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A review by greden
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
5.0
"If there is no God, then everything is allowed" -Ivan Karamazov
I usually don't get sucked into books, but at one time, I did not want to put it down. That was a first for me.
The story is about three brothers, Dmitri, the ex-soldier, passionate and wild, Ivan, the intellectual nihilist, and Alyosha, the youngest of the three brothers, who is a novice monk.
Dostoyevsky, through Ivan, launches a devastating attack on Christianity, first by criticising God that he would allow a terrible situation of a suffering child and saying "I don't reject God, I reject the world he has created." In the most famous chapter of the book, Ivan tells the story of "The Grand Inquisitor" which describes a strange story about Jesus coming back at the height of the Spanish Inquisition. After performing a couple of miracles, he is put in jail, being told by the head of the inquisition that "You are not welcome back, you gave the people freedom, and the church has ever since worked to take that away from them. The people do not want freedom; they want happiness." Jesus reminds silent, and simply kisses him before the Grand Inquisitor leaves Jesus in the jail, leaving the door unlocked.
Alyosha steals Jesus' move and kisses Ivan after giving a devastating attack on Christianity. And it is he, Aloyhsa, the youngest of the three brothers, that win in the end. In terms of arguments, it's easier to argue for atheism over Christianity. What Dostoyevsky points out is that Christianity is about doing the right thing, not being right in an argument. Jesus stays silent and kisses the Grand Inquisitor. Alyosha "wins" in the end: "Hooray for Karamazov" the children praise him, while Dmitri is exiled to Siberia and Ivan goes mad.
I think the message here is that although atheism beats Christianity in terms of arguments, Christianity holds its power in action, not logic. And so in the end, I believe this book is a defence of Christianity.
However...
This book contains a disturbing scene where the famous monk, Zosima, who has been of good moral character and dedicated his life to prayer and good-will, dies. His corpse lies inside a small room, and many visitors come to visit. Eventually, his corpse begins to smell, and there is an outrage of the monastery as if this was proof he was not a holy man. And so Zosima, who has been of good moral character, and dedicated his life to prayer and good.will, has his legacy damaged and remembered for his odour. Aloysha, witnessing this, goes through a spiritual crisis, losing his faith for some time.
There are many instances where Dostoyevsky shows a stunning understanding of human psychology and a broad life experience. Some parts just blew me away, where the dialogue was so spot-on similar to crucial moments in my life. Either it was just some coincidence, or Dostoyevsky knew something.
There are so many things Dostoyevsky wants to get across at once. An attack on Christianity. A defence on Christianity. Odour. Spirituality. Love. Passion. Death. In the end, I think this is a tribute to human imperfection. The irrational chaos of the human spirit is what makes us so beautiful.
I will revisit this book multiple times in my lifetime. It’s one of those books that made me think that people aren’t supposed to be “fixed.” I'm not even clear on what the core message of the book is. I mean, what's the moral of the story here? Be like Alyosha, and just emit 'em good vibes? It's not clear to me. Dostoyevsky makes the point of view of all the brothers "right", yet are incompatible with each other.
I don't really think Dostoyevsky tried to give an answer, instead, he dramatized the tension between our instincts, our rationality and our spirituality in a compelling love/murder story, with profound psychological insights and raising fundamental philosophical questions.
I usually don't get sucked into books, but at one time, I did not want to put it down. That was a first for me.
The story is about three brothers, Dmitri, the ex-soldier, passionate and wild, Ivan, the intellectual nihilist, and Alyosha, the youngest of the three brothers, who is a novice monk.
Dostoyevsky, through Ivan, launches a devastating attack on Christianity, first by criticising God that he would allow a terrible situation of a suffering child and saying "I don't reject God, I reject the world he has created." In the most famous chapter of the book, Ivan tells the story of "The Grand Inquisitor" which describes a strange story about Jesus coming back at the height of the Spanish Inquisition. After performing a couple of miracles, he is put in jail, being told by the head of the inquisition that "You are not welcome back, you gave the people freedom, and the church has ever since worked to take that away from them. The people do not want freedom; they want happiness." Jesus reminds silent, and simply kisses him before the Grand Inquisitor leaves Jesus in the jail, leaving the door unlocked.
Alyosha steals Jesus' move and kisses Ivan after giving a devastating attack on Christianity. And it is he, Aloyhsa, the youngest of the three brothers, that win in the end. In terms of arguments, it's easier to argue for atheism over Christianity. What Dostoyevsky points out is that Christianity is about doing the right thing, not being right in an argument. Jesus stays silent and kisses the Grand Inquisitor. Alyosha "wins" in the end: "Hooray for Karamazov" the children praise him, while Dmitri is exiled to Siberia and Ivan goes mad.
I think the message here is that although atheism beats Christianity in terms of arguments, Christianity holds its power in action, not logic. And so in the end, I believe this book is a defence of Christianity.
However...
This book contains a disturbing scene where the famous monk, Zosima, who has been of good moral character and dedicated his life to prayer and good-will, dies. His corpse lies inside a small room, and many visitors come to visit. Eventually, his corpse begins to smell, and there is an outrage of the monastery as if this was proof he was not a holy man. And so Zosima, who has been of good moral character, and dedicated his life to prayer and good.will, has his legacy damaged and remembered for his odour. Aloysha, witnessing this, goes through a spiritual crisis, losing his faith for some time.
There are many instances where Dostoyevsky shows a stunning understanding of human psychology and a broad life experience. Some parts just blew me away, where the dialogue was so spot-on similar to crucial moments in my life. Either it was just some coincidence, or Dostoyevsky knew something.
There are so many things Dostoyevsky wants to get across at once. An attack on Christianity. A defence on Christianity. Odour. Spirituality. Love. Passion. Death. In the end, I think this is a tribute to human imperfection. The irrational chaos of the human spirit is what makes us so beautiful.
I will revisit this book multiple times in my lifetime. It’s one of those books that made me think that people aren’t supposed to be “fixed.” I'm not even clear on what the core message of the book is. I mean, what's the moral of the story here? Be like Alyosha, and just emit 'em good vibes? It's not clear to me. Dostoyevsky makes the point of view of all the brothers "right", yet are incompatible with each other.
I don't really think Dostoyevsky tried to give an answer, instead, he dramatized the tension between our instincts, our rationality and our spirituality in a compelling love/murder story, with profound psychological insights and raising fundamental philosophical questions.