Emma Burns

Thank the birds and beg them for forgiveness. Be it insanity or ecstasy, an act of humble love will search to make the world a better place. For even beings perceived as lesser than, are deserving of care and servitude. Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov examines themes of relational identity, especially in respect to the relationship between the rich and poor, and the Heideggarian belief that the rich hold a moral obligation to assist those who are less fortunate than themselves. The novel truly embodies ideals of kinship, not only amongst the brothers themselves, but also in their relations to the communities they interact with. As a Karamazov, the brothers technically belong to the upper class in comparison to the overwhelmingly poor society in which they live. Throughout the plot, there are many instances where a Karamazov struggles in finding the correct approach to handling relationships with the lower class. 

Each and every person on Earth is guilty for every other person’s sins, for there is no aspect of creation that is free from the influence of others. Therefore, all of humanity holds an obligation to be responsible for all the sins of man. In the early life of Father Zossima, he recalls memories of his sickly brother who ultimately went from religious skepticism to an overwhelming love and devotion to God. He has an epiphany in his final moments, heralding, “It is not possible for there to be no masters and servants, but let me also be the servants of my servants, the same as they are to me” (Dostoevsky 306). The existence of masters and servants inherent in society is reproduced in economic class systems. Narrowing this concept down, the moral obligation of the rich exists to answer to their crimes committed against the working class so that they may maintain their wealth. As such, their responsibility is to care for the poor who allow them to exist as wealthy persons in the first place; to be their servant’s servant, so to speak. Martin Heidegger as transposed by Frank Dugin delves into this concept of classism and societal structure in relation to the sin of objectification. In order to be a virtuous being, one must make the conscious decision to serve truth (Dugin 42). Subsequently, lying is categorized as a form of objectification. Lying is essentially a projection of the individual being onto life itself (Dugin 42). Abstractions of personality inhibit true relationships between people. Considering this in terms of classism, it is apparent that the relationship between rich and poor is likewise inhibited by objectification. Dmitri Karamazov exemplifies this thought in his correspondence with Captain Snegiryov. Not only has Dmitri physically abused the Captain and sullied his family’s reputation, he further insults the man by attempting to throw money at the problems he has created. Dmitri’s attempt to use monetary means to resolve the predicament is a commodification of issues that run far deeper than money alone can repair. His refusal to treat the issue as worthy of his time and emotional investment is extremely insulting and does not help to repair the obvious blow to Snegiryov’s honor. The inability of Dmitri to care for the poor displays his ineptitude when it comes to the role of servant. Due to Karamazov’s financial status, he should be especially prepared to care for those less fortunate than himself. This lack of virtue further solidifies Dmitri’s emotional and spiritual incompetence which ultimately comes back to hurt him during the murder trial. 

Contrastively, Alyosha shows great potential as a spiritual successor to Father Zossima, but his interactions with adults are often found lacking. It is in the compassion and affection that is demonstrated in Alyosha’s interactions with children that truly represent Zossima’s ideals of love and honor. Within the tale of the Grand Inquisitor, Ivan narrates the skepticism he holds surrounding religion and its practice (Dostoevsky 278). Ultimately, all of his doubts can be verbalized by a single question; if God is all loving, why do children suffer? Now, Alyosha is not capable of answering such a question logically, instead he chooses to live his life in a way that physically seeks to alleviate such suffering. He essentially operates on the philosophy, be the change you want to see in the world. Unlike Dmitri who believes that money is the answer to every problem, Alyosha comprehends the complexity of worldly troubles and that, oftentimes, these problems require a connection between human beings or even to the world beyond in order to grasp the situation fully. The acknowledgement of an overlay landscape allows Alyosha to maintain a greater level of wisdom and spirituality than his brothers. As a result, he is able to better care for his community and practice the values associated with active love. 

Western systems like capitalism and colonialism fall under immense critique from Dugin and Heidegger. Within such intensely individualistic and industrialized societies there is no room for spirituality nor the philosophy of the hidden God tradition. Over centuries, originating from the minds of Plato and Aristotle, the West has turned to materialism and nihilism. Ideas of truth and being have ultimately become confused in the psyche of the masses. Modernity and technological advancements have created an increased emphasis on an intellectual view of life, thus separating emotionalism from rational thought (Dugin 56). However, such abstractions of life seek to separate out the most core parts of any individual and make them unable to relate to the collective. Therefore, modern society suffers from a pseudo egalitarian mindset plagued by an isolating degree of individualism. Such metaphysical mistakes stand in direct opposition to the ideals of openness and active love held by Father Zossima (Dostoevsky 329). Zossima exalts the mystery of nature—there is beauty beyond that which is able to be seen by the naked eye. Because there exists a constant relation to another mysterious world overlaying the physical one, it is impossible to assume a position of omniscient consciousness. Additionally, the doctrine of active love — to live for others and not just oneself — is reflected in the traditional patriarchal ideals of marriage between man and woman. The divine sanctity of marriage has long been protected under the church of God, with the church representing the bride and God as the bridegroom. Akin to the ideology practiced in philanthropy, the powerful, masculine energy is brought into the world with such power so that they may use it to protect and care for the feminine energy. In this scenario, the rich are representative of the masculine and the working class are the feminine; for the rich could not exist without the labor provided by the lower class, much like how women hold the spirit of birth and creation within them. Naturally, the imbalance of energies must be sorted out through the actions of people. In some small part, philanthropy seeks to uphold this moral obligation.  

Most modern civilizations operate on a capitalist model for their society. Innate to the system is a near extreme power imbalance between economic classes. Oftentimes people will look to blame the poor for not working hard or being skilled or smart enough to break free from their caste. However, it is in the very foundation of the system itself that inhibits social movement. As such, the people who lounge at the top are able to enact the most change. The guilt that is meant to be shared by all of humanity, made evident in The Brothers Karamazov, has been unfairly pushed onto the shoulders of the masses. To rectify the harm done by the rich unto the world they must actively work on building relationships with those who have been classed beneath them. Philanthropy is just one possible method of reparations. Or, to take a page from Alyosha’s book, live life with an active love that offers its care and servitude to anyone in need of help.