Chapter 6 Smerdyakov

Alyosha arrives at Fyodor Pavlovitch’s house after dinner to find Fyodor in jovial spirits with Ivan present, while Grigory and the valet, Smerdyakov, attend. Fyodor praises Smerdyakov’s coffee and jokes, prompting attention to the usually taciturn servant.

The narrative shifts to Smerdyakov’s past. Raised by Grigory and Marfa, Smerdyakov was aloof, secretive, and morbidly ritualistic, once staging cat “funerals.” When Grigory taught him Scripture, Smerdyakov’s skeptical question about light before the sun earned a slap, after which he suffered his first epileptic fit.

Hearing of the illness, Fyodor took an interest, forbidding beatings and letting Smerdyakov read, though the boy dismissed stories as “untrue.” As Smerdyakov grew fastidious about food, Fyodor sent him to Moscow to train as a cook. He returned skilled, impeccably dressed, more withdrawn, and disdainful of others, with fits growing more frequent. He reacted angrily when Fyodor suggested marriage.

Despite his coldness, Smerdyakov proved honest, returning large banknotes Fyodor had dropped. He often stood motionless in deep, wordless “contemplation,” hoarding impressions like a peasant in a winter road, hinting at a nature capable of sudden, extreme acts after long inward brooding.