37. An Onion

In his famous story The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote an 'onion parable'. It is in Part III, Book VII, Chapter III.

"An onion? Hang it all, you really are crazy."

The parable:
'She once pulled up an onion in her garden,' said he, 'and gave it to a beggar woman.' And God answered: 'You take that onion then, hold it out to her in the lake, and let her take hold and be pulled out. And if you can pull her out of the lake, let her come to Paradise, but if the onion breaks, then the woman must stay where she is.' The angel ran to the woman and held out the onion to her. 'Come,' said he, 'catch hold and I'll pull you out.' And he began cautiously pulling her out. He had just pulled her right out, when the other sinners in the lake, seeing how she was being drawn out, began catching hold of her so as to be pulled out with her. But she was a very wicked woman and she began kicking them. 'I'm to be pulled out, not you. It's my onion, not yours.' As soon as she said that, the onion broke. And the woman fell into the lake and she is burning there to this day. So the angel wept and went away.

Article on the parable

Complete chapter

Complete book

The parable in Russian

Informative video on the story

See also
02. Die Frau Mit den 5 Elefanten