# Aley — The House of the Dead character guide

> Aley in The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Aley Semyonitch

**First appearance:** 0007-part-i-vii-new-acquaintances-petrov

## Snapshot

A young Dagestani Tatar convict with a gentle, generous nature, he becomes one of the few people the narrator loves without reservation.

## Who they are

Aley arrives in the prison young, kind-hearted, and out of place among hardened criminals, yet he wins the narrator's affection almost immediately. His warmth and moral innocence stand in stark contrast to the brutality surrounding him, and the narrator takes a protective, almost paternal interest in his education and well-being. In a memoir built on suspicion and violence, Aley represents the possibility that decency can survive the dead house.

## In the story

### [II: First Impressions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_dead_se/chapters/part-i-ii-first-impressions)

Mentioned as a convict who borrows money from the narrator on the first day.

### [VIII: Determined Characters. Lutchka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_dead_se/chapters/part-i-viii-determined-characters-lutchka)

Briefly mentioned when Lutchka asks him to pass the scissors.

### [The Theatricals](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_dead_se/chapters/part-i-xi-the-theatricals)

Sleeps quietly beside the narrator after laughing and talking about the theatricals with his brothers.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_dead_se/characters/aley
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_dead_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_dead_se/characters