The Karamazov Brothers is a challenging novel to review because of its complex nature. Thus my review of the novel is based on my interpretation of the novel, and that in turn is based on limited knowledge of Dostoevsky and the political, social, and religious climate of Russia at the time of his writing this novel. I want to establish this fact at the outset because I believe that this novel is capable of producing different interpretations.
Readers and critics have claimed that The Karamazov Brothers is the best work of Dostoyevsky. After having read many Dostoeveskian novels, I also agree with the universal acclaim. The book in my opinion is a complete work in every aspect: in writing, storytelling, and character and plot development. It is not an easy task to write a lengthy novel that could engage readers’ interest and attention but to a master like Dostoevsky, this is not a challenge.
The book is both a crime story and a philosophical debate on religion. In my first reading, I treated the two strands as separate and disconnected from each other. On my second reading, I realized how wrong I had been. There is a closer and inseparable connection between these two threads of the novel, for the crime is at the heart of the religious debate.
Dostoevsky was disturbed by the growing atheism in Russian society, especially in the Russian youth. The newly emerging intellectuals questioned the existence of God and they rejected the claim that HE is the almighty creator of all beings. They couldn’t reconcile the idea of suffering with God’s creation of beings. There is a part in the story where Ivan Karamazov (the atheist) questions why God created children to suffer as they did, from parental abuse, poverty, sicknesses, etc. But to Dostoevsky, the suffering IS the way to reach God. For the Russian atheists, the Christian principles were a necessary tool to establish some organized social order and no more. They rejected the moral responsibility the religion imposed on men. This is where “everything is permissible” is established. But it is a dangerous idea that permits the committing of crimes. And in the novel, a crime as horrific as patricide is committed because “everything is permissible”.
Dostoevsky’s religious views play a dominant role in the novel. He was also a non-believer at one point in his life. But his life in the Siberian prison considerably changed his perspective. Dostoevsky who returned from the prison was a believer. However, his belief didn’t come within the purview of the Russian Orthodox Church Of course. He accepted the existence of God but believed in a relationship between God and man without the mediation of the Church. His faith was the active practice of love through which God’s message could be spread. This is the role of Alyosha Karamazov, Dostoevsky’s proclaimed hero.
Alyosha Karamazov may be the proclaimed hero of Dostoevsky, but to me, Ivan is also a hero. I loved them both. They are the two major opposing characters in the story. They both are sensitive and have character. Ivan realizes at a greater cost that his atheist views are destructive to society and that they permit horrible crimes. This knowledge horrifies him and he suffers a nervous breakdown. Although Ivan’s reform is not stated, Dostoevsky has hinted this at the end.
Dostoevsky is a brilliant storyteller. Through his masterly storytelling, he invests the readers in the novel. I felt like a part of their community all through the read. Dostoyevsky’s beautiful and heartfelt writing absorbed me into the world of Karamazov.
Needless to say The Karamazov Brothers is the sort of book that will become a part of the reader for life. That is the true quality of a masterpiece. It is a blessing to come across in one’s reading life such a magnificent work of literature. I feel so privileged.
Rating: 5/5
