Faith and Doubt in Dostoevsky’s Novels: The Spiritual Struggle of the Human Soul

Résumé

This article explores the religious and philosophical dimensions in the literary universe of Fyodor M. Dostoevsky, with a particular focus on the theme of faith and unbelief as a central conflict in several of his key works. The analysis centers on the novels Crime and Punishment, Demons, and The Brothers Karamazov, where faith is portrayed not as dogmatic truth but as an existential choice—an act of inner freedom marked by doubt, suffering, and moral responsibility.

The study approaches Dostoevsky as a literary theologian, for whom religious symbols, Gospel archetypes, and biblical allusions are integral to the narrative structure. Special attention is given to the questions of free will, theodicy, inner moral transformation, and the figure of Christ as a spiritual ideal.

The article examines the philosophical and theological influences on Dostoevsky’s worldview (Pascal, Kierkegaard, the Church Fathers), as well as the reception of his religious thought in both Russian and Western philosophy—from Berdyaev and Florensky to Camus and Levinas. In conclusion, the paper addresses the contemporary relevance of Dostoevsky’s model of faith for post-secular consciousness.