The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Once upon a time I read a book, kept hoping it would make sense at the end, and when the end was not the resolution for which I had hoped, declared the book to be a bad one, and not worthy of recommendation. That book was much shorter than The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

I have never before read a Russian novel. My literary experience has generally skirted the classics. Against Tolstoy I am prejudiced, for his enormous works sat on the same shelf as Tolkien’s at the library, except Tolstoy’s were always waiting to be checked out while Tolkien’s occasionally visited their home nearby the famed Russian. The literature of Russia has a reputation, but I am not entirely sure what that reputation is. I think it has a reputation for being unpleasant.

For The Brothers Karamazov does not end like a romance or a tragedy. The entire novel is like applied philosophy, the kind that is so like real life that it weaves a story. There are many ideas brought forward by Dostoyevsky’s portrait of the Karamazov family, ideas which are loosely connected and often contradictory. At the center of the tale is the trial of Dmitri Karamazov, the oldest son of the murdered Fyodor Karamazov. Willing to betray a woman, willing to lie, unwilling to steal but stealing anyway, willing to beat a man – but not willing to murder? Does integrity come by degrees? What if the same man is willing to take pity, willing to show gratitude, willing to be generous, willing to love? Can such extremes exist sincerely in one person?

Perhaps rather than claiming the book to be a study of evil’s causes and cures, it could be described as a description of the approach Russians have taken to evil.

Is evil innate? Is it taught? Is it a response to neglect and abuse? Does evil behavior spring from insanity? Is it the inevitable cause of rejecting God’s world – even if you still embrace God?

What about cure? Will science cure evil? Liberation? If a culture embraces the creed that “all is lawful,” will evil cease to exist? Can piety cure evil? Goodness? Vengeance? Mercy? Gratitude? What prevents evil? Honesty? Faith? Does the threat of law discourage evil? Does the church’s social influence deter evil?

Has the church been corrupted? Can conflict exist in the midst of the church or society, without at least one side representing evil? Has God been corrupted? Has God been lied about? Has the Devil? What is the Devil’s goal? For that matter, what is God’s?

What would a man take in exchange for his soul? If he could save someone he loved from damnation, what would he sacrifice? If he could save someone he hated? Would a proud enemy accept help?

What is the difference between remorse and despair? Forgiveness and disdain? Why do people seek after a sign? Must we walk by reason and experience, or is it possible to walk by honor and faith? Can a person love another and hate them at the same time? Can God?

I once read a book and kept hoping that the end would bring resolution, but I will not declare this book to be a bad book. I will humbly admit that I do not understand The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It has a lot to say about the psyche of Russia, their history and culture. If I re-read the book, now knowing the story, I might be able to follow its message. But at 700 pages long, I’m not particularly eager to.

To God be all glory.