Commentary on Brothers Karamazov

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Alexandra Piedrahita

IB English I

April 15th 2009

Brothers Karamazov Quote Commentary

p. 189

        “In these affairs, Alexei Fyodorovich, in these affairs the main thing now is honor and duty, and something else, I don’t know what, but something higher, even perhaps higher than duty itself. … But it can all be said in 2 words. I’ve already made up my mind: even if he marries that … creature,” she began solemnly, “whom I can never, never forgive, I still will not leave him! From now on I will never, never leave him!” she spoke with a sort of strain, in a sort of pale forced ecstasy. “I do not mean that I shall drag myself after him, trying to throw myself in front of his eyes every minute, tormenting him – oh, no, I shall go to another town, anywhere you like, but I will watch him all my life, all my life untiringly. And when he becomes unhappy with that woman, and he certainly will and very soon, then let him come to me and he will find a friend, a sister … Only a sister of course, and that will be so forever, but he will finally be convinced that this sister is really his loving sister who sacrificed her whole life for him. I will do it, I will insist that he finally know me and tell me everything without being ashamed!” she exclaimed in a frenzy. “I will be his god, to whom he shall pray – that, at least, he owes me for his betrayal and for what I suffered yesterday because of him. And let him see throughout his whole life, that all my life I will be faithful to him and to the word I once gave, despite the fact that he was faithless and betrayed me. I shall become the means of his happiness (or how should I say it?) the instrument, the mechanism of his happiness, and that for my whole life, my whole life, so that he may see it from now on, all his life! That is the whole of my decision, Ivan Fyodorovich approves of me in the highest degree.”

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        This is a piece of dialogue said by Katerina Ivanova in the chapter “Strain in the Drawing Room”.  I think this was an interesting quote because it marked a turning point in the novel. Up until this point I was hoping, and was almost sure, that Katerina would love Ivan back and they would be together, but here, suddenly, there is a major shift. This speech came quite unexpectedly and out of the blue, and my opinion on it is that Katerina is trying to prove herself.

        Katerina had been embarrassed the day before in front of ...

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