The Problem of God in The Devils and the Brothers Karamazov When contemplating the creation of the novel The Idiot, Dostoevsky wrote in a letter to AN Maikov that he hoped to concentrate the work around a question "by which I have been tormented, consciously or unconsciously, all my life, namely, the existence of God."1 Dostoevsky's personal struggle with the question of faith, and also his own experience with the doubts felt as a believer , manifest themselves in the characters he writes. A large number of Dostoevsky's books are written within the framework of a Christian doctrine, juxtaposing characterizations of believers and non-believers, reinforcing the ultimate good and reason that come from possessing a faith. However, Dostoevsky also describes the mental suffering and questions inherent in the step towards realizing the "truth" of Jesus Christ. Berdjaev, in a discussion of Dostoevsky's mission, states that "he did not have to solve the divine problem, as pagans do, but the problem of humanity, which is the problem of the spiritual man, of the Christian". in a religious home, "I descend from a pious Russian family... We, in our family, have known the Gospel almost from our early childhood... Every visit to the Kremlin and the Moscow Cathedral was, for me, something solemn." 3 He certainly knew the contents of the Bible well, since his devout mother used only the Old and New Testaments to teach her children to read and write. Dostoevsky also remembered his favorite nurse in the context of the prayer she taught him: "I place all my hope in you, Mother of God, preserve me under your protection." 4 Such a strong female association in his early childhood perhaps influenced... the medium of paper... more than his freedom of conscience. But nothing causes greater suffering." The Brothers Karamazov, 1880. Works Cited A. Primary Sources: Dostoevky, Fyodor. The Brothers Karamazov. Translated by Constance Garnett. Edited and revised by Ralph E. Matlaw. New York: WW Norton & Company, Inc., 1976. Dostoevsky, Fyodor Translated by Michael R. Katz New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Selected Letters of Fyodor Dostoevsky , Denis, S. J. Dostoevsky and the Catholic Church of Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1986.Gibson, Alexander Boyce The Religion of Dostoevsky Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1973.