Character Analysis
Grigory is Fyodor Karamazov's morose, long-suffering servant, as morally strict and austere as Fyodor is corrupt. Grigory becomes a foster father to the Karamazov brothers when their mothers die, before their relatives take up their upbringing. Despite his fervent religiosity, Grigory seems to have no effect on the morals of the Karamazovs under his care. His one weakness is the powerful vodka-based "tonic" he drinks whenever his back hurts. Under its influence he believes he witnesses Dmitri flee the scene of Fyodor's murder, when Dmitri had in fact only given him a great clonk on the head.