Ivan Fyodorovich Religion

Ivan Fyodorovich is a difficult character to label. In fact, his views are so fickle and whimsical that it almost seems like hypocrisy. We know this is untrue, however, and it is not difficult to see ourselves in his position. He brings up major flaws in religion, specifically Book 5, where he contemplates suffering, free will and morality. He builds the plot and has an avid role in the messages portrayed throughout the novel and the story itself.

Ivan touches on his opinions about religion somewhat in the earlier chapters. We recall him stating his opinion to Miusov that the state in Russia is being replaced by religion as the core governing bodies. In the following chapter he furthers his discussion of religion and talks about morality. We

He trusts religion in some aspects (morality) to guide his life but in other means he believes it is untrustworthy. He also condemns the church in general and the fact that the Inquisitor, knowing fully that it was Christ, decided to kill Christ anyway because he was interfering is something he imagines would happen. This also gives leeway into his opinion of religion as a system and how it has corrupted the true image of Christ. Ivan’s questioning of these things indicates his complexity as a character and he drives the plot and characters - in this case, he causes Alyosha to think very differently about religion as he knows it. Ivan also goes into depth about free will. He explains that it is cruel to give us the ability of free will, knowing that we will probably end up doing the wrong thing and then sending us to eternal damnation for it anyway. The Grand Inquisitor states the nature of man is in contrast to God’s expectations. He says: “Man was made a rebel; can rebels be happy?". (Book 5, Chapter

He knew that his leaving was setting up the scene for his father’s death yet he left regardless. He knows this as well, evident in his waiting for the arrival of Dmitri to knock late at night. We would expect from Ivan’s declaration of protection to his father in Book 2 that considering he was aware of his brother’s goal, he would try to stop it. Where are his morals tied into this? One could argue, however, that Fyodor’s death is merely benefiting the majority and therefore Ivan seeks the majority’s advantage. However, it does not subtract from the fact that he is content or somewhat excited about his father’s