Abstract In this article, the writer discusses that in Tolstoy's 'Alyosha the Pot', the life of a peasant is told with such abject complacency that it both ridicules and perverts the way the poor were seen in pre-revolutionary Russia. The writer maintains that Alyosha's demeanor throughout Tolstoy's short story is that of the faithful lapdog; obedient and always following the master's words. The writer discusses that Tolstoy switches the way the story is detailed and instead of a bland world with a colorful hero the reader is given a bland hero with a wicked world much akin to a fairy tale; in short he becomes Cinderella. The writer notes that Tolstoy demonstrates that while the peasant may do things willingly and be treated as a tool, underneath the dutifulness and complacency there are actual dreams, wants, and needs. The aggravation of the reader as for the lack of Alyosha's aspirations is only testament to Tolstoy's demonstration that everyone has wants and to want is to be human. The writer concludes that Tolstoy shows, paradoxically, that everyone is human through the example of someone that is alien to human aspiration.
From the Paper "Traditionally the help married in czarist Russia, it was something that could not be avoided given the living conditions and the similar social standing; this would be no different with Alyosha. After some time working for his employers he developed a crush on the cook, Ustinya, as expected. As in most settings it is here that love, as always, complicates matters and it is here that Alyosha's simplicity magnify root emotion into something more. Alyosha's lack of nuanced personality were skillfully crafted by Tolstoy so that, once the plateau of characterization was reached, anything different would become a bumpy ride of feeling. Alyosha's blunt intentions of marrying Ustinya are not played out as usual, she reciprocates but his simplistic nature leads him to see it as a different kind of love, a love of convenience but love nonetheless. It is here where Alyosha shows signs of being the ardent man that the reader first thought he could be, he has a plan and someone to share his life with. Yet, it is the will of others that he must obey, not just as the employee, but as what his personality dictates, dutiful to a fault."
Abstract This essay examines "The Legend of the Grand Inquisitor," the parable that Ivan relates to Alyosha in Dostoyevsky's novel "The Brothers Karamazov." The essay compares four points of view in relation to the parable: the character of the Grand Inquisitor, the character of Christ (as portrayed in the parable), Dostoyevsky himself, and the philosophy of Nietzsche. The essay checks the parable against biblical Christianity and the ("God is dead") philosophy of Nietzsche in order to assess Dostoyevsky's stand in relation to religion and the Church.
From the Paper "Although deeply troubled by his inability to maintain a belief in the conventional forms of Christianity, Dostoyevsky was a deeply spiritual man, and even a deeply religious one. He was committed to what he saw as the essential core of Christian teaching ? that we must love each person equally and fight evil whenever possible by the simple imposition of our goodness in front of it. Friedrich Nietzsche, however, would probably have taken quite a shine to the Grand Inquisitor. He argued in one of his most important works ? Beyond Good and Evil ? that one should entirely reject the teachings of Christianity primarily because they lead one to concentrate upon a next (and in his view fictitious) world rather than addressing oneself to the problems of this world. He again rejected the practice and theology of Christianity in Twilight of the Idols and Genealogy of Morals a number of his later works, in which he argued that the idea of goodness and the idea that the weak are inherently noble as merely tricks played by the Church to control and thus weaken people. Nietzsche sees the force to make people obey certain often unnatural precepts as at the core of almost all socialization processes and human institutions. Religion, believed Nietzsche, teaches us not to think."
Abstract This article analyzes each of the 'Brothers Karamazov' both individually and as an integral part of the very fabric of this classic Dostoyevsky tale. The paper discusses how each brother's personality and motivation are not only fascinating, but also play an indispensable role in the gradual development of the story's spiritual theme.
From the Paper "His high-strung, sensitive temperament causes such devastating events as his learning that Smerdyakov murdered his father, believing he had Ivan's own silent complicity in the crime, to drive him to a nervous breakdown. (Of course, after Smerdyakov commits suicide, Ivan is unable to prove his allegation and his own fragile mental state prevents him from making a convincing case in court on behalf of his innocent brother, Dimitry.) He has, however, by this time devised a plan for Dimitry's escape, though it will, of course, be necessary, under the circumstances, for others to carry it out.
At the end of the book, Ivan has basically hit bottom. During his strange nightmare of the devil--which he believes is real--he exhausts all his arguments against the existence of God and faith in Christ, pouring out all his doubt through the dream "devil," which is himself; and soon, a few positive spiritual signposts begin to emerge. He expresses (covertly, through the "devil" persona,) his intense desire to "join the (heavenly) chorus and shout 'hosanna' (to God,)" as well as to receive a "tiny grain of faith...(which) will grow into an oak tree...and save (his) soul." It appears that there is, indeed, hope for Ivan yet, which is one of the final spiritual messages of the book."
Abstract This paper discusses how the deaths of Father Zossima and Ilusha in Fyodor Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov". The paper relates that their deaths cause problems for the orthodox expectations of a dead body, although neither fails to perform miracles. The paper also
looks at how the particular miracles they work, however, require the abandonment of the body in order to remember the person's life and spirit. Specifically, the paper discusses how Father Zossima's failure to obey these conventions, his insistence on rotting, compels Alyosha to truly examine the Father's life and his own faith.
From the Paper "In fact, Alyosha's reaction to Father Zossima's decay springs from the same fundamental emotion that grips young Ilusha following his father's disgrace. Both Alyosha and Ilusha are torn apart by injustices done to ones they love. Ilusha is stricken by his father's mortification owing to his filial devotion. In his case, however, the injustice done to his father is not directly attributable to divine ordination but is instead the result of Dmitri Karamazov's passion. Ilusha, in his innocence, cannot comprehend the world's essential unfairness and is thrown into a tumult even more impressive than Alyosha's. "
