As
a student of political science, my anticipation for the impending trial had
been mounting as the Brothers Karamazov
progressed ever methodically toward its culminating point. The trial had established a polarization
within Russian society, which in its own manner helped to stress the adversarial
nature inherent in a system of justice based on the concept of adversarial
legalism. There was more at stake in the
provincial circuit court chamber than simply the fate of Dmitry Fyodorovich. It was expressed that the trial had adopted
nearly instantaneously a “Russian element” that separated it from the status of
a mere criminal tribunal, and in its place was seemingly placed the fate of
Russian society. In the small town of
Skotoprigonyevsk all the factions of society had gathered in order to witness
the struggle between the Westernized and the customary. Ultimately, this contest was to be decided by
a jury of peers.
Interestingly, this jury was composed of
the common strata of society, and the representation of the elite was limited
to the system under which the competition was to be held. The jurors however, occupied the most important
position, as the facilitators of the judgment.
In refereeing the contest they possessed the real presence in the
courtroom. As much as the orator (and by
that I mean the defense attorney Fetyukovich) attempted to use lofty rhetoric
to capture the factions, he ultimately failed in capturing the commoners that
composed the jury.
As a reader I was struck as both the
prosecution and the defense depicted Dmitry Fyodorovich as the embodiment of
the Russian predicament. As a character Dmitry
Fyodorovich was honorable and passionate, but also brash and aimless. These characteristics represented a broader
Russia that was also possessive of similar traits. The guilty verdict bestowed by the jury shows
the “popular fundamentals” of the common Russian were not represented in the
Russian personification of the accused.
Dmitry Fyodorovich’s worst obsesses were borrowed foreign elements that
tarnished his pursuit of the “popular fundamentals”. The condemnation of the accused, despite the
judicial error, embodied the tragedy of the Russian position.
It seems that Russia was (and is)
forever entrenched as the great pendulum between the East and the West. As such its society was factionalized and its
structure remained backward. The twelve “angry
men” in a manner of speaking constituted the “righting force” of Russian society. In condemning Dmitry Fyodorovich the jury
accomplished the task of denying the defense the ability to portray the life of
the accused as merely the product of a tragic upbringing. Instead, the jury ensured that Dmitry Fyodorovich
served his due, as the resultant of his straying from the truest fundamentals
of Russian life.
It is in the wrongful conviction of
Dmitry Fyodorovich that it becomes more acceptable to agree with the narrator’s
claim that Aleksey Fyodorovich’s retains the role as the story’s ultimate
hero. It is in Aleksey’s character that
the “popular fundamentals” of Russian life are embodied. Aleksey’s faith, continual “servitude”, and
integrity seem to insulate him from the whims of foreign obsesses. Unlike Dmitry Fyodorovich, who bowed to his
aimless passions and brash designs, Aleksey retained the ability to stick to a
self-restrained path that aligned itself with the core of Russian values. The jury may have recognized the merits of
the defense counsel, but ultimately in aim of preserving the sanctity of their
common Russia, sought to it that the accused be declared guilty in order to save
the very character of Russia itself.
Despite the adoption of a Western judicial system and a Westernized
elite and intelligentsia, it was ultimately the jury of the muzhiks that corrected the course of the
directionless Russia. It seems that dedication
to one’s own fundamental values is the only manner in which direction is truly
found.
Although the muzhiks did not know the details that readers did about the events leading up to the murder, I feel as if their verdict of "guilty" symbolizes Russia's inability to see the truth in some matters. Also, I think that when the defense started to go on about what constitutes a real father, that he went a bit too far and thus lost votes in the direction of an innocent verdict.
ReplyDeleteThat's a pretty clever title Ben! Anyway, I find it difficult to wrap my head around the whole battle between traditional Russia and the Western world. However, as always you provide a detailed analysis that will act as a roadmap for the remainder of the semester. I was specifically struck by your analysis of Alyosha. Alyosha is the true hero because he is able to preserve the traditional values and remain unaltered by western influences. That might be as close as anyone can get in identifying Alyosha as a hero. From the book I found him kindly and good but a little out there. From the movie I found him disturbing and wanted nothing to do with him. And from your blogpost I find him an exceptionally strong individual due to his ability to maintain himself in a world opposed to his virtues.
ReplyDeleteThis post was very interesting and well written. I liked how you compared the brothers and their perceived character in comparison to Russian values. I too found the composition of the jury interesting. Until the trial, the muzhiks had only played minor roles in the story. In some ways, I was expecting the upper classes of society to dominate the jury.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the defense attorney most likely talked over the heads of the jury, made up of muzhiks. It was a performance worthy of recognition, but not one that stirred the hearts of the common members of the jury. All they saw was a slew of evidence pointing to one man who seemed to take matters into his own hands instead of leaving things to the will of God. His actions continually embodied his character as a man of passion, one which is not suitable to one who wishes to follow God, and embodies the common people of Russia. His actions throughout his life are ones that reject common decency, as he was ejected from the ranks in the Russian army, continually participated in duals, and did not show a lot of respect for the Russian people.
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