Karamazov —カラマーゾフ－

I used much of my free time over the New Year’s holidays to finish reading Dostoevsky’s novel, “The Brothers Karamazov.”  It was very long, but very interesting.

Here are a couple of passages I found particularly interesting.

1:

The man who lies to himself can be more easily offended than anyone else.  You know it is sometimes very pleasant to take offence, isn’t it?  A man may know that nobody has insulted him, but that he has invented the insult for himself, has lied and exaggerated to make it picturesque, has caught at a word and made a mountain out of a molehill.  He knows that himself, yet he will be the first to take offence, and will revel in his resentment till he feels great pleasure in it.

*

I didn’t realise that Twitter existed in 19th century Russia.  At least, Dostoevsky seems to have understood the psychology of many Twitter users very well!

2:

It’s God that’s worrying me.  That’s the only thing that’s worrying me.  What if He doesn’t exist?  What if Rakitin’s right – that it’s an idea made up by men?  Then if he doesn’t exist, man is the king of the Earth, of the universe.  Magnificent!  Only how is he going to be good without God?  That is the question.  I always come back to that.  Who is man going to love then?  To whom will he be thankful?  To whom will he sing the hymn?  Rakitin laughs.  Rakitin says that one can love humanity instead of God.  Well, only an idiot can maintain that.  I can’t understand it.  Life’s easy for Rakitin.  “You’d better think about the extension of civic rights, or of keeping down the price of meat.  You will show your love for humanity more simply and directly by that than by philosophy.”

I answered him: “Well but you, without a God, are more likely to raise the price of meat if it suits you, and make a rouble on every penny.”  He lost his temper.

*

Somehow this passage made me think of political parties claiming to be communists, and to love humanity more than any other group.  Then they install themselves as an elite at the top of the country, “making a rouble out of every penny,” or finding a nice profit for themselves.

Vocabulary:

to be offended – to be annoyed, usually because one feels they have been insulted (eg. “I think he was offended when I criticised his country.”)

picturesque – visually attractive in a charming way (eg. “Shirakawago is a picturesque village.”)

to make a mountain out of a molehill – to make something seem much bigger than it really is (eg. “I didn’t say you were fat, I just suggested that you eat fewer snacks.  Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.”)

to revel in something – to take great and lively enjoyment in something (eg. “After winning the match, the football team revelled in their victory.”)

a hymn – a religious song of praise to God (eg. “People sing hymns in church.”)