haunts skeptical believers. In the Brothers Karamazov Russian author, Fyodor Dostoevsky, conveys this paradox of a benevolent god with an unjust world by first doubting god’s existence, then following up with what he feels to be an adequate response.Through this excerpt of The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky explains the necessity of evil in the world, as well as our responsibility as humans in fighting the wrong that surrounds us. Dostoevsky first presents the brother Ivan as the rebellion. Through the
children. Yet at the same time he is shown to be sympathetic and extremely affected by the suffering they were often forced to endure. The pivotal theme of children and their plight is an important part of his portrayal of society. The children in Brothers Karamazov, initially possess a simple, vulnerable, and innocent nature. This highlights the contrasting, cruel society which they are born in to. While facing such adverse obstacles, the children must gain strength. They are forced to learn to sacrifice
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s protagonists are shaped by their upbringing and their parental foundation, which typically leads them to having to create their own superego and moral compass. Thus, the lack of a developed ego ideal and conscience results in the character’s ultimate downfall, as they are unable to cope with overburdening scenarios. While many of Dostoevsky’s protagonists lack balance in their psyche, the hardships that Dmitri Karamazov experiences during his trial lead
Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children’s Crusade, A Duty-Dance With Death and Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close share several similar traits. These commonalities reside in the authors’ specific use of character in relation or reaction to setting, and in their eschewing of the linear narrative form. Both writers employ main characters who struggle against the mental fall-out of having experienced catastrophic events – with the World War Two-era firebombing of