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

begin to see that Ivan is very confused about his own beliefs. He wants to be moral but he says that nonreligious people have no reason to be moral. He also believes that people love other humans merely because it is moral to do so. However, Ivan’s belief that atheists do not need morality conflicts with his own personal love of mankind. It is evident that Ivan is not clear about his argument and does not desire to dominate but to let people understand how he feels so that he can come to some sort of resolution for himself. We see this especially in his conversation with Alyosha in “The Grand Inquisitor”. We also see into Ivan’s depth when he is conflicted over the life of his father, Fyodor. He stops Dmitri from killing Fyodor mostly because he does not want his brother to kill his father but a part of him truly craves his father’s death. This strange urge inside of him is also conflicting with his personal necessity of morals. Obviously it is not moral for someone to want their father to die so perhaps this is alluding to Ivan’s previous statement that atheists really do not have morals.
So far, Ivan’s religious beliefs have proved to be the most troubling for him. We understand his reasoning for his worldview in Book 5: his conversation with Alyosha. Firstly, Ivan does not outwardly reject God’s existence. In some ways, this makes him more complex than someone who does. He believes that God is present but he cannot bring himself to fall on his hands and knees at a creator who causes so much pain and suffering in the world. We commonly refer to this as The Problem of Evil. His description of it shows just how much he has been affected by it and seriously wrestles with it. Not only does he discuss that this very benevolent, all powerful God should not allow this, he has a hard time loving such a God. He cannot justify this ‘behavior’ of God who claims to be good. He does not even justify the suffering of a single being even if the rewards of this are plentiful. He says that “the whole of truth is not worth such a price” (Book 5, Chapter 4). Again, this alludes to Ivan’s necessity of morality in his life which he discussed in Book 2, Chapter 6.
Ivan’s poem about the Grand Inquisitor and Jesus also explains how uneasy he is towards religion.

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

5)
Ivan’s eventual trip to Moscow in Book 5, Chapter 7 even further complicates his character.

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

death.
Ivan is arguably the most depth we have received out of a character so far in the novel. Compared to his brothers, Ivan as an intelligent and contemplative man seeks the perspectives of many and in this way, he is dynamic. Whereas Dmitri is fiery and Alyosha is tender, Ivan falls somewhere in the middle. One example of this is when he wants to scream at Smerdyakov but instead politely asks him about his father’s state. Additionally, he strongly impacts his environment in that he brings Alyosha into his thoughts. He is also the final component to assuring his father’s life or death. He does a good job of describing himself in the Grand Inquisitor chapter where he says men are “myth, miracle and mystery.” These terms accurately describe Ivan for the reader is constantly on this journey while absorbing his perplexed thoughts and actions.