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Motifs
Definition of Paradox
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar Wilde's famous declaration that "Life is... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel... read full definition
Part 1: Book 1, Chapter 5: Elders
Explanation and Analysis—Sacrifice:
Discussing Alexei’s desire to commit himself to a monastery in accordance with his strong religious beliefs, the narrator suggests, paradoxically, that it is easier to sacrifice one’s whole life than it is to sacrifice a number of years:
He was partly a young man of our time [...] demanding an immediate deed, with an unfailing desire to sacrifice everything for this deed, even life. Although, unfortunately, these young men do not understand that the sacrifice of life is, perhaps, the easiest of all sacrifices in many cases, while to sacrifice, for example, five or six years of their ebulliently youthful life to hard, difficult studies, to learning, in order to increase tenfold their strength to serve the very truth and the very deed that they loved and set out to accomplish.
The narrator argues, surprisingly, that the many young men of Alexei’s generation who are willing to “sacrifice everything” for their beliefs do not yet realize that “the sacrifice of life is, perhaps, the easiest of all sacrifices.” It is much more difficult, he claims paradoxically, “to sacrifice, for example, five or six years” of one’s youth, dedicating that time “to hard, difficult studies, to learning.” This paradox underscores the difficulty of the monastic lifestyle that Alexei has chosen, and the fact that this lifestyle's particular demands may be even greater than its young novices understand at first.
Part 1: Book 3, Chapter 4: The Confession of an Ardent Heart. In Anecdotes.
Explanation and Analysis—Hatred and Love:
Speaking frankly about his past to Alexei, Dmitri uses a number of paradoxes when describing a scene in which the proud Katerina Ivanovna is forced to come to him and ask for money in order to spare her father from legal difficulties:
I looked at any woman, not a single one, with hatred—see, I’m making the sign of the cross—but I looked at this one for three or five seconds, then, with terrible hatred—the kind of hatred that is only a hairsbreadth from love, the maddest love! I went to the window, leaned my forehead on the frozen glass, and I remember that the ice burned my forehead like fire. I didn’t keep her long, don’t worry; I turned around, went to the table, opened the drawer and took out a five percent bank note for five thousand roubles, with no name filled in.
Here, he paradoxically claims that his “terrible hatred” is “only a hairsbreadth from love.” This combination of volatile and contradictory emotions is typical of Dmitri, and of the Karamazov men in general. His desire for Katerina is strong precisely because he resents her and her feelings of superiority. Further contributing to the paradoxical tone of this passage, he claims that, as he placed his forehead against the “frozen glass,” the ice “burned” his forehead “like fire.” This paradoxical notion of ice that burns reflects his own conflicted response to Katerina.
Part 2: Book 4, Chapter 5: Strain in the Drawing Room
Explanation and Analysis—Humility and Pride:
When Alexei arrives at the home of Katerina Ivanovna, he finds that Ivan is already there. Listening to them talk, he suddenly announces that Katerina loves Ivan, a claim that both of them deny. Responding to Katerina, Ivan uses a paradox to describe the tempestuous relationship between her and his brother, Dmitri:
And the more he insults you, the more you love him. That is your strain. You precisely love him as he is, you love him insulting you. If he reformed, you would drop him at once and stop loving him altogether. But you need him in order to continually contemplate your high deed of faithfulness, and to reproach him for his unfaithfulness. And it all comes from your pride. Oh, there is much humility and humiliation in it, but all of it comes from pride …
He claims, paradoxically, that the “more” Dmitri insults Katerina, the “more” she loves him in return. Further, he adds that Katerina does not love Dmitri despite his insults, but rather, that she loves him “precisely” because he insults her. Here, Ivan argues that Katerina’s love for Dmitri is driven by her own desire to suffer and the pride she takes in her feelings of martyrdom. If Dmitri “reformed” and started treating her with kindness, Ivan reasons, she “would drop him at once and stop loving him altogether.” In a final paradox, he suggests that her “humility” is based upon the opposite feeling: pride.
Related Themes:
