The Theme in the Work
In The Brothers Karamazov freedom is not political; it is a weight, and the book sets two answers to it side by side. The first is that of Ivan Fyodorovich Karamazov, in the poem he tells Alyosha: the Grand Inquisitor tells Christ that nothing was more unbearable for man than freedom, and that the Church relieved him of it with bread, miracle, mystery and authority, in exchange for an obedience that makes him happy. The second is that of Elder Zosima, who also speaks of renunciation, but proposes it as a path to an inner freedom: the monk gives up needs, and even his own will, in order to become free of himself. The difference, in the text, lies in who takes freedom away: the Inquisitor gathers it from those who bring it to his feet; the elder receives it from those who hand it over. Oppression appears in other figures: that of Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov over those who depend on him, that of Smerdyakov, a servant who acts on his master's word, the public humiliation of Captain Snegiryov, dragged by the beard, which makes him refuse the money, and that of the law, which in the courtroom condemns without the slightest indulgence. The freedom of desire, which Ivan reserves for himself, the book shows turning back against the one who reserves it.
In ch. V of Book I, the narrator explains the institution of the elder, of total obedience, and defines what Alyosha chooses.
Старец — это берущий вашу душу, вашу волю в свою душу и в свою волю, The elder is the one who takes your soul and your will into his own soul and his own will.
In ch. V of Book II, in the discussion about Church and State, Zosima says that the only punishment that restrains the criminal is that of conscience, not the one from outside.
настоящей кары, единственной действительной, единственной устрашающей и умиротворяющей, заключающейся в сознании собственной совести, of a true punishment, the only effective one, the only one that frightens and pacifies, which consists in the awareness of one's own moral conscience.
In ch. IX of Book III, in the courtyard, Ivan promises Alyosha that he will defend the father and Mitya and, in the same sentence, reserves a territory for himself.
Но в желаниях моих я оставляю за собою в данном случае полный простор., But in my desires I reserve for myself, in this case, full freedom.
In ch. V of Book V, the Inquisitor opens the accusation with the proof he has at hand.
теперь и именно ныне эти люди уверены более чем когда-нибудь, что свободны вполне, а между тем сами же они принесли нам свободу свою и покорно положили ее к ногам нашим, now, and precisely now, these people are more certain than ever that they are fully free, and yet it was they themselves who brought us their freedom and meekly laid it at our feet.
He reconstructs the first question of the desert spirit, which grounds the thesis.
ничего и никогда не было для человека и для человеческого общества невыносимее свободы!, nothing, at any time, has been more unbearable for man and for human society than freedom!
He sums up the formula of what the Church corrected.
Есть три силы, единственные три силы на земле, могущие навеки победить и пленить совесть этих слабосильных бунтовщиков, для их счастия, — эти силы: чудо, тайна и авторитет., there are three forces, the only three forces on earth able to conquer and hold captive for ever the conscience of these weak rebels, for their happiness: these forces are miracle, mystery and authority.
And the prisoner, who has listened in silence, answers with a gesture.
он вдруг молча приближается к старику и тихо целует его в его бескровные девяностолетние уста. Вот и весь ответ., he suddenly approaches the old man in silence and gently kisses his bloodless ninety-year-old lips. That is his whole answer.
In ch. III of Book VI, Zosima answers the world that proclaimed freedom, without citing the poem.
Провозгласил мир свободу, в последнее время особенно, и что же видим в этой свободе ихней: одно лишь рабство и самоубийство!, the world has proclaimed freedom, especially in recent times, and what do we see in that freedom of theirs? Nothing but slavery and suicide!
He projects a society without servants.
а, напротив, изо всех сил пожелает стать сам всем слугой по Евангелию., but, on the contrary, with all his strength he will desire to become the servant of all himself, according to the Gospel.
And he proposes a choice that is made once.
Взять ли силой али смиренною любовью?» Всегда решай: «Возьму смиренною любовью». Решишься так раз навсегда и весь мир покорить возможешь. Смирение любовное — страшная сила изо всех сильнейшая, подобной которой и нет ничего., "To take by force or by humble love?" Always decide: "I will take by humble love." If you decide this once and for all, you may conquer the whole world. Humble love is a terrible force, the strongest of all, and there is nothing like it.
In ch. VIII of Book XI, Smerdyakov confesses the crime to Ivan and calls himself a faithful servant.
Вы убили, вы главный убивец и есть, а я только вашим приспешником был, слугой Личардой верным, и по слову вашему дело это и совершил., you killed him, you are the principal murderer, and I was only your accomplice, your faithful servant Licharda, and at your word I did this deed.
Who Embodies It
The Grand Inquisitor embodies the oppression that believes itself loving: he governs in the name of the happiness of the weak and carries the lie as a sacrifice. Christ, silent, is the freedom that is not defended by argument. Zosima is the chosen renunciation, and Alyosha, who chooses the elder without hesitation, lives it. Ivan stands between the freedom he refuses and the freedom he reserves for himself. Smerdyakov is the servant who acts on his master's word and then presents the bill, and Fyodor is the master who oppresses those who depend on him.
Where It Appears
- Book I, ch. V: The narrator explains the eldership and says that the elder takes the will of whoever chooses him.
- Book II, ch. V: Ivan and Zosima discuss the Church absorbing the State and the punishment of conscience.
- Book III, ch. IX: Ivan tells Alyosha that everyone has the right to desire, even another's death, and that in his own desires he reserves full freedom for himself.
- Book V, ch. V: The Inquisitor says freedom is unbearable and that the Church traded it for bread, miracle, mystery and authority.
- Book VI, ch. III: Zosima says the freedom of the world is slavery and proposes humble love.
- Book XI, ch. VIII: Smerdyakov tells Ivan that he did what he did by his word, as a faithful servant.
Where the Readings Diverge
Alyosha maintains that the Inquisitor is Rome, and that in Orthodoxy freedom is not like this. Ivan replies that the old man can exist today in many people. The two readings of the book's freedom are born from this discussion: either the poem is the caricature of a Catholicism that the book condemns, or it is the strongest thesis against the faith that the book leaves standing.
The renunciation Zosima proposes and the one the Inquisitor imposes have the same form, that of giving up one's will, and differ only in who asks for it. The narrator himself admits in ch. V of Book I that the eldership can turn into satanic pride, chains instead of freedom, and the definition of the elder, who takes the will of whoever chooses him, is one the Inquisitor would recognize. What changes from one side to the other is the origin of the gesture: the novice hands it over, the crowd is led. But the book does not prove that the difference is secure: the Inquisitor also says he acts out of love, and the text lets him speak without refutation. What separates them, in what is seen, is an act. Zosima sends Alyosha out of the monastery, to live in the world, and the Inquisitor sends Christ out of the city, so that he will not return; one gives the will back to the disciple, the other removes it from the scene. The book's freedom, in this sense, is the kind that can be given back to the one who gave it.