Summary “Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov”


Dostoevsky acquaints readers with the Karamazov family. Its head Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov is a small landowner. The author characterizes him as a man of “stupid”, “crappy and depraved”, but cunning.

Fyodor Pavlovich was twice married. The first wife belonged to the rich and influential Miusovs. Immediately after the wedding Karamazov took away her dowry and began to behave with a young wife in a boorish way. From constant beatings and scandals, a woman fled to Petersburg, where she soon died, leaving her three-year-old son Mitya. Fyodor Pavlovich did not teach the child. Misha’s cousin Pyotr Aleksandrovich Miusov took custody of Mitya, but soon left for Paris, entrusting the boy to his relatives.

Ros and brought up Dmitry almost in itself. Not graduating from high school, he went to military school, from there – to the Caucasus, where he ate a lot. In the same place for participation in the duel Dmitry was demoted. The young man was

not able to get his mother’s money from Feodor Pavlovich by heredity. The father bought off from his son a small sum and sent the translations until the legacy was over. But Dmitry did not want to admit it.

The second wife of Fyodor Pavlovich was a timid and quiet woman, who bore him two sons, but she did not recognize family happiness. Despot humiliated his wife in every possible way, arranging disgusting orgies right in front of her. The unfortunate died four years after the birth of the second child. The father also did not want to study the education of Ivan and Alexei. They were taken, in fact, a stranger. The noble and kind heir of the teacher of their mother raised and gave the children education.

Ivan already at an early age was an excellent student, for which he was assigned to a gymnasium to a well-known teacher. Then the boy entered the university, where he learned to make a living by newspaper publications. After graduation, he returned to his father and quite easily got along with him.

Alexey was a common favorite. He was adored in the foster family and in the gymnasium. Better than

for other children was the younger and Fyodor Pavlovich. Even when Alyosha decided to leave the novice as a monk, the father did not object. The young man made his choice under the influence of the elder Zosima.

Wishing to end the dispute between the father and Dmitry about the inheritance, Alexei suggested that the whole family gather and discuss the problem in the monastery with the elder.

The second book. Inappropriate meeting

In the cell of the old man Zosima, all the Karamazovs gathered, as well as Peter Miusov. Fyodor Pavlovitch, not embarrassed by the old man, started a clownish conversation, trying to hurt Miusov. This trick provoked a scandal than the meeting and ended. Fyodor Pavlovich also accused Dmitry that his son had brought his fiancée Katerina Ivanovna to the city, while he himself seduced Grushenka, the custodian of a local rich merchant. Mitya in response blames his father, they say, he himself wants to get Grushenka.

Surprisingly behaves in this meeting Zosima. He bows to Dmitry’s feet, anticipating his future tragedy, and Ivan blesses in search of truth. Alexei punishes after his death leave the monastery and be close to his brothers.

The third book. The sensualists

Dmitry tells Alyosha about the problem of Katerina Ivanovna. Her father lost state money and in desperation decided to shoot himself. Dmitry just had the right amount, and he is ready to give money to Katerina, if she comes to him. And the girl decided to sacrifice herself to save her father’s honest name. Dmitry, however, did not take advantage of the moment, and gave Katerina money just like that. After this incident, the girl’s father fell ill and soon died. And Katya suddenly became the rich heiress of the Moscow aunt. She wrote a letter to Dmitry, confessing to love and offering him to marry her, now a rich bride. Mitya agreed and begged Katerina. However, in the person of his middle brother, he had a rival. When Katerina met Ivan, it became clear that love was born between young people.

Dmitry does not regret it. He offers Alyosha to visit Katya and explain to her that she will not come to the bride any more, she can marry Ivan. Dmitri himself lost his head from Grushenka and is ready to marry her. For the sake of the new beloved, he squandered three thousand rubles, which he gave to one business Katerina. Return money to the bride Dmitry hopes with the help of his father. He knows that Fedor Pavlovich prepared such a sum for Grushenka. Dmitry is determined to prevent the girl from meeting her parent. Out of jealousy, he is even ready to kill his father.

About the arrival of Grushenka Mitya should warn Smerdyakov – a servant in the house of Fyodor Pavlovich. This is the son of the holy fool Lizaveta and Fyodor Pavlovitch himself, as the people said. Lizaveta died at birth, and the boy was brought up by the footman Grigory with his wife. Smerdyakov, like his mother, suffered from seizures, cruelly treated animals and was a very mean man.

At Katerina Ivanovna, Alexei finds Grushenka. Women speak in elevated tones. The maid passes a letter to Alexei with a confession of love from Liza, a sick daughter of the landowner Hohlakova.

Dmitry bursts into his father’s house, suspecting that Grushenka came and, in a fit of anger, beats Fyodor Pavlovich.

The fourth book. Strongholds

Alexei goes to Hohlakov. On the way, he enters a fight with schoolchildren, one of whom bites his finger. As it turns out, this is Ilyushenka – the son of retired staff captain Snegirev, whom Dmitry cruelly insulted. At the Khokhlakovs, Alex meets his middle brother and Katerina. Ivan confesses his love to Dmitry’s fiancée and is about to leave, because Katerina intends to remain faithful to Mitya, despite his desire to marry Grushenka.

Katerina Ivanovna sends Alyosha to Snegirev to send the captain 200 rubles. Snegirev, despite the difficult situation in the family (a sick daughter, a weak-minded wife, a young son), refuses money.

The fifth book. Pro and contra

Ivan and Alex meet in the tavern, where one of the main scenes of the novel takes place. The middle brother talks about his beliefs. He does not deny God, but he does not recognize that the world is built by the Most High. Ivan retells his poem about the Grand Inquisitor, in which he describes how Christ once again came to earth, and he was imprisoned. The great inquisitor comes to the Son of God to explain his theory: mankind can not be free between good and evil, people suffer from uncertainty. The Inquisitor and his companions wish to save mankind from the anguish of choice. If you arrange the world according to strict rules, people will be grateful for such slavery. The inquisitor expects Christ’s objections, but he only kisses him silently. Alyosha explains his impression of what he heard: “Your poem is praise of Jesus, and not blasphemy… as you wanted it.”

Ivan returns home and meets Smerdyakov, who advises us to go somewhere, since something bad can happen to his father soon. Ivan is outraged by such hints, but agrees that he must leave. In the morning he goes to Moscow, and Smerdyakov at this time happens epileptic seizure.

The book is the sixth. Russian monk

This chapter describes the youth of Father Zosima and his death.

The future holy ascetic was born into a poor noble family. His elder brother died of consumption, which made a strong impression on the boy. Then he entered the cadet corps, became an officer. One day, Zosima had to fight a duel. The night before this event, inspiration came to him. Zosima sustained a shot, and threw out his pistol and asked the enemy for forgiveness. After such courageous deed, the man went to the monastery.

The old man died quietly, prostrate himself on the ground in prayer.

The book is the seventh. Alyosha

After the death of Zosima, everyone expected an imperishable body and all kinds of miracles. But very soon the corrupting spirit spread from the coffin, which caused a great ferment of minds in the monastery and in the city.

Frustrated by everything that happens, Alex agrees to go with his friend Rakitin to Grushenka. They find the girl in great agitation, she is waiting for news from an officer who once deceived her and left her. Grushenka sits down to Alyosha’s lap and tries to flirt. Upon learning of the death of the elder, this intention is abandoned. Soon they sent for her, and the girl rushed to the officer in the Wet.

Alyosha returns to the monastery, where he falls asleep at the grave of the old man. He dreams of Kana of Galilee. The elder is next to Jesus, he rejoices and calls his disciple. After this night, Alexei changed greatly and matured. Three days later he leaves the monastery.

The eighth book. Mitya

Trying to find three thousand, which Dmitri should return to Katerina, he goes to the patron of Grushenka for advice. The merchant decides to play a trick on Mitya and advises him to sell the grove to the buyer of the forest. After much toil, Dmitri finds the buyer a drunk and stays overnight with him to solve the problems in the morning. At night, he saves the buyer, who almost got angry. Realizing that this plan failed, Mitya returned to the city. He did not have a penny of money left, so he had to lay down his watch and dueling pistols. The last hope is to borrow three thousand from Hohlakova, but even there Karamazov gets a refusal.

In despair, Dmitry runs away and stumbles upon a servant from whom he learns that Grushenka is not at home. Confounded with jealousy, he bursts into her house and tries to find out from the owners where the girl went. Having achieved nothing, Dmitry grabs a brass pestle from the table and rushes to his father, suspecting that Grushenka is there. To find this out for sure, he gives a conditional signal, which Smerdyakov told him.

Fedor Pavlovitch, who was delighted, leans out of the window. Dimitri embraces malice, he wants to kill his father, but then Grigory walks out on the porch. Mitya rushes away, Grigory runs after him and catches up with him when the young man climbs over the fence. The old servant hangs on Dmitri, and the latter in response hits Grigory on the head with a pestle. The servant falls, dripping with blood. Dmitry leans over and wipes the old man’s face with a handkerchief. Then, coming to his senses, he again runs away.

He returns to Grushenka’s house and finds out where the girl went. In complete confusion and all the blood smeared Dmitry appears at the official, where he laid down his pistols with a bundle of money. He buys weapons, laundered blood and rushes to the Wet for Grushenka. There Dmitry finds a girl with Poles and friends from the city. To somehow distract from the stormy events, Dmitry sits down to play with the men in the cards, then starts to carouse. So the night flew by, and early in the morning Dmitry was arrested, accusing him of killing his father.

The book is the ninth. Preliminary investigation

The wife of the footman Grigory woke up in the middle of the night from the screams that Smerdyakov had published in a fit. From fear, she began to call her husband until she found him in the garden. In horror the old woman rushed to the house and saw through the open window of the murdered Fyodor Pavlovich. She raised a cry and called for help from the neighbors. Then all together summoned the police chief.

Immediately the investigation began. In the garden was discovered a pestle, and in the bedroom of the deceased they found an empty torn packet of the same three thousand rubles. At the interrogation Dmitry at first refused to explain where he got the money from. But then he confessed: these are the remains of the three thousand that Katerina gave him. Mitya no one believes. All the testimony of eyewitnesses in Mokr against him.

The book is the tenth. Boys

This chapter tells about Kolota Krasotkine, who patronized Ilyusha’s gymnasium. Kolya was a very brave boy. Once he was on a dispute between the rails under the passing train. After this incident, he was respected by all the boys in the gymnasium. Earlier Kolya was in a quarrel with Ilyusha, but now he made up and got to know Alexei.

When Ilyusha became very ill, Alexei began to visit the patient, and also organized boys from the class, so that they would visit their friend every day.

The book is the eleventh. Brother Ivan Fedorovich

Ivan visits the sick Smerdyakov, who confesses to him in the murder. Smerdyakov gives three thousand rubles and accuses Ivan of having committed a murder under the influence of his theories and reasoning: God does not exist and therefore everything is permitted. At night Smerdyakov hanged himself.

Ivan is tormented by conscience, he has delusions and hallucinations. A man talks to the devil for a long time.

The book is the twelfth. Judgement mistake

At the trial, Ivan makes three thousand rubles and tells about the recognition of Smerdyakov. Some facts also point to Dmitri’s innocence, although most of the evidence is not in his favor. Ivan immediately begins a seizure in the courtroom. Frightened by his condition, Katerina Ivanovna presents a letter to Dmitry, in which he wrote about the desire to kill his father. This evidence proves to be fatal. Dmitry is condemned to hard labor.

Epilogue

After the trial, Dmitry fell ill with a nervous breakdown, and he was placed in a hospital. Ivan even before the trial prepared an escape plan, so that Dmitry and Grushenka disappeared from justice in America. Katerina Ivanovna and Alexey take part in this. The solution to the question of escape is transferred to the recovery of Dmitry.

Ilya’s dead. All the boys and Alexei came to the funeral. Near the stone where Ilyusha liked to sit, they swore an oath to serve good and light.


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Summary “Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov”