Smerdyakov

Smerdyakov is a highly contemptuous and aloof character. Resembling Fyodor and Ivan in action and thought, he thinks lowly of others and holds a despondent view of the Earth.

Having been born through Fyodor’s grossest sin, Smerdyakov symbolically takes on the most dislikeable character traits of Fyodor. Most notable, Smerdyakov has a predominant air of arrogance resembling Fyodor’s, always having a confident answer to every question, which is expressed in such a manner as to demean another’s answer. Furthermore, he appears to despise himself, especially as he speaks of wishing to have been left to die in the womb. Fyodor too, as demonstrated in his inner-thoughts before making a scandal at the monastery dinner, despises his own existence.

Smerdyakov, like Ivan, does not believe in a God. He actually, as Ivan acknowledges, looks up to Ivan as a role model of sorts despite the fact that he has warped and misunderstood Ivan’s views. Smerdyakov rejects the notion of God or the possibility of people believing in God, whereas Ivan believes that the belief in God is a necessity of humans.

Smerdyakov resembles Malvolio of Twelfth Night to a remarkable degree in how easy he is to dislike. He incites an immediate reaction of disgust from the reader, and thus is used by Dostoevsky to highlight what he doesn’t want the reader to take out of Ivan, while also highlighting the sins of Fyodor.