The Grand Inquisitor/Rebellion (Part 2)

Part 4
Ivan's collection is a set of stories, accounts, and anecdotes of evilness. Predominantly, his collection focuses on the stories of tortured and abused children. Throughout this discussion Ivan never cites or refers to any of his sources, although he does employ a few quotes in his monologue that the reader can assume came from one of these stories. His knowledge of quotes from these stories is indicative perhaps that he has spent some time studying these stories.

Ivan mentions here that the people who are the most evil towards children are often viewed as being perfectly respectable to other adults. These people appear to just be normal, although they have a certain penchant for torturing children. Notice that these people stand in stark contrast to the people that Ivan discussed earlier, the prisoners and criminals who showed love to children. The way people act towards children is often far different from the way people act towards other adults. Often, as Ivan will discuss below, it is easier for people to be cruel towards children than it is to be cruel to other adults.

Ivan discusses the story of a young girl who is tortured and abused by her parents. The abuse started out as physical abuses: beating, thrashing, and kicking. However, the abuse generally graduated to "more refined" abuse. Ivan says this line, which he will reference several times again:


 * Can you understand why a little creature, who can't even understand what's done to her, should beat her little aching heart with her tiny fist in the dark and the cold, and weep her meek unresentful tears to dear, kind God to protect her?

The child does not even understand the abuse, and may not even realize that this treatment is not normal treatment. Ivan even refers to her tears as being "unresentful", indicating that the child does not even fault her abusers. Ivan also makes another statement that is going to serve as the basis for much of his future discussions:


 * Do you understand why this infamy must be and is permitted? Without it, I am told, man could not have existed on earth, for he could not have known good and evil.

Without knowledge of good and evil, man would not have been on earth as we know it, but instead would be living in the paradise of Eden for all eternity. With the knowledge of good and evil, however, evils such as the abuse of young children are not only possible but actually inevitable.

Part 5
Alyosha is the perfect literary counter-point to Ivan. While Ivan is educated and atheistic, Alyosha is compassionate and religious. When Ivan offers to stop telling these stories about children, Alyosha responds "Nevermind. I want to suffer too". To caring and compassionate Alyosha, even hearing stories about tortured children is tantamount to suffering.

This story is about a military man and an owner of some land who retires from the service. He is convinced of his own power over his own subjects, and hunts with his team of dogs. One day, a child throws a stone and injures the paw of one of the man's hunting dogs. In response, the man strips the child naked, and let's his dogs tear the child apart in front of his mother.

Ivan asks, almost rhetorically, "What did he deserve?" To which Alyosha replied "To be shot." Even though Alyosha blurts this out without thinking, it is uncharacteristic of someone who is supposed to embody christ-like love.

Part 6
Ivan is happy about Alyosha's statement, because it does serve as some justification to his arguments. Even with an argument restricted to children, he has gotten Alyosha to abandon Jesus's second commandment.

Ivan's statement "I understand nothing" is very reminiscent of Socrates, and helps to serve as an example both of Ivan's learning, and of his arrogance.

When Ivan says "I won't give you up to your Zossima", he is saying that he wants to prevent Alyosha from becoming a full monk at the monestary.