The Brothers Karamazov, Part 2, no. 38, Chapter 7 summary
Part 2, no. 38, Chapter 7 of 96 · 14 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 7, Ivan leaves home after an agitated night, announces a visit to Tchermashnya, then abandons that plan and takes the train to Moscow, feeling intense anguish. Meanwhile, Smerdyakov suffers severe convulsions, Grigory becomes bedridden, and Fyodor Pavlovitch shuts himself inside alone, eagerly expecting Grushenka.
What happens
- Ivan rejects his father’s company, spends an agitated night awake, and twice secretly listens to him moving downstairs.
- In the morning, Ivan packs, and his father urges him to inspect a timber buyer at Tchermashnya.
- Ivan tells Smerdyakov he is going to Tchermashnya, and the valet gives him a pointed reply about clever men.
- At Volovya, Ivan chooses Moscow instead, arranges a message for his father, and travels in deep anguish.
- Smerdyakov suffers severe convulsions after a cellar fall, and Doctor Herzenstube examines him without reaching a clear understanding.
- With Grigory also bedridden, Fyodor Pavlovitch locks himself inside and waits excitedly for Grushenka.
Free for 3 months
Read the whole of The Brothers Karamazov, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeRenews every year · Cancel anytime
In this chapter
What to notice
Ivan openly reverses his announced plan. His decision separates his actual journey from the destination he gives Smerdyakov and his father.
Quick check
What does Ivan decide at Volovya station?
Cite this page
“The Brothers Karamazov, Part 2, no. 38, Chapter 7 summary.” Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/pages/the-brothers-karamazov-part-2-chapter-7-u38-summary.
Library of Alexandria. (2026). The Brothers Karamazov, Part 2, no. 38, Chapter 7 summary. https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/the-brothers-karamazov-part-2-chapter-7-u38-summary
“The Brothers Karamazov, Part 2, no. 38, Chapter 7 summary.” Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/the-brothers-karamazov-part-2-chapter-7-u38-summary.
@misc{the_brothers_karamazov_part_2_chapter_7_u38_summary_2026,
title = {The Brothers Karamazov, Part 2, no. 38, Chapter 7 summary},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/the-brothers-karamazov-part-2-chapter-7-u38-summary}
}
Free for 3 months
Read the whole of The Brothers Karamazov, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeRenews every year · Cancel anytime
Read Part 2, no. 38, Chapter 7 in the book
The whole book to read and hear, and the printed book, large print included, at cost.
Read free
