Dostoevsky's geniality : The Karamazov brothers

Hello steemians!

            I have always wondered where inspiration comes from? And what an inspiration actually is? I can’t answer these questions (probably no one can) but sometimes I feel that I don’t really need to find all answers. Sometimes it is better for us to know just as we must know. All that I need is an idea to strike me like thunder and help me find the power to work, think and imagine.  

So, I don’t know why I had to write this introduction, but it is something that occupies me a lot. 

                Today I want to share my thoughts about one of the greatest books ever written, The Karamazov brothers.  I don’t  want to write a classical review of the book and tell you what happened in chapters or who is the murder of Fyodor Karamazov or why is he murdered. I found those things uninteresting and unimportant. They are like a shell for the real value of Dostoevsky’s thoughts. I found all that action and crimes, whole that story just as a way to hide and pack that pearl of wisdom and geniality in the book.

                Maybe I will write one more post about all characters of Karamazovs, but for now, I want to write about one very special chapter in the book, Grand Inquisitor. The story starts in a tavern where Ivan is reading a story he had written to his younger brother, Alexei, who is living in a monastery and wants to become a monk. Somehow this episode is not connected with the subject of the book, although it can be analyzed in order of researching character of Ivan Karamazov. I think that it was actually Dostojevsi’s way to express his thoughts about human nature and the world and to implement them in his masterpiece through this scene. 

                 As I said, the episode starts in a tavern, and Ivan is telling his story that starts in Seville in the age of Inquisition. Streets are full of people and suddenly one person appears. It looks like Christ, walks without any words but everyone recognizes him. Mass surrounds him flagrant for blessing, healings, and miracles, and everything they search for is happening. Old Cardinal, who was watching everything, orders his guard to capture the strange man and take him to prison. In cold and dark jail in the deep of the night, Cardinal is visiting the prisoner. Conversation starts.

               The prisoner is just watching with blessing smile full of love, he doesn't say anything, just watches and smiles while Cardinal, full of anger, starts his monolog in face of man that he had also recognized like other people and stands in from of him like a mirror. 

Why, then, hast Thou come to hinder us? 

                While trying to justify himself, he speaks about three temptations in the desert and human incompetence to live with the real freedom that He has given to us. He admits that they renounced of everything that He gave to them in order to save people. 

 Dost Thou know that the ages will pass, and humanity will proclaim by the lips of their sages that there is no crime, and therefore no sin; there is only hunger? Feed men, and then ask of them virtue! 

                  The Cardinal is a personification of the material world, of all human needs, while the prisoner represents heavens and everything that is divine in men. Power, hunger, fear our weaknesses are standing in front of love, compassion, empathy. Their conversation (or monolog, but I think that the silence of the prisoner was more powerful than any of Cardinals words) represents inner dialog of a one man who is trying to reveal himself, it is a dialog that is in every one of us. Every action we make - good or bad, is the result of this dialog. 

                   The Cardinal continues talking about mistakes that had been made when free will, the possibility of choice and freedom was given to humans. 

…fifteen centuries have passed, look upon them. Whom hast Thou raised up to Thyself? I swear the man is weaker and baser by nature than Thou hast believed him! Can he, can he do what Thou didst? By showing him so much respect, Thou didst, as it were, cease to feel for him, for Thou didst ask far too much from him- Thou who hast loved him more than Thyself! Respecting him less, Thou wouldst have asked less of him. That would have been more like love, for his burden would have been lighter.

                   All of that is too heavy for a regular man, that will always choose bread before faith. There is no happiness in promises that were given to humans. There is no divine savior of humankind, there is only bread and few strong men that will hide secret that bread is the only savior, in order to provide happiness for everyone except themselves. And then, he asks, who is better, Him that put on a heavy burden on weak people's back in order to give them eternal life, or he, who is sacrificing himself in order to provide a happy life for people on Earth?

                 After finishing his dialog The Cardinal desperately except any answer from the prisoner, but He still looks at him with eyes full of love. Without any word, He steps close to Cardinal and kisses him. Astonished old man, opens the door of prison and starts yelling: Go and come no more... come not at all, never, never!

                The main characteristic of genial men is their universality.  This story is written by a Russian, orthodox Christian about 150 years ago, and even if it looks like a story about faith or religion – it is not. Of course, we can read it from that aspect but it is a universal story that we can read in many ways. We can read it as a philosophical or psychological story. The two main characters can be a personification of everything. They represent the eternal combat between good and evil, between justice and power, between life and death that is everywhere around us and in us. This is a picture of the world, where cruel has the power but the hope is just looking and waiting, those are our thoughts and everything is upon us. If we can understand the power and the meaning of prisoner’s silence maybe we will understand the power of love that had been shown throughout this story and through the words of hate. At the end, I will ask myself and I will ask you too: are there any prisoners in us who are just looking and hoping that we will become better people one day?

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