PAC Postscript Jones: Agony and Abandonment 1

Agony and Abandonment:

The Oppression of Children in The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Mason A. Jones

Francis Marion University

What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.

-Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

Women have often been discussed as the victims of systematic class-based

oppression. Their oppression by patriarchal masculinity forces them out of a noble

position in which they would otherwise inherently belong. However, women are not the

only recipients of such patriarchal oppression. Children are also victims of very much the

same class-oriented oppression. Children are, arguably, more overlooked as victims of

oppression than women. This is due largely to the fact that children are often viewed as

incapable of functioning or discerning for themselves the right to any self-actualization or

agency. The limited rights and freedoms possessed by a child within any society inflict a

greater impact on their oppression, making the fundamental removal of rights by

economic desolation not only abusive, but morally abhorrent. This line of thinking should

be familiar to those who have encountered the approach to texts from a feminist

perspective, as this is the exact same critical dialogue used to examine the systematic

abuse and oppression of women. The text this essay addresses is one that expertly

approaches this issue, Dostoevskys The Brothers Karamazov. This essay will explore the

abuse of the three legitimate children of father Karamazov, the reduction of their
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socioeconomic existence to that of a lower-class existence, and the connection of this to

more global themes of genocide and religious filicide.

Dimitri Karamazov, one of the most important children in this text, exemplifies

suffering as a result of living in a class beneath that which he deserves. In the chapter

with the simple but telling title He Gets Rid of His Eldest Son, the novel approaches

the first child of Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, and the despicable abuse that this upper-

middle class landowner inflicted on both his first wife and their only child. The first

person faced with this, however, was Fyodors wife, who eventually left due to the

impact of his womanizing and blas attitude toward her, despite his desire to copulate

with anything that retained a pulse, and that she even had no feeling for her husband but

contempt (Dostoevsky 32). This loveless marriage ended in her leaving him, pursuing an

affair with a divinity student and abandoning Fyodor with their son, who immediately is

sent to live with a servant.

The dismissal of the son is the first in a series of events that leaves Dmitri

Karamazov as an impoverished member of a pseudo-class system created within the

realm of his own family. Dmitri Karamazov was sent away to be raised by members of a

lower class while his father drank and whored with a harem of his own. Dmitri is raised

by a servant, and is forgotten by his father almost entirely, to the point where he did not

understand what child he was talking about, and even as though he was surprised to hear

that he had a little son (Dostoevsky 41). The point of negligence reached by Fyodor is

almost comical, but the reality of child abuse within these circumstances is poignant, and

shows the disgusting nature of still owning a child for purely biological reasons, despite
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abandoning his son to live in unnecessary squalor to sate his own hedonistic and

narcissistic sensual indulgences.

Dmitri, however, returns after reaching adulthood, with the intention to deliver a

legal suit against his father. The boy who was once abandoned and abused by his father

reenters the center stage, having turned out very similar to his father. Dmitri experiences

life as a hedonistic sensualist in a similar way to his father. He returns only to get the

inheritance he felt that he deserved, especially due to his childhood and the ultimate

result of the abandonment he experienced in his youth. Fyodor treats his son and their

situation almost as a joke by inviting their discussion to be held at a local church and be

presided over by a religious Elder, Father Zosima. This proposal was a direct insult to

both of them, as they were both men of heavy drink and sexual promiscuity. The proposal

does not go over well, but shows that the continued abuse and hatred toward Dmitri

continues despite his growing into an adult and developing a personal agency. Fyodor, by

the simple merit of being Dmitris father, was capable of abusing him at any point in his

life (ONeill, 451).

The theme of adolescent abuse carries onward through the novel, and is

also present in scenes pertaining to Fyodors other two children, both from his second

marriage- Alyosha and Ivan. Both siblings faced a similar treatment to Dmitri, though not

quite to the same extent, as they did both eventually end up making something of

themselves. These two dedicate themselves more to ideas than sensations, and as such,

are able to retain at least a cordial relationship with their father. Alyosha becomes a man

of the cloth, while Ivan becomes an educated and worldly man plagued by his high
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intellect and existential thought. This logical thought forces Ivan to examine abuse as an

extension of systematic oppression. As Laurie Langbauer puts it, if neither Ivan nor

Alyosha nor any society they can imagine would make such a bargain, why does God?

Ivan refuses to associate with such a deity (97). Because of this reality, Ivan must reject

a deity who would allow such a thing, though he himself refuses to claim the title of

Atheist.

The effects of abuse on the psychological development in children in their younger

years often compounds themselves by creating what is known in psychology as the

Cycle of Abuse. This cycle as it pertains to the abuse involving or targeting children is

explained well in the research of Carlton and Sprang, who analyzed the relationship

between childhood trauma and the development of abusive tendencies, referred to as

child abuse potential (269). In this article, the researchers concluded that the possibility

for a victim of abuse to continue on the tradition of abuse, whether as oppressors or

further victims, is an incredibly high risk. With this in mind, the role of oppression in this

text draws a distinct relationship between abuse and disenfranchisement The cycle of

abuse, which the figure of Ivan Karamazov seems surprisingly aware, is central to his

argument against divine benevolence.

One of the most iconic scenes within The Brothers Karamazov is Ivans discussion

with his younger brother about his poem, The Grand Inquisitor, which is a dialogue on

morality and suffering. It also brings up the concept of the child yet again. Alyosha is

constantly being compared to a childlike Christ figure throughout the novel, expressing

qualities such as meekness and love for others. Prior to the conversation about the Grand
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Inquisitor, where Ivan expresses the inevitability of Christs re-killing, the story

showcases one of the darker aspects of humanity. The original crucifixion of Jesus, to

Ivan, was not enough. As he explains it, killing Christ upon his return was the only

logical course of action. Ivan discusses the killing of children, almost for the sake of

killing and torturing them, and simply because of their defenselessness that tempts the

tormentor, just the angelic confidence of the child who has no refuge and no appeal

(Dostoevsky 131).

Ivan Karamazov voices his disdain for the significant agony and violence

experienced by children to strengthen his religious convictions regarding his heretical

view of Christianity. While Dostoevsky seems to be presenting Ivan as a representative of

contemporary antagonists to his own personally held Russian Orthodoxy, Ivan

nonetheless argues with a strong and effective line of reasoning, causing even Alyosha to

be somewhat convinced. In her essay, Langbauer asserts that Ivan unrelentingly forces

his gentle child-brother to listen submissively to detail after detail of stories of child

murder, child torture, [and] child abuse of every sort (Langbauer 96). Through the

conversations of these two men, their own childlike nature becomes more apparent.

Whether they acknowledge it or not, their upbringing and the characteristics of both their

childhood and their budding adulthood is almost entirely mandated by their

circumstances. It becomes apparent that the man who bows his head to God and the one

who shakes his fist at Him are hardly a different person.

The killing of children, and any killing, is the reduction of the victim to an

inhuman status--something whose death will not be missed, and whose life is patently
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unimportant. Ivan also bring up another point: that the worst part of this torture of

children is that they often trust those who eventually destroy them. Ivans commentary of

the murder of children can also be applied to the treatment of characters like Dmitri, and

even Jesus, who was butchered by his Father for the sake of humanity. These

characters often seem to exemplify the reduction of a childs economic class by creating

for them a system of paternal oppression and desecration. This reduction is almost total,

though there are some redeeming aspects of humanity, expressed by characters like

Alyosha, who show empathy and understanding, and whose moral fiber represents a very

significant redeeming quality, even for all of humanity.

Ivans critique of Christianity, morality, and the abuse of children as systematic

and inherently evil. Ivan holds Jesus himself, as well as all other moral authorities,

accountable to the act of perpetuating child abuse, neglect, and oppression. Through

creating his own mythology of Christ and spreading his own theology through the Grand

Inquisitor poem, Ivan presents the very crux of the novel and of this criticism: that the

oppression of children is the most fundamental expression of the sin nature of humanity.

This becomes his criticism of God, of organized religion, and of his own father, who Ivan

supposedly believes is deserving of being murdered.

The presence of Ivans personal oral mythology, incorporating that of Christian

and Christ-centric myth, provides an additional perspective of this novel as both a

religious and an anti-Industrialist Dickensian-style text (Lary 57). The Gospel texts

themselves, especially the Gospel of John, present an interesting interaction between that

of God, that Father, and Jesus, the Son of God. The seeming reverse apotheosis of Christ
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in his reduction from sovereign deity to pitiable mortal is a prime example of the class

reduction of children as a whole. Reviewing the crucifixion narrative as a parabolic text,

especially through the lens of contemporary Marxian literary criticism, reveals something

all too interesting. Not only is the Trinitarian nature of the Christian God deconstructed

into subsequent parts (a common criticism leveled from Monotheist critics of

Christianity), but also the Godhead itself inflicts punishment and damnation on the

physical and spiritual aspect of his Son. While the end result of the crucifixion and

damnation of Christ is an essential part of the reconciliation between humanity and God

(Hruska 479). It no less reflects the reduction of the child for the benefit of the oppressor

portrayed in the Russian novel. This, and the jaded trinity of the brothers, manifests itself

as an inversion of the salvation narrative, instead descending the familial construct into

seemingly inevitable parricide.

The Trinity of the brothers in this novel is an exceptional detail, especially given

the religious and spiritual aspects of many portions of this novel--as well as the authors

other major works. There is a significant point to be made here about the Trinity. Dimitri,

the sensualist, represents a physical manifestation that stands separate from his spirit as

two fundamentally separate wholes, much like Christ. Ivan, the scholar, appears to be

representing the mind of God in this inverted trinity. Finally, Alyosha, the youngest and

most spiritual of the brothers, brings the trinity to a close, as he himself holds the role of

the mediating Holy Spirit figure within the text. While applying religious criticism, it is

important to keep in mind Dostoevskys view of the brothers and their relationship to the
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Orthodox views of the Holy Trinity. These details regarding such a highly spiritual text

are continuously relevant to both cultural studies and criticism.

Ivan himself is a character that represents a potential audience for the

philosophical aspects of Dostoevskys text. Dostoevsky wished to include skeptics and

atheists in the conversation regarding sacred theology and philosophical discourse. He

presents these figures that he, respects and admires, despite having philosophical

disagreements. In this way, Ivan serves as a foil for the highly religious Aloyosha, who

continues within his faith tradition without question. The interactions between these two,

a kind of reference to the temptation of Christ, makes the critical reader who

acknowledges the violence and abuse seemingly allowed by God and introduce questions

that bring the tenets of monotheism to question. Alyosha, however, is himself the

authors response to the claims revolving around Ivan (and, by extension, the audiences)

concerns with human nature and oppression.

Aloysha represents a Christ-figure not only to those within the clergy of Russian

Orthodoxy, but also to both of his brothers. Dimitri often refers to Alyosha as his

cherub, associating him with a distinctly holy and pure role, an individual with the

characteristics of the divine in the midst of his seemingly human visage (Dostoevsky

183). Alyosha also represents a figure of spiritual and interpersonal naivety, often seeing

the best in others regardless of the amount of evidence to the contrary. He shows

concerns for his brothers salvation, and even sympathy for his father in some regards,

despite being subjected to the type of systematic oppression only his father could truly

master (Zink 268).

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Looking at the age of Western Industrialism and its ethical and sociological

implications is almost entirely redundant without also acknowledging the philosophical

and moral discussions of the era- that being the Existentialist movement. In fact, The

Brothers Karamazov is often presented as both a distinctly Christian and Existentialist

text, with the theism of Dostoevsky being fully present, yet not pulling any punches.

Friedrich Nietzsches own brand of atheist philosophy and textual criticism was

beginning to tug at the strings of established theological maxims, and the tapestry of

long-held religious philosophy was unraveling. Dostoevskys many novels seek to hold

on to older religious expressions within Russian culture. Despite this, he also examines

his own religion with the eyes and minds of the present era--an approach that is as

humanistic as it is Christian.

Authority figures often use their position of power over children to create a system

of agonizing abuse, whether or not this system and its outcomes are intentional. A

question regarding this novel (along with the timeliness of its publication alongside many

other texts by authors that address the abuses of children for capital) is that this novel and

its portrayal of children are in direct response to the Industrial Revolution and child labor.

This issue, which has been discussed at length in the criticism of this text, aids in

exposing the fundamental depravity of humankind and the inevitable destruction of purity

and innocence. Even when the exertion of power is not inherently sexual, the result is still

effectively depredation.

To conclude, Fyodor Dostoyevsky is innately aware of the implications that both

his novel and its contentious themes have on the oppression that children face. As the text
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explores the treatment of children in Russian society, it unearths the dangers of placing a

monetary value on fellow human beings. This novel serves as a cautionary tale regarding

the impact the industrial revolution on human virtue, while also acknowledging that our

capacity for evil is innate. While the rules of modern capitalism became set in stone, the

means of gaining and maintaining power became more defined. As such, oppression in

The Brothers Karamazov is revealed to be rooted in economic success or failure. To

those who are oppressed within the text, freedom from oppression is only possible by

escaping the capital-based system of value that dominates their society.

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Works Cited

Carlton, Craig D. and Sprang, Ginny. Trauma Exposure and Child Abuse Potential:

Investigating the Cycle of Violence. American Journal of Orthopsychology. 77.2

(2007): 296-305. EBSCO. Web. February 18 2016.

Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Brothers Karamazov. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print

Hruska, Anne. The Sins of Children in The Brothers Karamazov: Serfdom, Hierarchy, and

Transcendence. Christianity and Literature. 54.4 (2005): 471-95. Print. January 12

2015.

Langbauer, Laurie. Ethics and Theory: Suffering Children in Dickens, Dostoevsky, and Le

Guin. English Literary History. 75.1 (2008): 89-108. Print. December 14 2015.

Lary, N. M. Dostoevsky and Dickens: A Study of Literary Influence. Boston: Routledge and

Kegan Paul (1973). Print.

ONeill, Onora. Childrens Rights and Childrens Lives Ethics. 98.3 (1988): 445-63. JSTOR.

Web. February 10 2016.

Zink, Sidney. The Moral Effect of Art Ethics. 60.4 (1950): 261-74. JSTOR Web. December 19

2015.