The Brothers Karamazov (selected reading) by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Chapter 3: The Brothers Get Acquainted

Alyosha goes to the tavern and finds Ivan sitting behind some privacy screens at a table alone, waiting for
Dmitri. They are happy for the chance to meet before Ivan has to leave. They talk about their past. Ivan
describes his philosophy of life. Ivan says he will continue to drink until he is 30; their father has no
intention of giving up alcohol until 70 or 80 and Ivan thinks that is nasty. He is happy that Alyosha will be
away from the monastery for part of the time he will still be partying. They talk about their brother
Smerdyakov and the relationship – or lack of one – Ivan has with Dmitri & their father. Alyosha is
concerned about Dmitri & their father, Ivan says “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (231). Ivan talks about his
love of life. Alyosha wants to know if Ivan is in love & he says yes. Alyosha wants to know why he told
the girl, Katerina, that he does not love her. Ivan says women don’t die of hysterics and she’ll get over it.
He knows that Alyosha didn’t come to the tavern to talk about the girl; he suspects they should talk about
higher matters, the universal questions of life (234). They talk about the existence of God, Euclidean
geometry and the belief that everything will eventually turn out ok (236). Ivan accepts God, but not the
world he created. Alyosha wants to know why not. Ivan says he doesn’t want to corrupt his little brother
and smiles at him.

Chapter 4: Rebellion

Ivan starts out by saying that it is impossible to love one’s neighbors; mostly because neighbors are too
close and love is easier if one does not have to always see the object of his love. Men cannot love like
Christ for Christ was a god and men are not gods. He is troubled by the amount of suffering on Earth and
asks Alyosha how a just God could permit the suffering of children, creatures too young even to have
sinned. For him that proves the absolute existence of evil, and lack of harmony under God. Man proves
his cruelty by the suffering of children, for they have not sinned, and thus must suffer for adults. He gives
several examples of child abuse and miscarried justice. Adults deserve what they have to suffer because
they have made their own choices in life, but children are innocent of wrongdoing. Ivan says that if man
invented the devil, he did so in his own likeness. To him, the knowledge of good and evil gained by the
Fall of Man is not worth the suffering of one innocent creature, and while suffering continues he cannot
believe in the eternal harmony of the universe. Alyosha responds that this amounts to rebellion, which
saddens Ivan, who says that one cannot exist in rebellion, and yet Ivan wants to live. When Alyosha is
troubled by this, Ivan asks him whether he could accept even a perfect world if the perfection depended
on the suffering of an innocent creature. Alyosha says he would not, but reminds Ivan that Christ was
without sin, and he died for the sake of humanity's forgiveness and ultimate happiness. Ivan responds
that it just so happens he wrote a poem about that.

Chapter 5: The Grand Inquisitor

Ivan's "poem" takes place in Spain during the sixteenth century and the Spanish Inquisition. He explains
that his work is too complex to understand without a preface and he interrupts himself frequently with
explanations. Ivan speaks of how the believers in Christ have been longing and praying for Christ's return
for 1500 years, and that he longed to return to his people. He quotes a Russian poet, Tyutchev, who
proclaimed that Christ had returned and walked among his people, which Ivan says is true (248). This is
where his story begins, in Seville, Spain.
Christ comes down to earth during the Inquisition, apparently reborn on Earth, and is recognized by the
people, who cannot help but love and follow him. He heals the sick, makes the blind see, and raises the
dead. The Cardinal, or Grand Inquisitor, witnesses the raising of the child from the dead, and orders that
this man be arrested. The Grand Inquisitor visits Christ in his cell that evening and is angry with him for
having returned. The Grand Inquisitor tells Christ that the Church is not that concerned with the teachings
or example of Christ. He says he could order Christ burned as a heretic and the same people who
worshipped him today will help build the fire for him. He tells Christ that all power now lies with the Pope,
and not with him. The Pope and the earthly institution of the Church have turned toward the devil. Man
cannot handle the burden of free will, which is unendurable; the Church has rid the people of their
freedom in order to make them happy. They will become slaves and the Church will feed them and
deceive them, claiming to feed men in the name of Christ. This is what Christ should have done, the old
man says, since “heavenly bread” does not fill empty stomachs (253). The Grand Inquisitor says that he
has sacrificed himself to make the masses happy in their earthly existence. Christ's way only allows the
strong to be saved.
The Grand Inquisitor says that by rejecting the devil’s three temptations in the desert, Christ guaranteed
that human beings would have free will which is a devastating, impossible burden for mankind. The first
temptation was to turn stones into bread, which the Inquisitor believes would have been offering life
through having enough food; that they need to be free of hunger more than freedom of choice. The
second temptation was to throw himself from a high place and force the angels to protect him physically
(to save him for crucifixion?) The Grand Inquisitor says that people are more convinced by flashy
showmanship than by strength of conviction; he should have offered the people miracles to hold their
faith. The third temptation was to worship Satan in return for possession of all earthly kingdoms. The
Inquisitor says, “we took Rome and the sword of Caesar from him, and proclaimed ourselves sole rulers
of the Earth… (257)”, he talks about permissible sins which are forgiven by the representatives of the
Church. He says men crave mysteries, miracles and authority which are the things offered by Satan and
which is why the Church decided to join him in fooling the people into deserting their freedoms in favor of
security; correcting Christ’s misdeeds (260).

Alyosha had not interrupted (with great effort), but now says that Ivan has actually praised Jesus,
misunderstood freedom and attributed the worst characteristics of the worst part of the Church to the
Church as a whole. Ivan responds with a brief history lesson about how the teachings of the Church have
become so twisted. Alyosha asks if that was the end of the poem. Ivan draws out the ending, talking
about how the old man waited for a reply, etc. Instead, “… he approaches the old man in silence and
gently kisses him on his bloodless, ninety-year-old lips (262)”. The old man shudders and throws Christ
out. He says the kiss burned in the old man’s heart and Alyosha says Ivan is burning right along with it.
Ivan says that the depravity and corruption of the Karamazov family is a force that will endure forever. He
asks whether Alyosha will have room in his heart for Ivan who refuses to renounce the “everything is
permitted” philosophy. Alyosha stands and gently kisses his brother which causes him to cry out “Literary
theft! … You stole that from my poem! Thank you, however… (263)”. Before they leave, Ivan promises
as a "declaration of love" to not lose his passion for life, and for the "sticky little leaves" of existence (263 -
264).  Ivan and Alyosha leave the restaurant and split up. Ivan begins walking home and Alyosha walks to
the monastery where Zosima is dying, all thoughts of Dmitri forgotten.