TBK: Story Lines

TBK: Story Lines

List each of the different story lines that occur up to this point in the text. Briefly summarize the three most important story lines. What has happened in each story line? What do you think will happen in the story line? What specifics lead you to believe this?

Write a short, children's version of the novel up to this point.

I.

There are several different story lines that separate and converge between the characters. In the beginning you have Fyodor’s, which branches off into Dmitri, Ivan, and Alyosha’s separate story lines, then off Alyosha’s, you have Zosima’s side line. In addition, off Fyodor’s you also have a side story from Grigory. Though everything either branches off Fyodor (corruption) or Zosima (sanctity), I believe that Alyosha’s tread carries additional strength.

A. Fyoder

Fyoder Pavlovich Karamazov, a “sponging” land-owner marries Adelaida Ivanovna and has a child, Dmitri. Adelaida runs away when the son is three and dies. Fyoder remarries Sofia Ivanovna and begins some Sixteen and Pregnant style shenanigans, and had two more sons, Ivan and Alexei (nicknamed Alyosha). Sofia dies after a long eight years, and yet again the children are sent off.

                        1. Dmitri

                        After his mother’s death, Dmitri is sent off to a number of his mother’s                  relatives. After some wild teenage years and a stint in the army, Dmitri               returns to visit his father to inquire about an inheritance he had believed to                      had existed. His father doesn’t pay up, so he remained in the village to                       fight for his stolen wealth. Through this he meets his other brothers.

                        2. Ivan

                        After his mother’s death, Ivan and his brother go to live with their late                     mother’s guardians. Ivan becomes a great student and eventually moves                  back in with his father despite hating his guts.

                        3. Alyosha

                        After living with his mother’s ex-benefactors, Alyosha joins a monastery               under the esteemed Zosima, and after living there a year he meets his              other brother Dmitri. He arranges a family consult with Zosima about the                         inheritance issues.

                                    B. Zosima

                                    While waiting for Dmitri to show up to the family sess, Zosima goes                                  to meet up with some women who request spiritual guidance. He                                also meets with Madame Khokhlakov about her religious doubt.                            Zosima returns to the monastery and participates in a debate about                                  the separation of church and state.

Dmitri shows up late because Fyodor’s messenger told him the wrong time. Upon his arrival he gets into an argument with his father because the old man called him out for pushing aside his fiance Katerina and going after another biddy Grushenka. Ivan now wants Katerina and Fyoder is trying to get with his son Dmitri’s new doe.

                                    B2. Zosima leaves the room after kneeling before Dmitri. Alyosha                          follows him and Zosima tells him to drop out of the monastery and                              go find a wife.

                        3b. Alyosha discusses with Rakitin why the elder would say such a thing.                        Rakintin thinks that these conflicts are foreshadowing a bloody blood fest.                    He also thinks Grushenka will try to seduce Alyosha to further paint the                situation red. Before he leaves the Fyoder creates another scene and tells               his son to quit the monastery.

Grigory

A backstory is provided on Grigory’s child dies and he goes to bury it. During this exploit he runs across Lizaveta who has just given birth, Fyodor is the suspected father. He and his wife adopt the baby and Fyodor names him Smerdyakov.

                        3c.Alyosha leaves the monastery and is sent a note by Katerina to come              see her. He runs into Dmitri who tells him the backstory of him and                Katerina, then tries to convince him to procure 3000 rubles from their                    father to pay off the engagement.

                        Alyosha returns to the house to find Grigory and Smerdyakov arguing                    about renouncing one’s faith to save their life. Fyodor is bored of the                         servants’ quarrel and dismisses them. Ivan and Alyosha have a similar               debate about faith and calls out his mama.

                        Dmitri gets home and starts ripping through the rooms convinced that                  Grushenka is there on Fyodor’s doing. He slaps dat old hoe and bounces               leaving his brother’s to clean up their father.

                        Alyosha goes to Madame Khokhlakov’s and finds Grushenka there. She              had aparently promised Katerina that she was going back to her old boo                 and she can have Dmetri back. Grushenka changes her mind again just to                     spite Katerina. Lise sends him a note via maid.

                        Alyosha runs into Dmetri again in they discuss how much Dmetri hates               himself. He then goes back to the monastery and finds out that Zosima is                     dieing. Alyosha finally reads that letter, which is a declaration of love from                        Lise.

B. Predictions.

I believe that Rakintin is right, the family will be a bloodbath ending. As far as the women disputes, I think  Grushenka will run off with someone else and Katerina will die so noone will have the “nice girl”.  Methinks Alyosha will be the only one not to end up worse off. I also think Zosima will die fairly soon.

II.

Fyodor / Leech Life (can drain another’s magic power to fuel own stamina)

Dmitri/ Super Strength (muscle capacity 50 times normal human strength)

Ivan/ Super Genius (

Katarina/ Whirlwind (Dissolves body into the wind only to reassemble in another location)

Grushenka/ Illusionist (Can convince target of anything the illusionist desires)

Alyosha/ Healer

Zosima/ Foresight (can see into the future)

In the garden of the monastery three were gathered: two newly met, the others in association. 

Three villains trying to escape involvement with an evil association. They wish to become heroes instead.

Dmetri, the oldest, was blessed with Superhuman Strength, able to lift up to two metric ton, which is to say he could bench a small baby humpback whale, even though he had rarely ever been to an ocean.

To his left was Ivan, a Super Genius. His papers are held esteem at the university, by age eight he and his lab staff had ultimately found the cure to the Black Death.

Also an impact to the medical field was his brother Alyosha, a great magical Healer. It’s been rumored that he had enough power to bring whole armies of men back to life right on death’s door. He would never overstep Death, as he had a great amount of respect for the gentleman. Unlike most everyone, Alyosha did not fear death, which earned Death’s respect in return. Some believe that Alyosha may even be immortal.

In fact they were all brothers of powerful qualities. Being as talented as all three are, it is to be expected that an evil association would indeed pick them up, and who better than their own father.

Fyodor, Super Villain by trade, was feared and facilitated by his rage among the townspeople. His signature move was Leech Life, sucking power and stamina from any who cross his path feeding to make himself stronger as well. With it, he could in evidently drain the life out of you, leaving you stone cold dead with a single movement. Fyodor was the perfect sinister villain: he could never be unarmed.

How they would escape from such a man one can only hope, so that is what they came searching for. A hope for a future is what Zosima held.

Zosima, an elder of the monastery, was blessed with the ability to foretell the future. Inside the mind of he, Zosima is able to transcend the boundaries of space and time to see the outcome of any event, including that of a person’s life, and therefore that of a person’s death. He never disclosed, not even to dear friends, what happens after death.

Zosima came out into the garden... as did Fyodor. Here would be decided the fate of the brothers of Karamazov.

Fyodor’s drain started like a stretch, but soon morphed into a pull. Suctioned to his father, Dmitri tackles Fyodor to the ground snapping off his active ability. Fyodor then directs his draining ability entirely towards Dmitri. Dmitri’s strength disintegrated to that of a toddler. Frail on the floor, Ivan takes on the task of Fyodor.

Alyosha guides old Zosima into a room. Going to heal the old man’s wounds, he stops him.

“Go,” said Zosima “Go fight with your brother.”

“But I am only a healer.”

The old man did not acknowledge the statement, he only pointed towards the door.

Meanwhile, in the garden, Ivan and Fyodor were in heavy discussion over their fate. Attempting to debate his way to freedom, Ivan began to have trouble organizing his thoughts. Eventually the drain became so strong, he could barely structure sentences. Once witty intelligent statements withered into silence.

When Alyosha appeared the only voice to be heard was Fyodor’s.

(to be continued: The Taker vs. The Giver.)