Term Papers on Essay For The Book, The Brothers Karamozov

Term Paper Title	Essay For The Book, The Brothers Karamozov
# of Words	3129
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	12.52

Essay for the book, The Brothers Karamozov

CHARACTERIZATION

     The main characters of DostoevskyÕs novel The Brothers Karamazov are, as the title suggests, the members of the Karamazov Òfamily,Ó if it can indeed be called such.  The only things that the members of this family share are a name and the ÒKaramazov curse,Ó a legacy of base impulses and voluptuous lust.  References to this tendency towards immorality are sprinkled heavily throughout the novel; phrases such as Òa brazen brow and a Karamazov conscience,Ó Òvoluptuary streak,Ó and ÒKaramazovian basenessÓ abound.
     Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, the father of the brothers Karamazov, is the embodiment and the source of this immorality.  In him Dostoevsky creates such perversity and depravity that one can feel no positive emotions for the man.  His physical appearance--he is ÒflabbyÓ with Òsmall, suspicious eyesÓ and a Òlong, cavernous mouth with puffy lips, behind which could be glimpsed small fragments of black teethÓ--accurately reflects his foul, disgusting character.  He has no respect for himself; he enjoys playing the part of the shameless ÒbuffoonÓ for attention, even though the attention he receives is negative.  Because he has no respect for himself, he can have no respect for others, either.  He has no respect for women, for example;  he is a despicable Òvoluptuary,Ó and he satisfies his lust at any cost.  He drives his wife to madness by bringing Òwomen of ill-reputeÓ into their house right in front of her.  Even more shockingly, he rapes a mentally retarded woman, who later dies giving birth to his illegitimate son, Smerdyakov, who grows up as his fatherÕs servant.
     Fyodor is even more blatantly disrespectful to his three legitimate children.   After his wifeÕs death, he abandons them, for they Òwould have been a hindrance to his  debaucheries.Ó  He is never a true father to any of them.  When his oldest son, Dmitry, becomes an adult, Fyodor is even so cruel as to deny Dmitry his inheritance and instead use the money to seduce Grushenka, with whom his son is in love.
     It is Alyosha, the youngest brother, that is most successful in escaping the curse of the Karamazovs.  Miraculously, he is almost the complete opposite of his father; he is an easygoing Òlover of mankindÓ whom everyone likes.  When the reader first meets Alyosha, he is a young monk of strong faith, a disciple of the Elder Zosima; he is the embodiment of ZosimaÕs  teachings that one must love man unconditionally and not condemn manÕs actions.  Indeed, Alyosha treats everyone he meets with respect and love, and consequently everyone responds to him in the same way.  He tolerates anything without censure, even the Òfilthy lewdnessÓ of his father.  As a result, even his father grows to be Òsincerely fond of him.Ó
     Alyosha plays the role of the mediator in the novel.  Dostoevsky deliberately creates Alyosha as a static character who undergoes few changes, and, therefore, he is the stable, solid character around whom the conflicts of the novel unfold.  He moves in and out of these various conflicts and attempts to ameliorate the existing tensions and solve the problems.  And, indeed, the other characters open up to him and trust him because of his refusal to judge them and their actions.
     Alyosha is not a Christ figure, however, nor is he a mere Òholy fool.Ó  He is, in fact, a Òreal KaramazovÓ , and he has more credibility as a mediator because as a Karamazov, he knows and understands the lowest depths of the soul.  The ability that he has to understand the depravity inherent in man gives him, and therefore the reader, great insights into the personalities and motives of the other characters.  For example, it is Alyosha that guesses that Katerina Ivanovna does not truly love Dmitry, and that she acts out this Òfalse loveÓ only so that she can, out of pride, Òobserve [her] heroic sacrifice of faithfulness and reproach [Dmitry] for his unfaithfulness.Ó  Dostoevsky uses AlyoshaÕs insights into the minds of others as a unique way by which to develop his characters.
     Ivan, the se...

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