Zhutchka
Kolya shouted, “Open the door,” and as soon as it was open, he blew his whistle. Perezvon dashed headlong into the room. “Jump, Perezvon, beg! Beg!” shouted Kolya, jumping up, and the dog stood erect on its hind-legs by Ilusha’s bedside. What followed was a surprise to everyone: Ilusha started, lurched violently forward, bent over Perezvon and gazed at him, faint with suspense.
“It’s…Zhutchka!” Ilusha cried suddenly, in a voice breaking with joy and suffering. “And who did you think it was?” Krassotkin shouted with all his might, in a ringing, happy voice, and bending down he seized the dog and lifted him up to Ilusha. “Look, you see, blind of one eye and the left ear is torn, just the marks you described to me. It was by that I found him…. .I found him…You see, he couldn’t have swallowed what you gave him. If he had, he must have died, he must have! So he must have spat it out, since he is alive. You didn’t see him do it. But the pin pricked his tongue, that’s why he squealed. He ran away squealing and you thought he’d swallowed it… . Ilusha could,’t speak. White as a sheet, he gazed open-mouthed at Kolya, with his great eyes almost starting out of his head. And if Krassotkin, who had no suspicion of it, had known what a disastrous and fatal effect such a moment might have on the sick child’s health, nothing would have induced him to play such a trick on him. But Alyosha was perhaps the only person in the room who realized it.
“Wait, wait,” Krassotkin did his utmost to shout. “I’ll tell you how it happened, that’s the whole point. I found him, I took him home and hid him at once. I kept him locked up at home and didn’t show him to anyone till today… And meanwhile I taught the dog all sorts of tricks. You should only see all the things he can do! I trained him so as to bring you a well trained dog, in good condition, so as to be able to say to you, ‘See, what a fine dog your Zhutchka is now!’
“Can you really have put off coming all this time simply to train the dog?” exclaimed Alyosha, with an involuntary note of reproach in his voice. “Simply for that!” answered Kolya, with perfect simplicity. “I wanted to show him in all his glory.”
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Why do you think Dostoevsky included this incident in the novel?
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Is Kolya’s gift of Zhutchka an example of “giving an onion?”
Considering Karamazov 
I believe that Kolya’s gift of Zhutchka is an example of “giving an onion.” Ilusha actually believed that he was ill as a result of God punishing him for killing Zhutchka, but Kolya does a good deed by finding Zhutcka and bringing him to Ilusha. This good deed helps relieve Ilusha’s conscience.
But was it quickly enough? And if not, why not?
Kolya reminds me a lot of Ivan in some ways because of the way he talks about all he has learned and all the knowledge he has. At the same time, I feel that he doesn’t really have his own opinions on what he knows; he seems confused in a similar fashion to the way that Ivan is described as being confused. So, in a way, I think that this incident was included to allude to Ivan, maybe.
Nice observation. It could also be alluding to a “sensibility” related to Ivan’s.
Ilusha believed that he became sick for the bad things he had done in his life. It was as if though God was punishing him for his bad behavior. He had stabbed Kolya with a pen knife after Kolya tried to punish him forgiving Zutchka bread with a needle in it. In his mind he thinks that the dog has died and it is all his fault. Ilusha has nothing to live for and has nothing to be happy about. All he wants is the dog back. His father even buys him a dog but that does not even make him happy. When Kolya arrives the others boys visiting Ilusha are glad to see him, as well as him, but they are sad he did not bring Zuchka. Kolya mocks Ilusha about the the dog, but then surprises him and calls Perezvon (the name he had given the dog) into the room. Upon seeing the dog Ilusha cried out that it is Zuchka. He had given the dog a different name so no one would ruin the surprise. He had even taught the dog tricks to show Ilusha and cheer him up. This story is an example of Kolya giving Ilusha an onion. It is his way of saying that he forgives Ilusha for the things he has done both to him and the dog and that he also is doing a good deed to someone who has done him wrong. It is a way of showing his compassion and sympathy for his sick and dying friend. This good deed not only makes Kolya feel good about himself but it also helps Ilusha to realize that maybe he is not sick because of his bad deeds afterall.
Concerning Ilyusha’s sickness:
Alyosha is face to face with the suffering of children, which is a topic that Ivan and Alyosha discussed in great detail earlier in the novel. Ivan’s reaction to the suffering of children is to shrink away from God, to blame him for this horrible thing. Alyosha on the other hand embraces the opportunity to spread the love of God. He does everything he can to lesson the suffering of Ilyusha. He encourages Ilyusha’s schoolmates to go visit him and even helps to bring Ilyusha and Kolya back together.
This shows the difference between Ivan and Alyosha and the effect that Zosima and religion has had on Alyosha.
I agree a great deal with what Kristen said regarding Kolya’s similarities to Ivan and the possible illusion to him. The two characters are alike in their uncertainty. Kolya may be even more so uncertain in his beliefs than Ivan.
One might compare Ivan’s concern about the suffering of children with the kind of action that Koyla takes with the dog. Should we wonder about his certainty that taking time to train the dog was the best course?
Sure, that can be taken into account, but I think that him taking time to train the dog was a good thing. He was trying to do something good and prove himself, which I believe he did.
I don’t think that we should question his decision to train the dog. In waiting for Ilusha to see the dog at its healthiest, Koyla is able to show his forgiveness and gives a conclusion to the situation. Kolya is “giving an onion” because he is going out of his way to be compassionate toward his friend when he has little else to make him happy. Ilusha’s mind had been racked with guilt from what he did with the dog and he wasn’t able to rest or be at peace. If Kolya had brought the dog to Ilusha while it was still sick and hurting, Ilusha wouldn’t have felt any better about the situation. After seeing the healthy dog and realizing he has been forgiven, Ilusha is at peace.
I definitely think that Koyla’s gift was an “onion.” Even though it did not occur right away, we discussed in class that Ilusha would have been much happier seeing a healthy, magnificent Zhutchka than an ill one. In a sense Koyla gave Ilusha a chance to redeem himself by knowing that he had not killed the dog afterall and he could pass away happily.
I agree that Koyla bringing Zhutchka to Ilyosha was giving an “onion.” I also agree that we shouldn’t question the timing of when he brought Zhutchka. Koyla wanted to show Ilyosha that he forgave him and to fix their relationship. I don’t think Koyla realized exactly how sick Ilyosha was until he went to visit him. He did not purposely put off bringing Zhutchka until Ilyosha’s condition was extremely bad. His goal was to cheer Ilyosha up and he wanted Zhutchka to be completely recovered from eating the pin as well. Plus, the tricks did help to cheer Ilyosha up some too.
Along with questioning the timing of when he did come, Koyla does keep saying that he should have come sooner. He believes that he did wait too long before going to visit Ilyosha after he sees the condition the boy is in. Had he known how sick he really was, I don’t doubt that Koyla would have gone sooner.