Skip to main content

The last temptation of Ivan Karamazov

Publication ,  Journal Article
Dorfman, A
Published in: Queens Quarterly
December 1, 2004

Is torture ever justified? That is the dirty question left out of the universal protestations of disgust, revulsion, and shame that have greeted the release of photos showing American soldiers tormenting prisoners in Iraq. It is a question that was most unforgettably put forward over 130 years ago by Fyodor Dostoevsky in The Brothers Karamazov. In that novel, the saintly Alyosha Karamazov is tempted by his brother Ivan, confronted with an unbearable choice. Let us suppose, Ivan says, that in order to bring men eternal happiness, it is essential and inevitable to torture to death one tiny creature, only one small child. Would you consent?

Duke Scholars

Published In

Queens Quarterly

ISSN

0033-6041

Publication Date

December 1, 2004

Volume

111

Issue

2

Start / End Page

273 / 276
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Dorfman, A. (2004). The last temptation of Ivan Karamazov. Queens Quarterly, 111(2), 273–276.
Dorfman, A. “The last temptation of Ivan Karamazov.” Queens Quarterly 111, no. 2 (December 1, 2004): 273–76.
Dorfman A. The last temptation of Ivan Karamazov. Queens Quarterly. 2004 Dec 1;111(2):273–6.
Dorfman, A. “The last temptation of Ivan Karamazov.” Queens Quarterly, vol. 111, no. 2, Dec. 2004, pp. 273–76.
Dorfman A. The last temptation of Ivan Karamazov. Queens Quarterly. 2004 Dec 1;111(2):273–276.

Published In

Queens Quarterly

ISSN

0033-6041

Publication Date

December 1, 2004

Volume

111

Issue

2

Start / End Page

273 / 276