Zosima's childhood

During Zosima's early life, he showed numerous Karamozov traits, especially those relating to Dmitry. He was jealous, careless with money, and liked the smell of revenge. His life and general also reflected Dmitry's to a certain extent.

After Zosima's brother Markel died, his mother sent him to a cadet school. After that he joined the ranks; similar to Dmitry who also was involved in the military. While being in the military he got money and spent it freely and carelessly. The girls in the area knew he had a money and soon he fell for a girl of high-status. Later Zosima found out that this girl had a fiancee and Zosima got very jealous. He wanted revenge at the girl who he felt was laughing at him and the man; he challenged him to a duel. The story of Zosima and Dmitry is almost uncanny. Dmitry met a girl he too did not marry, and did not love but just respected, exactly like Zosima. Dmitry also tried to get revenge.

Zosima described himself to be wild and crazy. He drank too much sometimes, and recalled a night where he beat a man. This parallels to the man that Dmitry beat outside the bar when he he drank too much one night.


And this is a side point, but I also think that Zosima shows characteristics of Alyosha too. They both steal other people's ideas, or as Ivan calls it "literary theft". Zosima lives my his brother's theory and tells other people what his brother said, just like Alyosha takes things from books and what Zosima says and tells other people.