“Death Itself May be Overcome…” (Thanatological Plot in “The Brothers Karamazov” by Dostoevsky)

Abstract

The article reveals how the writer’s personal drama was reflected in his novel “The Brothers Karamazov.” The unexpected death of their three-year-old son on May 16, 1878 was a tragic shock for the Dostoevskys. The causes of his death have not yet been clarified: there is no critical analysis of documentary sources, no diagnosis has been made, the described symptoms (fever, diarrhea, vomiting) may be related to several childhood diseases, family legends about the disease are unreliable. Dostoevsky’s pilgrimage to the Optina Hermitage had a personal reason along with his creative interest in the plot of the new novel. The writer sought to say goodbye to the earthly life of baby Alexey on the fortieth day of his death at Optina, but he was late. During the trip, Dostoevsky had an important conversation with Vladimir Solovyov, in which the writer revealed the idea of his future novel: the Church “as a positive social ideal.” After Dostoevsky’s pilgrimage to the Optina Hermitage, his novel took final shape. The thanatological motifs in the work include scenes in the monastery, Ivan Karamazov’s “collection” of facts, the death of elder Zosima, the illness and death of his brother Markel, Ilyusha Snegirev, and other heroes. These motifs play a key role in forming the poetic idea of the novel. The thanatological theme of the novel has Easter significance. Dostoevsky wrote a novel in which he not merely describe an event, he articulated the meaning of being: in the person of Alexey Fyodorovich Karamazov, he resurrected his son in the name and prototype of the deceased Alexei Fyodorovich Dostoevsky. With every proclamation and glorification of the hero, Dostoevsky proclaimed the immortality of his son.