Summary—Chapter 5: A Sudden Catastrophe
The next witness called is Ivan, who has been suffering
from an illness that has made him nearly insane. Ivan rages and
rambles, asserting that Smerdyakov killed their father. He shows
the courtroom a wad of cash, which he says Smerdyakov stole from
Fyodor Pavlovich. He says that he himself is also to blame, because
he knew that Smerdyakov would kill Fyodor Pavlovich, and did not
stop him. He says that the man who knows the truth of what he says
is the devil, who visits him at night. As he becomes more and more intense
and animated, he is finally removed from the courtroom.
Katerina, to defend Ivan’s honor, reverses her earlier
testimony, showing the court the letter Dmitri sent her in which
he said that he might kill his father. She says that Ivan has lost
his sanity out of grief for his brother’s guilt, and that he only
claims responsibility for the murder to take the blame from Dmitri.
Grushenka furiously flings insults at Katerina, and the courtroom
dissolves into chaos.
Summary—Chapter 6: The Prosecutor’s Speech. Characterizations
When order is restored, the lawyers give their closing
speeches. The prosecutor, Kirrillovich, runs down the facts of the
case.
Summary—Chapter 7: A Historical Survey
Kirrillovich says that Dmitri has the temperament of a
man who would be capable of such a violent act, and that he is not
insane.
Summary—Chapter 8: A Treatise on Smerdyakov
Kirrillovich says that unlike Smerdyakov, Dmitri had a
motive to kill Fyodor Pavlovich because he hated the old man and
craved his money. Given the violent sentiment of the letter Dmitri
wrote to Katerina, Kirrillovich says, his guilt seems clear.
Summary—Chapter 9: Psychology at Full Steam. The
Galloping Troika. The Finale of the Prosecutor’s Speech
Kirrillovich exhorts the jury to punish Dmitri to defend
the cause of justice in Russia, and to annihilate the perpetrator
of the most hateful crime imaginable—the murder of a father by a
son.
