Study Guide

The Brothers Karamazov Epilogue, Book 12, Chapter 2

By Fyodor Dostoevsky

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Epilogue, Book 12, Chapter 2

For A Moment the Lie Became Truth

  • Alyosha then heads straight to the hospital, where Dmitri, who had come down with a fever after the trial, is being kept in a special area.
  • Alyosha tells Dmitri not to feel bad about trying to escape – after all, he is innocent. He admonishes Dmitri just to remember his promise to reform his ways and become a new man.
  • Dmitri tells Alyosha about his plans to escape with Grushenka to America, learn English, and return to Russia disguised as an American.
  • Suddenly Katerina appears in the doorway. She rushes to Dmitri and clasps his hands, and they seem to come to a reconciliation over everything that's happened between them. Although they are both involved with other people now, they promise to love each other forever. Katerina also affirms that she too believes in Dmitri's innocence; she only revealed his letter at the trial out of petty jealousy.
  • As Katerina leaves, she encounters Grushenka and asks her forgiveness, which Grushenka will give only if Katerina pulls off Dmitri's escape.
  • Alyosha follows Katerina out the door, then heads over to a funeral.

The Brothers Karamazov Epilogue, Book 12, Chapter 2 Study Group

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