He is a bit of a non-entity. Or, rather, he is everyman. Rather than succumb to ideals and principles and become a sort of tragic hero, like Bazarov, he takes the conventional course of marrying the least interesting woman he can find.

The only interesting thing about Arkady is the people he surrounds himself with. He is like a hub. Bazarov, Nikolai and Pavel Petrovich, Ondintsova, they are all interesting. Arkady just takes on the flavour of whoever he approaches. He is a sponge.