From Living Under Onion Domes to Distributing Onions

In Book VII Dostoyevsky focuses on Aleksey’s journey of discovery following the death of Elder Zosima.  As is expected Aleksey takes the death of the Elder as a major personal loss.  Aleksey’s tumult is amplified by the strong denunciations of the Elder delivered by the other monastic brethren, specifically the condemnations dispensed by father Ferapont and his awkward disciple from Obdorsk.  Ultimately, it seems that the trauma of the Elder’s death caused Aleksey to question his continued stay in the monastery, driving him to leave in favor of the secular world.

After leaving the gates of his sheltered existence with a crooked smile but determined steps, Aleksey seems to embrace the activities that would have led to his personal embarrassment only a little while earlier.  Through his discussions with Rakitin and Agrafena however, it is clear that Aleksey holds on to his values bequeathed by the deceased Elder.  It seems that the inevitability of secular fate rattles the newly freed Aleksey.  As has been common in the novel thus far, the troubled Aleksey returns to his place of haven within the monastery.

            Near the end of Book VII Elder Zosima visits Aleksey in a vision.  In this vision the Elder disputes Aleksey’s belief that life is to be lived in perfect piety in order to achieve eternal salvation.  Instead, the vision of the Elder espouses that life is to be lived, even if it is only one onion (or one good deed) that is acted upon in one’s life, it is often all that it is needed to appropriately judge character.  This new doctrine influences Aleksey greatly.  He seems to suddenly understand that there is more to life than simply worrying over the perceived goodness of one’s actions. 

            In many respects I find this Book to be reminiscent of a coming-of-age story.  It begins with the Aleksey’s sheltered existence in the monastery, peaks with his disillusionment and confusion at Agrafena Alexsandrovna’s, and culminates in his new found love for life at the end of the vision of the Elder.  I find that this progression was made all the more evident by Aleksey’s apparent loss of love for God’s world at the death of the Elder, but renewed faith following the culminating vision of Book VII. 

As important as Aleksey’s new philosophy toward life is to him, it might ultimately be what pushes him further to fulfilling his Karamazov name.  Throughout the text we have heard many a character refer to the inevitable fate of all who bear the Karamazov name.  Given Aleksey’s apparent trajectory toward a less directed monastic life and more secular-loving life, he might fall astray from the path he had earlier set.  This is of course conjecture, and will need to be supported as the text continues.  I still hold however that the most telling aspect of this Book is Aleksey’s abandonment of the monastery and embracement of the earth.  It seems that Aleksey may finally begin to operate on the course that the Elder set for him…Out into the secular world.