Types of Faith in Brothers Karamazov (Dostoyevsky)
Faith. Faith in God, faith in one's self, faith in other people is one factor that can determine someone's worldview. In The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky shares his worldview by creating different types of faith. He does this through his character's lifestyles, their experiences, and showing how they change. In doing so, he shows the reader that he believes faith is what makes people who they are. Dostoevsky uses each of the brothers to show a different type of worldview.
Aloysha puts his faith in God and the good of people. He is trusting of everyone throughout the entire book. Aloysha does not doubt Dmitri's innocence, nor does he ever try to prove it. Rather, he seems to believe that the right thing will be done. The godly example for the brothers is Aloysha, the monk. He restrains himself from worldly activities. He does not get caught up in money or women, like Dmitri, nor does he try to rationalize sinfulness, like Ivan. Aloysha simply loves people and yearns to serve them. Otherwise, he would not have allowed himself to be involved in his brothers' affairs, delivering money and letters, among other things.
Ivan was the brother who didn't believe in anything. At least he tried not to. He said that he did not believe in God, but only the power of reason. This unhappy scholar worked hard to convince himself of this. Though one cannot be sure that he ever did convince himself, it is sure that he convinced Smerdykov. Smerdykov believed anything that he thought Ivan believed. These two characters parallel. Neither one wants to trust or have faith because they have never had the security of a father or anyone who had earned their trust. Therefore, they chose to tell themselves that they needed nothing to believe in.
Dmitri believed in the power of himself and things. Dmitri was a lover of money who trusted no one, not even the woman he loved. The closest thing to a confidant that Dmitri had was Aloysha. However, this was only because Aloysha was the only non-threatening figure in Dmitri's life. If he could not be in control of himself and his situation, through money or strength, then he did not know what to do. This is the reason for his acting rashly and violently; he was no longer in control. However, Dmitri's worldview caused him to act in ways that were not beneficial to him in the long run. He attacked his father, as well as made two threats to kill him, one verbally and one in a letter. Dmitri was simply acting in anger because he could not have money, or he thought he was losing Grueshenka. As a result, people thought that he killed his father in anger. Ivan's worldview also backfired on him. He was Smerdykov's justification for killing his father. Then Smerdykov's faith in only Ivan came crashing in, leading him to suicide.
Each of these characters' worldview changed because of the bad consequences that came from their previous worldview. Dmitri was forced to pay the price for his living such a rough life. Not only did he have to serve a prison sentence, he also had to endure a trial where all of his sins were relived in front of him and the rest of his world. However, it was through this low point in Dmitri's life that he began to see the need for others. He began to love people and get his priorities straight. Aloysha's influence helped him see that he needed something to secure himself to. Ivan also changed. He began to believe in his brother. This is a great accomplishment. However, he stops believing in himself. One could say that deep down, Ivan always knew that he needed other people, but it would hurt too much to allow himself to love. He was afraid that he could be let down. Nevertheless, he could not help himself. Ivan too leaned toward Aloysha's beliefs.
By the end of the book, the three brothers had faith in one another if nothing else. They learned that they loved each other. They found their commonality; they were humans who shared a father that did not love them like he should have. Each of their worldviews came to be almost the same one. This one worldview is Dostoevsky's. Dostoevsky tries to show that all humans are good at heart. This is the reason for Dmitri's reactions at the trial. He took the blame for his sin rather than let someone lie about it to make him look better. This can be shown in Aloysha's concern for the little boy who attacked him. Ivan stands up for his brother Dmitri when the reader thinks that Ivan does not care about his brothers. Through these events, the reader learns that the brothers love one another.
Love is what Dostoevsky bases his morality on. He begins with the elements of love with Aloysha, intellect with Ivan, and power with Dmitri. However, he ends the book with all of the characters re-evaluating their faith to begin to believe in love. This is the most important aspect of the book. That is it's point. Everyone needs to love and be loved. This is all that people have to base their faith upon, whether it be the love of God or the love of man. It is what keeps our world going. With love comes loyalty to those whom one loves. Love causes relationships to grow as relationships cause love to grow. The Brothers Karamazov is about brothers building relationships and learning to love.
Much of what Dostoevsky writes about parallels to his life. Dostoevsky was probably Dmitri with Ivan's intellect. He was a lover of money, a woman pulled him out of debt, and he spent a lot of time in prison. However, he was also a writer like Ivan. Then toward the end of his life, as a result of his experiences, he probably became Aloysha. Dostoevsky had no mother or father for most of his life. However, he did have several siblings. Having not had parents, Dostoevsky probably had to become like Dmitri, depending on no one. He was probably afraid to love for fear of losing love, much like Ivan. Then he learned that he needed his siblings and love, as each of these characters did. Aloysha was probably either a constant in his life that was an example for him, or Aloysha represented his current opinions as he was writing the novel. He simply used the other brothers to show the transition to Aloysha. To make the book about three brothers allowed Dostoevsky to show love in a family and in a relationship sense while relating it to his own relationships with his siblings.
Experience has everything to do with worldview. Truth is only truth to the extent of which one can understand it. People are only capable of understanding things according to their experience. However, they must have the faith to believe that there is more to life than just what they have experienced. Otherwise, one would never grow. There are some common experiences, in the book, that readers can identify with. Everyone has tried to live life on their own at some point. Everyone has felt unloved and probably pushed away someone because she was afraid to love. Everyone has relationships, most with her parents and siblings and friends. Everyone has to learn to love. Everyone has to break down barriers in order to love. Dostoevsky does a great job of making the characters and their experiences relate to nearly everyone in some way. He has convictions about love and people's need for it. He shows the need for family also. Hopefully, each reader can take a piece of Dostoevsky's advice and overcome their fears. Hopefully, they will have faith in people so that they can learn to love!
Rachel Dorough
Introduction to Lit.
5 May 1999
