The Brothers Karamazov

The extremes and paradoxes of human nature are prominent themes. Some of these dualities include innocence and corruption, love and hatred, and the desire for both freedom and enslavement.

The duality of freedom and slavery first appears in the relationship of a disciple and an elder. The relationship is that the disciple is completely at the elder’s mercy and must do whatever the elder commands. The argument against the institution of elders is rooted in suspicion about whether a human can be trusted with this all-encompassing power over another. The narrator, who supports the institution of elders, even admits that this kind of power could lead “to fetters and not to freedom” (29). The rationale for elders is that “a man who dooms himself to this trial, this terrible school of life, does so voluntarily in the hope […] that he will finally, through a whole life’s obedience, attain to perfect freedom” (27). The notion of freedom being rooted in voluntary obedience suggests that freedom comes from escaping instincts and adopting higher, transcendental values. However, Dostoevsky presents a negative view of some of the monks, even the most devout: Father Ferapont is rigorously ascetic and is critical of

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