The Brothers Karamazov

This book focuses on the interrogation of Dmitri by the prosecutor, Ippolit Kirillovich, and the district attorney, Nikolai Parfenovich. Throughout the lengthy and degrading interrogation, Dmitri demonstrates his sense of honor, emotional nature, and desire to retain a shred of dignity. The episode presents the theme of the mistreatment of the accused and the assumption of guilt. Dmitri attempts to keep a shred of his dignity but finds it increasingly difficult as Kirillovich and Parfenovich question his innocence and subject him to intrusive questions regarding his private emotions. During the interrogation, Kirillovich plays the role of the “bad cop” and Parfenovich plays the role of the “good cop.” Parfenovich and Dmitri are acquaintances and have had friendly conversations before, and Parfenovich appears slightly more inclined to believe Dmitri and go easy on him. Kirillovich, on the other hand, seems to have already assumed Dmitri’s guilt and merely wants to justify this assumption. The narrator interjects that Kirillovich has a sense of damaged pride by his status. He notes that Kirillovich believes that the Karamazov case could become “known all over Russia” (452), which would advance his career and gain the respect that he feels he is owed. Dmitri intuits these ill intentions.

The interrogation’s degrading nature features in the scene when Dmitri is forced to undress and feels particularly ashamed of his feet with their “big toes” and “crude, flat” toenails (484). He wants to refuse Kalganov’s offer of clothing because he doesn’t want to take nicer clothing than what he had before. He tries to avoid revealing any of his private thoughts or emotions to Kirillovich and Parfenovich, and he is especially offended by Kirillovich’s intrusive questions, as he feels a man like Kirillovich would never understand his emotions. He calls them “blind moles and scoffers” (486) because they do not believe his testimony even after he has bared his soul to them. The revelation of Dmitri’s secret—that he still had a portion of Katerina’s money—shows his unique sense of honor: He feels that it is okay to squander the money in a moment of passion or under the influence of alcohol, but to have purposely and soberly hidden the leftover money is what makes this action reprehensible in his mind. He states that the baseness of the action is in the “calculation” (492). Dmitri, who is passionate, reckless, and driven by his emotions, views this sort of dishonorable thievery not in taking or spending the money but in hoarding it. He explains that his guilt over this secret was what caused him such emotional torment and volatility over the past month. Dmitri says that he will “die of shame at having confessed to such men” (495) as Kirillovich and Parfenovich don’t even recognize the pain of the confession.

Madame Khokhlakov’s interaction with Perkhotin’s highlights her dramatic, busybody qualities. She exaggerates what Dmitri did earlier that day, falsely claiming that he spat at her. She also jumps to conclusions from very little evidence: From the slightest suggestion, she assumes that Dmitri murdered his father (448). Despite Madame Khokhlakov’s strange behavior, Perkhotin is charmed by her, and she is charmed by him. This foretells their later union, and the narrator also notes with pleasure that this is the start of Perkhotin’s successful career as a police investigator (450-51). This hints that Dmitri will, eventually, be exonerated of this crime and that the true murderer will be discovered with Perkhotin’s help.

Additional foreshadowing of Dmitri’s redemption appears in his dream. Dmitri dreams of a poor village where he sees a mother with a freezing infant. He wonders why there must be such suffering, and he feels intensely for the infant, called “the wee one” (507-08). Overcome with a tender feeling, he then hears Grushenka’s voice telling him that she will be with him forever. Upon waking, he is overcome with gratitude, brought to tears with relief that a pillow was placed under his head during his brief nap. This small act of humanity (placing a pillow under his head) echoes the earlier symbolism of the “onion” in Grushenka’s fable, emphasizing the power of small acts of kindness.