Analysis Of Dostoevsky s The Brothers - 1524 Words

Dostoevsky s The Brothers Karamozov seems to be particularly interested in the concept of personhood. Specifically, how outside perspectives shape that person. Many characters within the novel, most notably Mitya and his thief or scoundrel dilemma, are heavily concerned with their image, or how they are perceived by others. This leads to an internal disjunction between who the characters are and who they want to be, causing massive amounts of conflict within individuals. Following her male counter-parts, Katerina Ivanova, in her keen awareness of position, seems to exemplify the dissonant perception that many characters have of themselves because of the judgments of outside spectators. However, it is her manipulation of people s†¦show more content†¦During the trial, as Katerina Ivanovna approaches the stand, the women clutched their lorgnettes and opera glasses, and the men stood up to get a better view (571). Dostoevsky seems to include this in order to make it abundantly clear that everyone is watching. Further reinforcing the social pressure upon Katya to behave according to their guidelines. While Katerina is on the stand, she told everything, the whole episode that Mitya told Aloysha (572). Even though Katerina Ivanovna tried to appear composed, adhering to what the people want/expect, she ultimately shocks people be confessing the thing that was not credible for a young girl to do and that would ruin her womanly reputation (571 and 573). The narrator, states that she must have understood it, that people would talk (573). Here, then, we have a crowd of people directly imposing expectations and Katerina Ivanovna directly recognizing those expectations. Ultimately, Katerina Ivanovna is inflicted with the views of society, particularly the assumptions and expectations of how a woman should act, and she recognizes it, and must recognize it in order to present herself as an appropriate woman within society. Not only does Katerina Ivanovna understand the perceptions that other peopleShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of Dostoevsky s The Brothers Karamazov 1344 Words   |  6 PagesPermission and Punishment In Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, Rakitin responds to a central question throughout the novel, â€Å"What is permitted?† when he proudly states to Dmitry that â€Å"An intelligent man can do anything he likes as long as he’s clever enough to get away with it† (788). While Rakitin has found his answer to this question, multiple characters in the novel are still stuck on that question. Throughout the novel, Dostoevsky seems to separate these characters into two groups: the charactersRead MoreDostoevsky s The Brothers Karamazov 1597 Words   |  7 PagesDostoevsky often refers to Alyosha as â€Å"the hero of [his] story whom† he loves a lot (Dostoevsky, 338). The Brothers Karamazov is set up to be a novel whose main lead and hero is Alyosha, â€Å"an early lover of mankind† (Dostoevsky, 18). Alyosha throughout the novel is described as a good natured young man who is loving and caring, which I believe is the reason Dostoevsky wants the reader to believe that Alyosha is the hero as he meets his criteria of a true hero. In Karamazov some of the themes DostoevskyRead MoreLife Is Like A Beach And Its Sand1314 Words   |  6 Pagesfreedom and fate have enthralled us throughout history and will continue to do so until our race is extinct. The passages above show two translations of the same verse.They are from the story of Cain and Abel. Speaking to Cain after he has murdered his brother, God explains Cain’s punishment. In the American Standard Version, God commands Cain to rule over sin, while in the King James Version, God promises Cain that he will surely triumph over sin. These are two very different quotes from the same verseRead MoreLiterature and Politics the Impact of Dostoevsky9582 Words   |  39 PagesLITERATURE AND POLITICS: THE IMPACT OF FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY Dostoevsky and the Legend of the Grand Inquisitor, by Vasily Rozanov. Translated and with an Afterword by Spencer E. Roberts. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1972. Pp. xi. 232. $12.50. Political Apocalypse. A Study of Dostoevskys Grand Inquisitor, by Ellis Sandoz. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1971, Pp. xviii. 263. $13.50.* ostoevskys great novels have spawned a vast library of critical 1/literatureRead More Dostoevsky was an Anti-Semite2271 Words   |  10 PagesDostoevsky was an Anti-Semite Literary anti-Semitism is as old as Western culture itself. A full listing of writers who have expressed hostility toward Jews and/or Judaism--from Shakespeare to T.S. Eliot, from Pushkin to Pasternak, etc.--would add up to a Whos Who of Western literature.1 Undoubtedly, Dostoevsky follows in this tradition. It is disparaging, however, that as the true novelist of ideas and Christian love, Dostoevsky could harbor such ill will towards the Jews. Does this notRead More The Pathological Protagonist of Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground2598 Words   |  11 Pagesis violent and his characters tortured; it is no wonder that many have viewed his work as prophetic of the 20th century. However, though Dostoevsky, in his unflinching portrayal of depravity, gives the Devil some of his best arguments, the Gospel often triumphs. Ivan Karamazov is at least offered the possibility of repentance when kissed by his saintly brother Alyosha. Raskolnikov, the nihilistic antihero of Crime and Punishment, is eventually redeemed through the love of the pure prostitute SonjaRead MoreSecular Sanctity and the Meaning of Life3110 Words   |  12 Pageslove hinted at by Plato, incarnated by Jesus, reflected by Michelangelo, admired by Dostoevsky, longed for by Frankl, alluded to by Martin Luther King, Jr., and put into action by Mother Teresa. The meaning of life is, of course, bound up in the problem of sin. Augustine, speaking from the perspective of Christian revelation, reminds us that sin is misplaced love. If Christian revelation is true (as Dostoevsky supposes in The Grand Inquisitor), what is true for the hero saint should be equallyRead More Analysis of Dostoevsky and Nietzsches Literature Essay5384 Words   |  22 PagesAnalysis of Dostoevsky and Nietzsches Literature   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Friedrich Nietzsche once said, â€Å"Dostoevsky, the only one who has taught me anything about psychology.† The two writers share many similarities and differences. Dostoevsky clearly had an effect on the thinking of Nietzsche. The two would be considered both philosophers and psychologists. Both writers became prominent in the late 19th century in Germany and Russia respectively. Dostoevsky was noted for his Russian literary classics and wouldRead More Censorship in the Classroom Essay2774 Words   |  12 Pagesthrough three readings of Katherine Patersons Bridge to Terribithia and scared myself with every Stephen King novel I could finish. In junior high and high school, we were taught Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, The Hobbit and Sounder, and My Brother Sam Is Dead, along with the classics. None of these books ruined my innocence. When I was date-raped the summer I was sixteen -- that ruined my innocence. Since then, I read that Maya Angelous novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has beenRead MoreExistentialism vs Essentialism23287 Words   |  94 PagesThe philosophy that encompasses the absurd is referred to as  absurdism. While absurdism may be considered a branch of existentialism, it is a specific idea that is not necessary to an existentialist view. * It s easy to highlight the absurdity of the human quest for purpose. It s common to assume that everything must have a purpose, a higher reason for existence. However, if one thing has a higher purpose, what is the reason for that purpose? Each new height must then be validated by a higher