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christianoliverio 's review for:
The Brothers Karamazov
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
As an avid reader who hates non-fiction, this here is the epitome of my argument on why fiction is better (Ok, Way of Kings is up there too). Hear me out.
The central story revolves around three brothers: One is deeply passionate with nothing to guide him aside from his emotions. Another is extremely intelligent and uses his mind to rationalize the world around him. While the third believes in God and dedicates his entire life to serving God in a monastery. Each have flaws in their worldview (some more than others), but we get to see how they interact with each other both in theory and in practice as well as how they grow when confronted with the truth of reality.
The first half of the book is solely building up the characters and the ideas they represent. Easily the best chapter of the book, and most famous, is the climax of this half. In "The Grand Inquisitor", Ivan (the intellectual) and Alexei (the monk) are discussing God. Ivan goes into a monologue explaining the evils of God and the sins of the church. He gives the best explanation of the "Problem of Evil" I have ever heard (eat your heart out, Dawkins) and explains how religion has been weaponized by the western church. Despite his argument, Alexei is able to counter with a crucial analysis of his argument. "Your poem is in praise of Jesus, not in blame of Him as you meant it." He then with a simple act of love dismantles Ivan's entire argument (eat your heart out, Turek). The scene is LONG, but well worth it. If you like philosophy and theology in dialogue, this first half was amazing and saves you a lot of reading as you get three books worth of ideas all dialoguing with each other.
BUT the second half is where the story really picks up. You see, a wicked man is murdered and through the characters actions, we get to see how well these ideas work in the real world. Can actions back up their words? Won't go into spoilers, but this section was really good. Emotions are felt and both Alexei and Ivan's development are insanely good, especially Ivan's when he talks with [SPOILERS] and enters a crisis of faith. I also love why Alexei chooses to leave the monastery because he is "too bright a light" to be hidden under a lamp. What good is a light, if kept in a basket away from society? Chills, y'all!
And, this is only the main plot! There is a subplot with Alexei in the monastery having his own crisis of faith and another with Alexei reconciling with a family his family has wronged. The latter was full of manly tears that make you think and feel equally hard. Honor, love, and 'childlike faith' are put on display along with social class commentary. Loved this scene and the ending when everything comes to a head made me tear up with both joy and sorrow. Death and life are held in tension until the very end. If you are an atheist, you get to see how a few of your arguments fall short when measured against reality. If you are a Christian, you are called to radically love your neighbor in a way that ensures both joy and suffering. Forgiveness comes at the cost of comfort and comfort comes at the cost of morality.
In short, put down "The God Delusion." Put down "Mere Christianity" and the "Screwtape Letters" Put down "The Communist Manifesto." Put down your "Pocket Niche." Put down "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist." Read this instead and, as a special bonus if you call right now, we'll add in a murder mystery!
The central story revolves around three brothers: One is deeply passionate with nothing to guide him aside from his emotions. Another is extremely intelligent and uses his mind to rationalize the world around him. While the third believes in God and dedicates his entire life to serving God in a monastery. Each have flaws in their worldview (some more than others), but we get to see how they interact with each other both in theory and in practice as well as how they grow when confronted with the truth of reality.
The first half of the book is solely building up the characters and the ideas they represent. Easily the best chapter of the book, and most famous, is the climax of this half. In "The Grand Inquisitor", Ivan (the intellectual) and Alexei (the monk) are discussing God. Ivan goes into a monologue explaining the evils of God and the sins of the church. He gives the best explanation of the "Problem of Evil" I have ever heard (eat your heart out, Dawkins) and explains how religion has been weaponized by the western church. Despite his argument, Alexei is able to counter with a crucial analysis of his argument. "Your poem is in praise of Jesus, not in blame of Him as you meant it." He then with a simple act of love dismantles Ivan's entire argument (eat your heart out, Turek). The scene is LONG, but well worth it. If you like philosophy and theology in dialogue, this first half was amazing and saves you a lot of reading as you get three books worth of ideas all dialoguing with each other.
BUT the second half is where the story really picks up. You see, a wicked man is murdered and through the characters actions, we get to see how well these ideas work in the real world. Can actions back up their words? Won't go into spoilers, but this section was really good. Emotions are felt and both Alexei and Ivan's development are insanely good, especially Ivan's when he talks with [SPOILERS] and enters a crisis of faith. I also love why Alexei chooses to leave the monastery because he is "too bright a light" to be hidden under a lamp. What good is a light, if kept in a basket away from society? Chills, y'all!
And, this is only the main plot! There is a subplot with Alexei in the monastery having his own crisis of faith and another with Alexei reconciling with a family his family has wronged. The latter was full of manly tears that make you think and feel equally hard. Honor, love, and 'childlike faith' are put on display along with social class commentary. Loved this scene and the ending when everything comes to a head made me tear up with both joy and sorrow. Death and life are held in tension until the very end. If you are an atheist, you get to see how a few of your arguments fall short when measured against reality. If you are a Christian, you are called to radically love your neighbor in a way that ensures both joy and suffering. Forgiveness comes at the cost of comfort and comfort comes at the cost of morality.
In short, put down "The God Delusion." Put down "Mere Christianity" and the "Screwtape Letters" Put down "The Communist Manifesto." Put down your "Pocket Niche." Put down "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist." Read this instead and, as a special bonus if you call right now, we'll add in a murder mystery!