It is truly amazing how four people who share the same name can be so utterly different. The story mainly revolves around the lives of the three Karamazov brothers and their father. Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, is indifferent about the three sons he bore as a result of two marriages while seeking attention for himself. The oldest, Dmitry "Mitya" Fyodorovich Karamazov tends to follow his own passions and love rather than rational thoughts and reason. The second, Ivan Fyodorovich Karamazov, is the most educated and struggles with his atheist beliefs. The youngest brother, Alexei "Alyosha" Fyodorovich Karamazov used to be a novice and is undoubtedly the most likable among the three.

   The first major event occured when Mitya and his father held a meeting in the presence of Starets Zosima, one of the most important elders of the church, to discuss their dispute over Mitya's inheritance. However, Mitya arrived late and the meeting was adjourned. The tension only increased when a love triangle formed between Fyodor, Mitya, and Grushenka. In a fit of rage, Mitya burst into his father's house and threatened to kill him in the future. At this premature point, I was shocked by Mitya's dramatic actions and thought he must have inherited his father's madness. I was proved to be quite wrong. Mitya was not mad; he was simply expressing his emotions freely than others, and he actually seemed to be the most noble character in the book.

   Soon after, Ivan and Alyosha met at a restaurant and had a discussion about their different faiths and thoughts. Ivan proclaimed that he rejected the world that God has created because it was built on suffering. Drawn by an unexplainable emotion, Alyosha kissed Ivan softly. This signifies the good relationship between Ivan and Alyosha. At first, I could not believe my eyes. I had definitely expected religious conflicts to arise between the brothers because they believe in very different ideologies. The reason for their friendly parting was probably because Ivan could not bring himself to question Alyosha's pureness and gentleness, and instead suffered from internal struggles.

   Immediately following the death of Starets Zosima, another conflict arose. It used to be a common belief that true holy men's bodies do not decompose, however his body began to decay almost immediately. Alyosha was particularly shocked and devastated by this, since Starets Zosima was almost like a second father to him. But he finds fresh faith and hope through his meeting with Grushenka and part as friends. This gave me the impression that Alyosha's unwavering faith in God would make him an excellent starets in the future.

   Next, Mitya found himself in a wild pursuit of money so he could run away with Grushenka. He owed money to his former fiance Katerina and vows to pay her back. He spied on his father's home and was next seen on the street, covered in blood with a pile of money in his hand after running away and knocking a servant unconscious. He soon learned that Grushenka's former lover took her to a nearby lodge and prepared to confront her. But when her lover was revealed to be a cheater and flees, Grushenka revealed her love for Mitya and started making wedding plans when the police entered and arrested Mitya for the murder of his father. The overwhelming amount of evidence against him took him to prison to await trial. The odds are not in his favor and Mitya was charged guilty, which greatly upset my feelings. I was hoping that Mitya would finally enjoy the rest of his life with his true love, however he was charged for a murder he said he did not commit. But I was also led to believe that Mitya was the murderer because there seemed to be no other alternative person who was provoked to kill him.

   Meanwhile, Ivan Karamazov met Smerdyakov, the son of "Stinking Lizaveta" and heard his dramatic confession that he had murdered Fyodor Karamazov and stolen the money, then killed himself shortly after. The several puzzle p***es I had been unable to figure out joined together perfectly at this point. Smerdyakov had always been bitter about his life and blamed most of his misery on Fyodor. It also explained why the writer omitted the middle of Mitya's story. I felt relieved that passionate Mitya had not been the murderer after all, but also felt pity for Smerdyakov. It must have been really hard to keep all his bitterness to himself without anyone to trust or even confide in. I am glad his pain has ended at last, even though I wish his life had been a better one. His only confidante, Ivan, had a hallucination in which he was visited by the devil, who tormented Ivan by mocking his beliefs. Plans for Mitya's escape were formed, and he and Grushenka planned to escape to America then return to Russia because they both could not live without their country. I still wonder why they loved Russia so much when it had given nothing but hardships in return. It seems that people will do anything for someone or something they love. 

   In the middle of the plot,  Alyosha observed a group of schoolboys throwing rocks at one of their sickly peers named Ilyusha. When Alyosha tried to help, Ilyusha bit Alyosha's finger. He later learned about Mitya's previous assault of Ilyusha's father plus other hardships present in the household. Alyosha offered him money as an apology, which he threw back at Alyosha out of pride. Later, he met Kolya Krasotkin who believes in atheism and socialism, just like Ivan. Ilyusha illness worsened but he was reconciled with the other boys due to Alyosha. At Ilyusha's funeral, he gave a speech and promised never to forget his experiences with the schoolboys, while making the boys vow to do the same. The twelve boys promised Alyosha that they will remember each other forever and chanted, "Hurrah for Karamazov!" This part of the story was the most memorable. Alyosha's kind heart had brought all the boys together, even Ilyusha, and united their feelings. The famous storyteller Aesop once said, "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." Through Alyosha's experience with the boys, I was able to fully understand the power of a small act of kindness and how it impacted the lives of thirteen boys, one who has deceased, and a grown man.

   This is a story of love and passion, as seen in Mitya and Grushenka's relationship. This is a story that debates the value of religion and atheism, such as Ivan and Alyosha. This is a story of true kindness that moves people's hearts, like Alyosha did for the schoolboys. This is a story about morality, about right and wrong, about how so many characters teetered between several decisions. At first glance, "The Karamazov Brothers" looked long, boring, and full of various aspects of the life of Russians which I could not understand. But there is a saying that says do not trust a book by its cover. Inside, the book is overflowing with tales about the lives of the three Karamazov brothers; passionate Mitya, rational Ivan, and kind Alyosha. I would like to end this article with a recommendation of this book for people who wish to be engaged in the lives of these three remarkable brothers and pick up valuable life lessons.