgive you. Go along.” “I say, you seem a clever peasant.” “Cleverer than you,” the peasant answered unexpectedly, with the same gravity. “I doubt it,” said Kolya, somewhat taken aback. “It’s true, though.” “Perhaps it is.” “It is, brother.” “Good-bye, peasant!” “Good-bye!” “There are all sorts of peasants,” Kolya observed to Smurov after a brief silence. “How could I tell I had hit on a clever one? I am always ready to recognise intelligence in the peasantry.”
…no records before