The Margin

Event

Alyosha and Grushenka's Onion Scene

Also known as An Onion, the whole truth, a treasure, a loving heart.

This scene brings Alyosha to Grushenka at the very moment each expects to find ruin in the other. Grushenka begins by teasing and testing him, then is shaken when she learns that Zossima has died and that Alyosha is grieving. Alyosha calls her a true sister and a loving heart, while she answers by telling the story of the onion and confessing the spite that brought him there.

VII-IV. Cana Of Galilee

The meeting follows Alyosha back to the monastery, where his vision transforms the onion into a sign of one small merciful act.

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The Margin

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Alyosha and Grushenka's Onion Scene