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The Brothers Karamazov
Fyodor Dostoevsky Collection
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The Brothers Karamazov 2024 - Week 8
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1) I enjoyed the faster pace of the book, it made the experience a lot more interesting for me.2) I get the impression that Dmitri has lost all rationality and could even be described as going mad.
3) i’m not sure if Dimitri intends to commit suicide, generally people keep such a secret they don’t load pistols in front of the witness for the obvious reason that witness will try and stop the act.
4) this agonising over forgiveness and redemption reminds me of another novel-crime and punishment!
BOOK EIGHT
Chapter One
Samsonov certainly hoodwinked Mitya into recommending Lyagavy to provide funds, especially as he was only a peasant.
Chapter Two
The room was full of charcoal fumes - a good twist because I was hoodwinked by the author into thinking the peasant was dead! HA-HA as the Russian might say.
Chapter Three
Pushkin is referenced in this chapter - I believe he may have been a influence on the author; I was really taken by the discussion of a man’s mindset when it comes to jealousy, it was deadly accurate as far as I am concerned. Later there is the tale of Maximov and his two wives; I fell about laughing and it reminded me of Gogol’s humour. (See chapter 7)
Would I be right in thinking that Dostoevsky was influenced by Pushkin and Gogol?
Chapter Four
I can’t find any specific description of Mitya actually assaulting his father of stealing cash from him in this chapter, it is only hinted. Poor Grigory bought it though.
Chapter Five
Mitya is rather blasé about being covered in blood and carrying loads of cash - that stumped me.
Also, where did he get the cash?
Chapter Seven
So the Poles won’t toast Russia - no surprises there! I hated to hear about the reckless gambling. Mitya is literally a born looser.
Chapter Eight
Grushenka stole the show again for me, especially because she is both devious and good fun. I don’t blame her for the way she behaves as she is surrounded by gullible people. Dostoevsky describes the drunken scene perfectly.
The faster pace of these chapters was good, but the drunken scenes in the inn and the card-playing were too lengthy and confusing. I know that Russian novels of the period tend to sprawl, but this really could have been shortened with much the same effect. Dimitri’s character was certainly revealed in this section He is a man with no sense or conscience about money, and I wonder if today he might be diagnosed as bipolar. He also has no real concern for other people (except Grushenka), leaving Grigory to die. I don’t believe he harmed his father, so it will be interesting to find out who the real killer is (and I definitely do not mourn the departed in this case).
Also, I agree that Dimitri’s musings about guilt and forgiveness were reminiscent of Raskolnikov’s in Crime and Punishment.
Mod
Yes! I completely missed that comparison. Thanks for pointing that out. I actually enjoyed Crime and Punishment much more than I'm enjoying this one.
Mod
This though has occurred to me over and over again about this novel. While I think we need to know about the characters' backgrounds but this seems to be overkill. I'm struggling to keep all the details straight. I wonder if there is an abridged edition that would be easier to get through. This really has surprised me given the high (4.37) rating this book has.
Week 8 - Part Three, Book VIII
1) We see a literal change of pace in Part Three, Book VIII. Until now, the novel has moved with a slow deliberateness as Dostoevsky depicts the intellectual conflicts in Ivan, the philosophy of Zossima, and Alyosha's mystic affirmation of life. Now, however, this section, devoted to Dmitri, rushes along with breathtaking speed as it records Dmitri's frantic efforts to save both his life and his love. Why do you think the author changes pace in this part? Did you enjoy the faster pace? Why? Why not?
2) We see a striking dichotomy in Dmitri's character and integrity in this part of the novel. Dmitri feels a significant weight with regard to the money he believes he must repay to Katerina Ivanovna before he can elope with Grushenka versus Dmitri's attack on Grigory. He only stops for a moment to see if the man is dead but he panics, tosses the pestle away, and flees the scene. What do these events and concerns say about Dmitri? Are his priorities in order?
3) Once Dmitri is resolved to allow Grushenka to return to her first love he has decided to end his life. Do you believe Dmitri's resolve to commit suicide? Why or why not? How does this resolution change his attitude regarding the money he owes to Katerina Ivanovna?
4) During the ride to Grushenka, Dmitri is in agony; he even asks the peasant driver, as one might ask a priest, to forgive him all the sins of his life. Did you notice how this request echoes one of Zossima's ideas concerning the repudiation of master-servant distinction and the responsibility of all men for one another? What does this tell us about Dmitri?