The character of Smerdyakov in Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov appears to me to
epitomize Nietzsche's idea of the "slave revolt". With a closer look at the book we see that
Smerdyakov appears to have been plotting throughout the entire story. Upon a close analysis we
see that he had both a reason and a means for revenge against almost all of the other characters.
We also see that he comes out "ahead". Much like Nietzsche's slave revolt, where there is an
inversion of power, and the weakling comes out the "winner". In this paper I will attempt to
show how Smerdyakov accomplished this "inversion of power". I will take an in depth look into
the relationships that Smerdyakov had with the other characters, and show how and why he fits
perfectly into the "slave revolt".
Dostoevsky first presents Smerdyakov, in the Brothers Karamazov, in Book three of Part
one. The author divulges details of the conception of the fourth son of Fyodor Karamazov. Late
on a September evening, a drunk Fyodor, by modern standards, "rapes" a homeless woman.
Stinking Lizaveta, the victim of Fyodor's violence, was a legend in the town. Regardless of her
unattractive and dirty appearance, her poverty, and homelessness, the townspeople regarded her
with sympathy and compassion. Fyodor, on the other hand, treated Lizaveta as an insubordinate
who was undeserving of even an ounce of respect. He and his friends mock her. He then rapes
her. As if these actions are not cruel and offensive enough, he vehemently denies any of it
happening. Later, when Lizaveta gives birth to Fyodor's illegitimate son, it is Grigory and Marfa
who take the boy in, baptize him, an decide to raise the child. The townspeople mistakenly credit
Fyodor for taking the dead woman's child into his house. All of these actions on the part of
Fyodor are the ca...