Literary devices in chapter 6 "Smerdyakov", book III
The major purpose of this chapter is the revelation of Smerdyakov's character and position in the novel. Up to now most of the other central characters (the father, the three brothers, Katerina Ivanovna, Grushenka, the Elder) have been already introduced and the late elucidation of Smerdyakov emphasizes his distinction from the rest of the characters.
The chapter begins with a description of Fyodor Pavlovich's dining hall. At first glance this appears as a digression, because after reading the title "Smerdyakov" in the next page and a half he is not mentioned at all. Instead, Fyodor Pavlovich's room is the center of attention and afterwards it is the conversation between him and Alyosha. This teases the reader's patience and sharpens his/her desire to learn about Smerdyakov. On the other hand this "digression" creates a very authentic introduction into the character of the lackey because it is revealed in the context of the life of the two brothers Alyosha and Ivan, and the father Fyodor Pavlovich. In a sense it serves as a justification why should be Smerdyakov's character depicted.
Once having reached the core of the chapter - the personality of Smerdyakov, Dostoevsky uses various features to describe him. First of these is the character's present situation - "twenty-four years old,... terribly unsociable and taciturn" [124].
Second feature is Smerdyakov's past - "he had been raised by..." [124]. The major part of this device is telling anecdotes from Smerdyakov's life. Instead of just listing the qualities of the boy, Dostoevsky leaves it to the reader to deduce them from particular events in his life. One example of this is Smerdyakov's habit to bury cats, which implies his willingness to do cruel things. Another example is the witty question of Smerdyakov that "The Lord created light on the first day, and the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day. Where did the light shine from on the first day? [124]". Instead of saying "Smerdyakov was smart and bright", which would be a subjective, opinion-based assertion, Dostoevsky tells the story and leaves the reader make alone his/her conclusion about the mental skills of Smerdyakov. In this case the deduction is straightforward - Smerdyakov has quick brain cells.
Through other anecdotes are described Smerdyakov's despise towards fiction ("it's all about lies" [125]), unfriendliness towards literature ("he found it boring" [125}), possession of peculiar habits ("explore the soup" [125]).
The last one of these had a huge impact on the life of the lackey because it inspired Fyodor Pavlovich to send him to study in Moscow. There is a slight irony here because such a meaningless habit of Smerdyakov made Fyodor Pavlovich draw conclusions which were based more on his own imagination rather than on the boy's skills. Even stronger expression of the irony is to be found in the fact that Smerdyakov "turned out to be a superb cook". The destiny is on the side of the fools, is what seems to be implied by this event, because what else if not foolishness is expressed by Fyodor Pavlovich's spontaneous superficial decision to send the boy to Moscow.
Another device of portraying Smerdyakov is through the similes with a painting. Kramskoy's work of art "The contemplator" is described in detail, giving to the picture's main character more life and thoughts than the painter himself did. With a single sentence, then, Dostoevsky links the image of the contemplator to the young man "Most likely Smerdyakov, too, was such a contemplator..." [127]
With various devices the author manages to reveal in detail the character of the supposedly fourth brother Karamazov. This change in ways of depicting Smerdyakov gives to the reader a feeling of entirety of the character and makes him/her feel familiar with the lackey, whose role in the book is to be expanded.