Chapter 14 The Peasants Stand Firm

Fetyukovitch ends his eloquent speech to thunderous applause, moving the audience and even high officials. At once, Prosecutor Ippolit Kirillovitch rises, shaky but resolute, to object. He derides the defense as fanciful “romance,” rejects the Byronic recasting of Smerdyakov, and condemns the minimization of parricide and misuse of Scripture.

The President restrains Ippolit’s excesses as the crowd grows hostile. Fetyukovitch answers briefly and with dignity, dismissing personal insinuations and earning renewed approval. The court then allows Dmitri Karamazov to speak; exhausted and subdued, Dmitri humbly insists on his innocence, begs mercy, and vows reform while rejecting any claim of insanity.

The jury withdraws; the expectant audience, many predicting acquittal, buzzes with speculation. After exactly an hour, the jurors return. To the chief question and all others, the foreman answers: guilty, with no extenuating recommendation, stunning both supporters and opponents.

Uproar follows. Dmitri stands, swears before God he is not guilty, forgives Katerina Ivanovna, and pleads for mercy on “the other woman,” meaning Grushenka. From the gallery, Grushenka screams. Dmitri is led away, and the court defers sentencing until the next day as onlookers murmur that the peasants on the jury have stood firm.