The Brothers Karamazov

Chapter 6

For Awhile a Very

Obscure One

A

ND Ivan, on parting from Alyosha, went home to Fy-

odor Pavlovitch’s house. But, strange to say, he was

overcome by insufferable depression, which grew greater at

every step he took towards the house. There was nothing

strange in his being depressed; what was strange was that

Ivan could not have said what was the cause of it. He had

often been depressed before, and there was nothing surpris-

ing at his feeling so at such a moment, when he had broken

off with everything had brought him here, and was pre-

paring that day to make a new start and enter upon a new,

unknown future. He would again be as solitary as ever, and

though he had great hopes, and great — too great — ex-

pectations from life, he could not have given any definite

account of his hopes, his expectations, or even his desires.

Yet at that moment, though the apprehension of the new

and unknown certainly found place in his heart, what was

worrying him was something quite different. ‘Is it loathing

for my father’s house?’ he wondered. ‘Quite likely; I am so