Crime and Punishment & Other Great Novels of Dostoevsky
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Contents
Chapter 4 Cana of Galilee
Overview
Alyosha returns to Zossima’s coffin and, while Father Paissy reads about Cana, slips into a vision of the elder at the wedding feast. The vision transforms his despair into serene joy and purpose. Alyosha rushes outside, experiences an overwhelming love for the world, and resolves to begin his worldly mission, soon leaving the monastery.
Summary
Late at night, Alyosha returns to the hermitage, where Father Paissy reads the Gospel over Elder Zossima’s coffin and the novice Porfiry sleeps. Exhausted and shaken by the day’s scandals, Alyosha kneels to pray, but his thoughts wander as he listens to the reading about the marriage at Cana.
As Father Paissy recounts Christ turning water into wine for the joy of the wedding guests, Alyosha drifts into a waking dream. The cell widens into the wedding feast, and Elder Zossima appears, gentle and joyful, inviting Alyosha to join the celebration. Zossima alludes to the “onion” of mercy and urges Alyosha to begin his work, assuring him of Christ’s merciful joy.
Alyosha wakes, moved beyond words, and steps to the coffin before hurrying outside. Under a vast, star-filled sky, he falls to the ground, kisses the earth through tears, and vows to love the world and forgive all. A powerful, unshakable certainty takes hold of him, as if visited by grace.
Resolved and transformed from grief to purpose, Alyosha understands that this moment defines his life ahead. In accordance with Zossima’s instruction, he will soon leave the monastery to “sojourn in the world,” carrying his new commitment to love and service into action.
Who Appears
- Alyosha (Alexei) KaramazovAt Zossima’s coffin, hears Cana read, envisions the elder, undergoes ecstatic renewal, vows universal love, resolves to enter the world.
- Elder ZossimaAppears in Alyosha’s vision at the Cana feast, inviting joy and urging him to begin his work with mercy.
- Father PaissyReads the Gospel over Zossima’s coffin; his reading of Cana frames Alyosha’s transformative vision.
- Porfiry (novice)Young monk sleeping nearby, underscoring the quiet vigil during Alyosha’s spiritual turning point.