Pavel Smerdyakov

E548474

Pavel Smerdyakov is a manipulative and enigmatic servant in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel "The Brothers Karamazov," whose actions and psychology play a crucial role in the story’s central moral and criminal conflicts.

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Statements (43)

Predicate Object
instanceOf fictional character
literary character
appearsIn The Brothers Karamazov NERFINISHED
associatedWithTheme free will
guilt
morality
nihilism
religious doubt
responsibility
authorMovement Russian realism
authorNationality Russian
characterTrait cunning
enigmatic
manipulative
resentful
secretive
creator Fyodor Dostoevsky NERFINISHED
employer Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov NERFINISHED
fictionalUniverse The Brothers Karamazov NERFINISHED
firstPublicationOfWork 1880
genre philosophical novel
psychological novel
importance major character in The Brothers Karamazov
languageOfWork Russian
literaryPeriod Russian literature of the 19th century
literarySignificance central to debates about responsibility and influence in the novel
often analyzed in discussions of evil in Dostoevsky’s work
medium novel
moralAmbiguity high
narrativeFunction catalyst for the novel’s murder plot
instigator of key events
nationality Russian
occupation servant
plotInvolvement involved in the murder of Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov
psychologicalRole embodies distorted interpretations of philosophical ideas
illustrates consequences of moral nihilism
relationshipToOtherCharacter connected to Ivan Karamazov’s ideas
interacts with Alyosha Karamazov NERFINISHED
interacts with Dmitri Karamazov NERFINISHED
servant of Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov
roleInWork central to criminal conflicts
central to moral conflicts
workSetIn 19th-century Russia

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Brothers Karamazov mainCharacter Pavel Smerdyakov