Also known as Smerdyakov, Pavel Fyodorovitch, the valet Smerdyakov, the servant Smerdyakov, Balaam's ass.
Pavel Smerdyakov is first named by Dmitri as the valet sent by Fyodor Pavlovitch with the wrong time for the monastery appointment. At this first horizon, he is only a servant in Fyodor's household whose message has made Dmitri arrive late. The name enters the story as a small domestic detail inside a much larger family quarrel.
III-II. Lizaveta
Smerdyakov's origin is tied to Lizaveta Smerdyastchaya and the Karamazov household: he is raised by Grigory and Marfa after Lizaveta's childbirth in the bath-house.
III-VI. Smerdyakov
As Fyodor's valet and cook, Smerdyakov is shown as taciturn, conceited, squeamish, epileptic, scrupulously dressed, and trusted for his honesty. His contemptuous silence makes him seem less like a simple servant than a brooding observer.
V-VI. For Awhile A Very Obscure One
Smerdyakov tells Ivan about the secret knocks at Fyodor's door, his fear of Dmitri, and his sense that Ivan's departure would leave the house exposed. The conversation gives Ivan an obscure, hateful feeling of complicity.
IX-II. The Alarm
After Fyodor Pavlovitch is found murdered, Smerdyakov's severe epileptic fits place him outwardly outside the night's action, even as the household and investigators keep circling back to what he knew.
XI-VIII. The Third And Last Interview With Smerdyakov
In his third interview with Ivan, Smerdyakov confesses that he murdered Fyodor Pavlovitch, stole the three thousand roubles, and arranged the scene to fasten suspicion on Dmitri. He calls Ivan the rightful author of the crime because Ivan went away after understanding the danger.
XI-X. “It Was He Who Said That”
Smerdyakov's suicide leaves only a note denying blame to anyone else and makes Ivan's proof almost impossible to establish. The confession remains with Ivan as evidence no court can easily receive.
XII-V. A Sudden Catastrophe
Ivan brings Smerdyakov's stolen notes into court and names the dead servant as the murderer, but his feverish breakdown turns the testimony into catastrophe rather than clear vindication.
Epilogue III. Ilusha’s Funeral. The Speech At The Stone
When Kolya asks who killed Fyodor Pavlovitch, Alyosha answers plainly that the valet killed him and that Dmitri is innocent.
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