Freudian Interpretation of The Brothers Karamazov

Many Freudian theories depend on the classics of world literature and Dostoevsky’s works. They complimented a variety of psychoanalytic concepts, while Sigmund Freud was deducing their structure. In one of the most discussed issues about psychological questions in artworks – Dostoevsky and Parricide – he characterized The Brothers Karamazov as “the most magnificent novel ever written” in correlation with the author’s work as “the creative artist, the neurotic, the moralist, and the sinner” (Freud 177). The scientist noticed the theme of The Oedipus Complex throughout the whole book, surrounded by the leitmotif of parricide.

Dostoevsky and The Oedipus Complex

The representation of Freud's findings

Referring to Dostoevsky’s epilepsy, Freud assumes that Fyodor Mikhailovich suffered from neurosis called “hystero-epilepsy” that emerged due to Mikhail Andreevich’s death (Freud 179). The scientist proposed that, during the phallic stage, Dostoevsky had a desire "to kill" his father in favour of his mother. This interpretation of behaviour fits the Oedipus Complex theory well. When Mikhail Andreevich died, or was murdered, due to an epileptic seizure caused by a conflict with peasants, Fyodor Mikhailovich was not able to recover from the feeling of guilt. In the theory, the father's death lead to epileptic episodes of neurotic nature. Implying that the attacks tended to bring Dostoevsky into early childhood memories, Freud states that their occurrence would not be that noticeable before the author was diagnosed. Concluding the suggestions, Sigmund Freud emphasized the Oedipus Complex as Dostoevsky's poor childhood experience that contributed to the development of neurotic and epileptic exposures in adulthood.

Dmitri Karamazov reflecting Dostoevsky

The novel shows Dmitry Karamazov’s desire to kill his father, strongly condemned by religion in the attitude of Father Zosima and society. Referring to previous works on The Oedipus Complex, Freud identifies the nature of “murderous impulses” as “a slightly displaced narcissism” that might be the cause of such a behaviour (Freud 190). With a hesitation about murdering Fyodor Pavlovich, the character might be experiencing a conflict of values and priorities, whether the action could be right or could have negative consequences. And, eventually, Dmitri does not murder his father making a moral choice and even moving away from his obsession with revenge.

Criticism of Freudian Approach

A majority of Sigmund Freud's arguments have been criticized, refined, or refuted due to the lack or error of information about the life and illness of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. On the methodological side, Freud’s theory was either challenged or received a new reading in light of later psychoanalytic concepts. Most researchers admit that the diagnosis of hysteric epilepsy is incorrect, as the majority Dostoevsky’s symptoms do not correspond to this diagnosis (Золотько 442). Additionally, whether the Oedipus Complex did really happen to Fyodor Mikhailovich is also a concern because his previous desire to kill his father is only an assumption without clear evidence.

Speaking about Dmitri, we cannot state that he was affected by the Oedipus Complex as his motives for revenge do not correlate with his affection to his mother, whereas this is a key characteristic of the diagnosis. Nevertheless, with a high uncertainty, there could be a portion of this theory true represented as a counter-action towards his mother's disappearance and death when he was three years old.

References

Bruss, Neal. “The Sons Karamazov: Dostoevsky’s Characters as Freudian Transformations.” The Massachusetts Review, vol. 27, no. 1, The Massachusetts Review, Inc., 1986, pp. 40–67, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25089714.
Freud, S. Dostoevsky and Parricide. The Hogarth Press and the Institute of Psycho-Analysis, 1961. (Access through UPenn Library) https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Freud_Dostoevsky_Parricide.pdf
Rice, James L. Dostoevsky and the Healing Art: An Essay in Literary and Medical History. Ardis, Ann Arbor, MI, 1985. p. 46-55 https://archive.org/details/dostoevskyhealin0000rice/page/278/mode/2up
Золотько Ольга Вячеславовна. "ДОСТОЕВСКИЙ И ФРЕЙД: РЕЦЕПЦИЯ СТАТЬИ "ДОСТОЕВСКИЙ И ОТЦЕУБИЙСТВО"" Вестник Русской христианской гуманитарной академии, vol. 21, no. 3, 2020, pp. 441-455.
Полка, “Братья Карамазовы.” Полка, https://polka.academy/articles/666.