Abstract
Abstract: This study examines the treatment of socialism in Zola's Germinal and Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov . Their views towards socialism represent a striking contrast: Dostoevsky condemned the utopian vision of a perfected and scientifically organized humanity, while Zola increasingly supported socialist ideals through both his novels and his activism. One point of contact, however, occurs in the symbolic use of bread. The role of bread in Germinal echoes its meaning in the story of the Grand Inquisitor, the most famous episode within The Brothers Karamazov . Zola portrays hunger and appetite from a deterministic perspective and ties this force to utopian political visions. Both authors portray a "tyranny of bread" where human needs are met at the cost of individual liberty.
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