“What isolation?” I asked him. “That which is now reigning everywhere, especially in our age, but it is not all concluded yet, its term has not come. For everyone now strives most of all to separate his person, wishing to experience the fullness of life within himself, and yet what comes of all his efforts is not the fullness of life but full suicide, for instead of the fullness of self-definition, they fall into complete isolation. For all men in our age are separated into units, each seeks seclusion in his own hole, each withdraws from the others, hides himself, and hides what he has, and ends by pushing himself away from people and pushing people away from himself. He accumulates wealth in solitude, thinking: how strong, how secure I am now; and does not see, madman as he is, that the more he accumulates, the more he sinks into suicidal impotence. For he is accustomed to relying only on himself, he has separated his unit from the whole, he has accustomed his soul to not believing in people’s help, in people or in mankind, and now only trembles lest his money and his acquired privileges perish. Everywhere now the human mind has begun laughably not to understand that a man’s true security lies not in his own solitary effort, but in the general wholeness of humanity. But there must needs come a term to this horrible isolation, and everyone will all at once realize how unnaturally they have separated themselves one from another.

Can One Be the Judge of One’s Fellow Creatures? Of Faith to the End

Remember especially that you cannot be the judge of anyone.[217] For there can be no judge of a criminal on earth until the judge knows that he, too, is a criminal, exactly the same as the one who stands before him, and that he is perhaps most guilty of all for the crime of the one standing before him. When he understands this, then he will be able to be a judge. However mad that may seem, it is true.

I’ve finished the book now. Nd it was really very good. The whole character ark of all three brothers was really something. Alexi remains almost perfect throughout, and yet, he changes. He starts off in the convent as a monk. The eldar effscfivly tells him he could do far more good if he wasnt a monk, which is true. There is a critique of religion here for sure, even though there were some very nice religous characters. Alexi also has a darkside inside himself, he will occasionaly suprise people when he reveals the darkness of his thoughts.

Lisa was a very interesting character. She seems to give a good idea of a womans life. She lvoes Alexi but he’s too nice and she hates him for it. She knows what she wants but she lacks any agency in society to do anything about it. And even though she loves Alexi she doesnt want him, though he was take her (she would just never know if he loved her or was just being nice). This ends up manifesting in her slamming her fingers in a door to try and self harm.

Ivan starts off suposedly in love with Madam kolakov but nobodies really sure if its the money he actually wants. Some part of his mind thinks “wouldnt it be nice if dad could just die and I could get his money”. He doesnt keep this in check and it ends up being his downfall. Smerykadov convinces him that he let the murder happen, and even says he only did the murder because he and Ivan had reached a mutual understanding.

The devil is a fun character. He has a lot of good lines. Dostoyevsky doesnt seem to be chrisitan but is happy to use its motifs.

Mitya is a simple character in some ways but so complex. Though honestly I cant think of who really because theres not many people like that. It does feel like a part of the human condition though.

This book, like all good books is timeless because it is about humans. Humans and nothing more. The characters really are very interesting.

I would highly reccomend