The Brothers Karamazov

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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In The Brothers Karamazov, how is change manifested in Lise eating the pineapple compote while watching the crucified child slowly die?

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Lise is suffering some type of mental anguish, and she is fantasizing about watching someone else suffer. The fact that she mentions that she would eat pineapple compote, while a four year old who had been crucified and left to die a painful death, shows that she is not capable of feeling compassion for any other person. Lise is stating that she would be completely unaffected by the child's suffering, and only focused on her enjoyment of the fruit.

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