The Polyphonic Portrayal of Guilt in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov

Abstract

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov is a work of literature that comprises a wide range of distinct philosophies, ideologies, and worldviews embodied by the central characters. This thesis explores the different facets of guilt portrayed in the novel in order to unravel their moral and psychological implications for the relevant characters. It draws a parallel between the different manifestations of guilt across the characters and Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of Polyphony from his book Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics. A wealth of literature exists on the novel’s classification as a polyphonic text, yet there remains a room for discussion on the multifarious nature of guilt in the novel and how it mirrors the distinct ideological planes and worldviews of its characters. Thus, scaffolded by the investigation of each of the major characters’ unique ways of confronting and coming to terms with guilt, this paper propounds the argument that guilt acts as a polyphonically articulated element in the novel. This study operates on two analytical tiers, the first is a cross-character analysis where one character’s response to guilt has been juxtaposed with others to accentuate the tension between their conflicting worldviews, the second is an intra-character analysis that delves into the coexistence of conflicting voices within the individual character’s identity, and recognizes that inner contestation as a polyphonic element.