Arkady ivanovitch svidrigaÏlov

[Mehdi Raza]

I generally route for the good guy, I hated smerdyakov from brothers Karamazov. However I find Svidrigailov to be the most complex character of Crime and punishment. In fact I love him more than sofya and raskolnikov.
I have a question, was he really a pedophile and what's up with the ghost sightings he had?Was it just his conscience?
Are there any svidrigailov lovers here?

[mtpspur]

I'm over halfway thru Crime and Punishment right now but I did complete Brothers Karamazov and I came to the conclusion that when Dostoyevsky implies something he probably means it to happen or have happened. For example pretty sure Dmitri makes his escape--just an opinion. I found the pedophile reference disturbing but took it at face value or otherwise why bring it up. On the other hand wasn't quite sure the 'ghost' story was just a tall tale to annoy Rasko;nikov as so far I have seem very little in this character to think he has a conscience.

[Gladys]

I generally route for the good guy, I hated smerdyakov from brothers Karamazov. However I find Svidrigailov to be the most complex character of Crime and punishment. In fact I love him more than sofya and raskolnikov.
I have a question, was he really a pedophile and what's up with the ghost sightings he had?Was it just his conscience?
Are there any svidrigailov lovers here?

The similarities between Smerdyakov and Svidrigailov are fascinating. Both are more consistently and comprehensively nihilistic, in the existential sense, than their counterparts Ivan and Raskolnikov. For both, all is vanity and a striving after the wind. Seduction, pedophilia, murder, suicide or compassion have no moral resonance. Svidrigailov has a conscience that intrigues but never bothers him in the least. Ghosts are just part of the 19th century zeitgeist. Svidrigailov see them because he is sick - so what!