Part IV of The Brothers Karamazov by, Dostoyevsky is the final section of the book and it did not disappoint. I’ll just be going over what stood out to me the most in this part and I’ll save my final thoughts on the novel as a whole in another post.
We get more detail on a character named Kolya, who has a run-in with Alyosha earlier in he narrative. In true Dostoyevsky fashion, we get a detailed background on this school boy. I love how Dostoyevsky writes about his characters - they’re depicted as well-rounded, fallible human beings, who still have endearing qualities. Kolya and Alyosha have a conversation and as they get to know one another, Kolya begins to admiration Aloysha (me too kid, me too…). Even thought they initially don’t agree on some topics, they are able to get along. Aloysha is infinitely patient with Kolya and chastises him when needed.
“I am only sad that a charming nature such as yours, which has not yet even begun to live, should already have been corrupted by all this vulgar nonsense.”
Aloysha’s relationship with Kolya and the other school boys juxtaposes the relationships
that Aloysha has with his brothers. Aloysha is able to mend and nurture the bonds between these young boys that doesn’t quite happen between Alyosha, Ivan and Mitya.
Ivan was conspicuously absent in Part III, but his return in Part IV is quite profound. His narrative is pivotal to the overall plot, so I won’t reveal much. Ivan’s story is heartbreaking and I really felt for him as a character. He’s tormented by things he’s previously thought and said and this brings to mind questions of guilt and redemption. To what extent can a person be guilty of something and can they be redeemed from these thoughts or actions? But what abut free will? Can a person be responsible for something that someone else chooses to act on?
We then get to Mitya’s trial. Dostoyevsky does an fantastic job creating the court scene. We get long passages of the witnesses’ testimonies, the procurator’s statements against Miyta and the defense attorney’s arguments for his client. These scenes actually reminded me the court scene in To Kill a Mockingbird - the defense’s pleas to the jury to do the right thing brought Atticus Finch to mind. There are strong overtones of justice and forgiveness. What happens to society if it’s justice system fails?
In these court scenes, psychology is mentioned quite a bit, as the procurator uses psychology to support the claim that Mitya is guilty of murder. I found this really intriguing - starting in 1879, psychology begins to be seen as a scientific field. The Brothers Karamazov was published in 1880, so we can see how this may begin to carry more weight in judicial proceedings.
The theme of fatherhood also comes back to the forefront. Mitya’s defense attorney makes the point that parents, in this case fathers, must take responsibility for how they raise their children. At the beginning of the novel, Dostoyevsky takes time to paint the character of Fyodor Karamazov to show how his lack go good parenting impacted the lives of his sons.
“Any why, why depict my client as unfeeling, an egotist, a monster? … but who is to blame for his fate, who is to blame that with good inclinations, with a noble, feeling heart he received such a preposterous upbringing?”
Lastly, the ending of the novel is interesting and I don’t want to give anything away. I had to really think about how Dostoyevsky decided to conclude this novel and realize that he gives the reader enough context throughout the whole of this work to figure out the rest. Ah, I appreciate an author who shows more than they tell.
I don’t think I need to belabor the point that think The Brothers Karamazov is excellent and intelligent. This is the type of novel I enjoyed interacting with the most - a work that makes me think, as I become invested in the lives of the characters.
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