Fedosya Markovna

Fedosya Markovna, usually called Fenya, is a servant in the household of Widow Morozov. Though her role in the story is brief, her frightened recollection becomes an important lead for Pyotr Ilyitch Perhotin: she reports that Dmitri returned from looking for Grushenka with blood on his hands and without the pestle he had taken. Her testimony helps bring the suspicion surrounding Dmitri into the formal investigation, while the narrative also marks the limits of her accuracy.

Identity and Circumstances

Fenya is identified as a servant in Widow Morozov’s household. When Perhotin comes to question her, she is still shaken by the fright she had experienced two hours earlier and has been too upset to go to bed. His forceful arrival intensifies her alarm, and she is nearly driven into hysterics before he is admitted.

Account of Dmitri’s Return

Once Perhotin is allowed into the kitchen, Fenya asks that the houseporter remain present because she is apprehensive. In questioning her, Perhotin learns that Dmitri, on leaving to look for Grushenka, had taken a pestle from the mortar. When he returned, the pestle was no longer with him, and his hands were smeared with blood. The combination of a missing object and bloodied hands makes her account consequential to the inquiry.

Accuracy and Narrative Role

Fenya insists that the blood had been flowing and dripping from Dmitri. The narrator explicitly qualifies this detail as a product of her disordered imagination: although the blood was not dripping, Perhotin had himself seen evidence of it. The distinction preserves the substance of her report while separating an observable fact from fear-shaped exaggeration. Later, during questioning, Dmitri is asked how he came to run to Fedosya Markovna with his hands and face covered in blood; he answers that he had not noticed the blood at the time. Fenya’s brief appearance thus helps establish the trail of evidence against him, without by itself resolving what happened.