The Margin

Concept

Eternal Harmony

Also known as future harmony, higher harmony, the world's finale.

Eternal Harmony is the final reconciliation Ivan says he can imagine and even believe in. He accepts God, order, and a future moment when suffering might be healed and justified, but he says he cannot accept the world on those terms. The idea matters because Ivan grants the promise before refusing its price.

V-IV. Rebellion

Ivan narrows the problem to the suffering of children and rejects any harmony founded on their unatoned tears. The phrase becomes the exact future he will not buy at such a cost.

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The Margin

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Eternal Harmony