Whereas Alyosha and Zosima love humankind because of
their faith, the doubt that Ivan and Katerina feel makes them fatalistic. They
see human nature as unchangeable, and therefore view people’s lives
as predetermined. Ivan sees Katerina’s need to humiliate herself
before Dmitri as a necessary part of her personality, and with that
knowledge, he is paralyzed to act on his love for her, which he pridefully
scorns as irrelevant. Katerina, who has been deeply hurt by Dmitri,
has a corresponding sense that other people will disappoint her
and cause her pain, and this sense manifests itself in her haughty
desire to be made a martyr by the inevitable betrayals of those
around her. She is unable to accept happiness as a possible outcome
in her life, and as a result, she embraces humiliation and pain.
Thus, she is just as paralyzed as Ivan, similarly unable to act
on her feelings. In both of their cases, Dostoevsky shows how a
kernel of doubt can spread through a person’s character, transforming itself
into a defensive pride that renders the person unable to be honest,
happy, or capable of pursuing happiness.
