On the day scheduled for the meeting between the Karamazovs and the elder, Zossima, Fyodor and Ivan arrive accompanied by a former guardian of Dmitri, Miusov, and a relative of Miusov, Kalganov. Dmitri Karamazov, however, is not at the monastery, and all wonder, naturally, whether he will come; he was certainly notified only the previous day. The meeting takes on an air of mystery.
A very old monk emerges, greets the guests, and then leads them to Father Zossima’s cell. All are invited to have lunch with the Father Superior following the interview, he says. First, however, they must wait for Zossima.
The wait, though not long, seems interminable to Miusov. Uncontrollably, he finds himself growing increasingly irritated at the crude jokes that Fyodor Karamazov unleashes concerning the monastic life.
Father Zossima at last arrives, accompanied by Alyosha, two other monks, and Rakitin, a divinity student living under the protection of the monastery. The monks bow and kiss Zossima’s hand and receive his blessings; the guests, however, merely bow politely to the elder. Deeply embarrassed by his family’s austerity, Alyosha trembles. Now, more than ever, he fears that the meeting will be calamitous.
Karamazov apologizes for Dmitri’s absence, and then nervously begins a nonstop monolog of coarse anecdotes. At this, Alyosha is even more deeply embarrassed; in fact, everyone except the elder is distressed. The tension mounts, and when Karamazov falls climactically to his knees and begs the elder, “What must I do to gain eternal life?” it is difficult to tell whether or not he is still playing the loudmouth clown. No one but Zossima dares to speak. The elder tells Karamazov that he must cease lying and, above all, he must cease lying to himself. At first, Fyodor is impressed by the advice but then resumes his joking and clowning until Zossima excuses himself. He must meet with an assembly of people outside the monastery.
The group outside are all peasant women—all but two. At one side, in a section reserved for the wealthy, are Madame Hohlakov and her partially paralyzed daughter, Lise, waiting to be blessed by the elder and to receive his advice on their problems. Zossima moves among the peasant women listening to their problems and offering them advice, emphasizing always the healing effect of the love of God. “Love is such a priceless treasure,” he says, “that you can redeem the world by it and expiate not only your own sins but the sins of others.”
Madame Hohlakov confesses to Zossima that, for her part, she suffers from a lack of faith; she can grasp neither the Christian idea of immortality nor any type of life beyond the grave. She says furthermore that if she does a charitable act, she wants to receive thanks and praise for it. Zossima tells her that if she practices active, honest love, she will grow to understand the reality of God and the immortality of her soul. “Attain to perfect self-forgetfulness in the love of your neighbor,” he counsels her, “then you will believe without doubt.” Ending the interview, he promises her that he will send Alyosha to visit Lise.
