Character Analysis in Fathers and Sons

The original Russian directly translates to “I hope, Evgenii Vasiliev, that you will not be bored with us” (Надеюсь, любезнейший Евгений Васильич, что вы не соскучитесь у нас). Hogarth has instead used this idiom to possibly add a bit of a country flair to the dialogue, showing that Nikolai Petrovich is more of a country gentleman and prone to using flowery language.

While it is not possible to notice, except for one detail, in English, the Russian shows that Nikolai Petrovich does not say Bazarov’s name in the same way that Bazarov introduces himself. Bazarov says “Evgenii Vasiliev” (Евгений Васильев) and Nikolai Petrovich says “Evgenii Vasilich” (Евгений Васильич). The difference is small, but Nikolai Petrovich is using the traditional patronymic form here. Notice that in the next paragraph Bazarov’s lips twitch, just barely indicating his displeasure, likely for this difference.

Turgenev's description of how Bazarov says his first words establishes much about his character. Instead of "slow," the original Russian uses the word "ленивый" (leniviy, or "lazy"). The use of "virile" is appropriate, and the general image of Bazarov conveyed by these word choices is one who possesses power but cares little for what is going on around him. Notice how laziness, which manifests as contempt, tends to characterize Bazarov and reinforce his views of the world.

This passage illustrates the central tension of Arkady’s inner life. Part of Arkady wishes to appeal to Bazarov’s rational, utilitarian understanding of the world. It is from this angle that Arkady coldly looks upon the landscape of his childhood, preaching about educational reform. Then his romantic side takes over and “Spring seemed once more to regain possession of her kingdom.” The following paragraph is a rhapsodic vision of the landscape, bursting with soulfulness and vivacity. Arkady cannot deny for long his delight in beauty and nature, values he shares with his father. Throughout the novel, Arkady continues this inner struggle between romanticism and nihilism.

While the quotation marks make this look like dialogue, context is important to understand that this question is thought and not said aloud. Turgenev uses a third-person omniscient point of view, and so readers are privy to the internal thoughts and feelings of characters. Here, we can see Arkady’s mixed reaction to his father’s self-reproach: he is both concerned for his father and feels a sense of having grown up.

Nikolai prefers to not use Thenichka’s name, and he blushes when Arkady says it. This phrase is an example of how Nikolai’s behavior is informed by his polite, conventional, and aristocratic upbringing: his aversion to saying her name suggests that she is not of the same social class and he wishes to avoid a scandal.

Nikolai has just agreed with Arkady’s observation of the surrounding area, suggesting that Arkady’s having been born in such a place means that he has a connection to the land. Having just fallen into silence after noticing the beauty of the area, Arkady reacts against his father’s suggestion by saying that such a romantic notion has no bearing on the circumstances of one’s birth. Nikolai’s confusion and the stilted conversation that follows shows how the two have grown apart since their last meeting.

Nikolai is concerned that Bazarov might judge him for allowing a servant such as Thenichka to stay in the house. In polite society, such an arrangement would be considered improper. Arkady assures Nikolai that Bazarov is above such matters of social propriety and would not concern himself, let alone cast judgment.

Peter is a member of the modern working class and possesses an interest in advancing his social status. As a result, he looks down on “old school” working-class people who enjoy frequenting the tavern, an activity which Peter judges harshly. Peter attempts to elicit a nod of agreement from the coachman, but finds the man to be one of the “old school” servants he has just insulted.

Notice that prior to this line, Arkady rejoiced in the atmosphere around the villa, pointing out the beauty of the sky and the smell of the air. That he abruptly stops and looks towards the tarantass, in which Bazarov is seated, suggests that Arkady’s behavior in this moment would not be acceptable to his friend. This tension between Arkady’s love for traditional country life and Bazarov’s views persists throughout the story.

When used as a verb, the word “humor” means to accommodate someone’s particular mood or attitude. In a sense, Arkady is asking his father to ensure that Bazarov enjoys himself. The second sentence also suggests that Arkady wants his father to respect Bazarov’s wishes as he would Arkady’s, which emphasizes how valuable a friend Bazarov is to Arkady.

Since we know that Arkady is with his father and his friend Bazarov, we can infer that this instinct to divert the conversation to more practical topics is due to the presence of Bazarov. This suggests that Arkady greatly values Bazarov’s opinions and that emotional matters are not things to be oft discussed.

Readers should treat details like this as important, no matter how insignificant they may seem. That Nikolai trips over his feet “for no apparent reason” actually suggests that there is something unstable occurring within him. We have seen how he and his son are experiencing tension, so this moment of unsure footing likely represents the confusion taking place within Nikolai’s mind.

Bazarov identifies Nikolai as a “romanticist.” Romanticism was a literary, artistic, and intellectual movement in the first half of the 19th century. Romantics—or romanticists—emphasize emotion, intuition, and aesthetic experience over the rationality emphasized by the Enlightenment. Romantics such as Nikolai value emotional and aesthetic reactions, exemplified by Nikolai’s spontaneous recitation of Pushkin when beholding the spring landscape.

Bazarov recalls Nikolai’s recitation of Pushkin in the previous chapter as a point of analysis in judging the man’s character. By Bazarov’s estimation, Nikolai’s love for poetry is a detriment to his personality. Nonetheless, Bazarov claims to hold Nikolai in high esteem, calling him “excellent.”

The distaste between Bazarov and Paul is mutual. Because Bazarov is unfamiliar with the social fabric of Marino and the relationships between the members of Arkady’s family, he treads lightly at first. Only after praising Paul’s marvelous dress and “perfectly shaven” chin does he turn and call them ridiculous. It is a backhanded compliment.

Bazarov’s comment is clever and carries multiple meanings. In the context of Paul’s past status as a highly desired man, Bazarov means that Paul can no longer “enslave” women with his looks and charm. In the context of land ownership, Paul does not “enslave” anyone in the sense that he does not own land or control peasants to the degree that Nikolai does.

Once again, Paul’s identity is defined by his past. Arkady presents Paul’s virtues in terms of his former glories—namely his once-famous looks, status and his once-promising military career. While these virtues are sufficient to garner Arkady’s adulation, Bazarov is unimpressed.

That Bazarov claims the English washstands represent progress is important. Among the rise of socialists, nihilists, and other educated liberals at this time, there was a common perception in Russia that Western Europe was the home of advanced progress and civilized society. For Bazarov, Russian goods and systems represent backward views and modes of living.

“Papasha” is a term of endearment, a variation on “father.” The equivalent word in English would be “daddy” or “dear papa.” In his desire for adulthood and independence, Arkady wishes to refrain from using the word he would have used as a boy. Arkady even tries to use “Otety,” a formal variation of “father” to further distinguish himself as an adult.

This passage introduces a crucial aspect of Arkady’s development in Fathers and Sons. In many ways, Arkady’s character arc is a coming-of-age narrative. He desires to stand as an equal among his father, his uncle and Bazarov. Throughout the story, Arkady undergoes a series of internal changes as he seeks an adult identity for himself.

Je pense que notre Arkady s’est degourdi = [French] “I think that our Arkady has acquired some polish.”

The French verb dégourdir literally means “to stretch.” As an adjective, however, dégourdi means “intelligent.” Because Paul uses the verb reflexively, the idea is that Arkady has cultivated himself, has stretched himself and become intelligent. By speaking in French, Paul is expressing this message of cultivation in a cultivated manner.

Paul is surprised that Bazarov is a house guest due to the young man’s appearance. On the matter of formalities, Paul and Bazarov are opposites. Paul exemplifies the country gentleman and pours much attention into his grooming. Bazarov deems such care ridiculous and, later in the scene, returns the insult behind Paul’s back.

In this gesture, we encounter the first suggestion of Paul’s distaste for Bazarov. Rather than shaking hands with Bazarov, Paul smiles condescendingly and raises his finger. Paul’s poor opinion of Bazarov proves to be an important source of conflict throughout the novel.

It is clear from the context of the interaction between Arkady and Paul that their “handshake” is something of a formality. It is “European” and, moreover, placed in quotation marks. It is likely the case that the handshake is an unspoken joke, a formality Paul extends to Arkady to acknowledge the young man’s new status as a university graduate. The formality is quickly followed by a customary and intimate trio of kisses.

Paul is, in many ways, a character trapped in the past. As the narrator suggests, Paul is defined by the youthful qualities he maintains: his striking looks, his proud demeanor. Yet, as a man entering middle age, Paul clings to such appearances and behaviors to mask his deeper sources of sorrow and regret.

The adjective “sallow” means yellow, peevish, or pale, and generally serves to describe the complexion of one’s skin. The description of Paul’s complexion as “sallow” is somewhat surprising, given the contradictory account of his good looks. It is likely that Paul’s sallow complexion signals his aging state despite his efforts to maintain a youthful appearance.

A bon mot—French for “good word”—is a wittily phrased remarked. Paul’s bon mot addresses how Bazarov “believes in frogs more than in principles.” Despite having had little direct contact with Bazarov, Paul already openly criticizes him in a manner that Arkady and Nikolai find distasteful. Paul’s criticisms only grow.

The image of mud and marshweed on Bazarov’s outdated clothing represents his character and values. His interests in science, which led him into the marshes, overshadow his concern for formalities or appearances. In this way, he contrasts greatly with his foil Paul, who is always properly groomed and dressed.

Thenichka occupies an unclear area between roles and classes. On the one hand, she is a servant, a member of the working class. On the other, she is Nikolai’s lover and, as such, feels that she has “a right to be there” among Nikolai, his family, and company.

Again, Paul calls for the young men to experience life beyond the rational categories promoted by Hegelians—also known as Hegelists—and nihilists. In a telling detail, Paul orders a cup of cocoa to punctuate his remark. The pleasures of food and drink evade rational understanding, and yet are crucial to a fully-lived life. Paul does not state this explicitly; he implies it through action.

Hegelists are those who subscribe to the ideas of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, a German philosopher writing at the turn of the 19th century. Hegel was a seminal philosopher who worked on a number of intellectual areas, including metaphysics, logic, and phenomenology. As a university student, Turgenev studied Hegel’s work extensively. The apparent similarity between Hegelian and Nihilistic philosophy lies in the question of meaning. One of Hegel’s central ideas is that life is inherently meaningless, a fact which is in itself also meaninglessness. In this way, Nihilism evokes shades of Hegel for Paul.

Arkady has pronounced “principles” the way we would normally do so in English, with an emphasis on the first syllable: principles. Paul, however, replies with the French form of the word, with its emphasis on the second syllable: principes. Perhaps Paul’s use of French is a rhetorical choice that demonstrates his principled nature.

In the phrasing of this question, Paul’s language subtly dehumanizes Bazarov. “What” suggests that he is a a thing and “your” suggests that he is a possession. Throughout the story, Paul is both repulsed and fascinated by Bazarov. It may be the case that Bazarov’s cold, nihilistic demeanor leads Paul to view him as more of an object or oddity than a person.

Paul’s central character flaw is his vanity. The narrator recognizes the ways in which Paul uses the details of his dress to convey a specific mood or attitude. Ironically enough, the tie is “carelessly folded” in a carefully studied manner.

A fez is a style of hat with origins in the Ottoman Empire. In the 19th century, the fez became popular throughout Europe and eventually the United States. For many Westerners, it symbolized romanticism and exoticism. Paul’s choice to wear the stylish, romantic fez contrasts greatly with the “ancient circular hat” Bazarov sports in a way that illustrates the differences between the dandyish Paul and the straightforward, idealistic Bazarov.

Nikolai is so pleased to be physically and emotionally close with his son again that he claims he had not seen him “for several centuries.” Though Nikolai had technically seen Arkady “last night,” the reference to “several centuries” subtly reveals that Nikolai and Arkady had not been so emotionally unrestrained in a long time.

While Nikolai had been worried that Arkady would judge him harshly for having taken a lover and fathered a child, Arkady reacts with joy. The phrase “falling upon his neck” suggests that Arkady embraces Nikolai, wrapping his arms around his father’s neck. This is a key moment in that it marks a relinquishment of Arkady’s adopted nihilistic attitudes and a return to a state of pure affection between father and son.

This passage reveals the searching nature of the narrative voice in its attempts to draw meaning from surface details. With his heart pounding, Nikolai is nervous about the thought of Arkady meeting Thenichka and discovering his infant brother. At the same time, his normal complexion reveals his resilience.

This detail subtly reveals Nikolai’s thoughtful nature. As he considers the question of telling Arkady about Thenichka, he worriedly touches his forehead. The word “perambulation” is clever in this case. To perambulate is to survey a property, an action which Nikolai is no doubt familiar with.

Arkady recognizes that his comments to Nikolai are somewhat pedantic and patronizing. To do the “‘magnanimous’” is to extend forgiveness and compassion to someone with less power. While Arkady is uncomfortable lecturing his father, he also feels it is justified. His mixed feelings on the matter can be seen as a result of his being between youth and adulthood, between being Nikolai’s son and Nikolai’s peer.

In this passage, Nikolai speaks with a stammering tone that reveals his struggle to discuss Thenichka. Unable to explain why Thenichka is not present—as well as his relationship to her more broadly—Nikolai issues forth a series of filler phrases before uttering “‘that she is shy.’”

It is unusual for Arkady, hungry as he is to distinguish himself as a man, to refer to his father endearingly as “papasha.” Thus Nikolai reacts with surprise. It is likely that Arkady uses “papasha” because of the delicacy of the topic he wishes to discuss: Nikolai’s relationship with Thenichka.

This passage introduces us to Bazarov’s materialist understanding of the world at large and of humankind. To Bazarov, humans are like frogs, organisms to be dissected, diagrammed, and understood. This materialist philosophy holds that reality can be divided into rational categories and that nothing escapes rationality. Poetry, aesthetic appreciation, love, and affection are human experiences which evade rational categorization; Bazarov dismisses all of them.

The noun “asperity” refers literally to a roughness of texture. In this passage, Bazarov’s quality of asperity refers to his plainspoken, inelegant style of communication. His informal style adds to his appeal to the peasants.

Arkady’s remark reveals a difference in values between himself and Bazarov. Arkady places value in human kindness and empathy, and he believes in extending fairness to others. Bazarov, who believes in nothing but facts, does not openly value empathy. His response is, “The connection I do not see.” To Bazarov, basic human kindness needs to be logically justified.

In this demeaning comment, Bazarov compares a philosophical and scientific education to an alphabet, whose first letter Nikolai has yet to master. Bazarov seems to misunderstand the nature of Nikolai’s comment. Nikolai had not intended to further the conversation about the fundamentals of philosophical discourse. Rather, Nikolai had attempted to steer the conversation into more practical topics like agriculture.

Nikolai understands that it is wise to turn the conversation from the intellectual to the practical, and so he brings up his farm. This move is particularly deft because Nikolai knows that Bazarov has a mind that is more utilitarian than abstract.

In philosophy, a “postulate” is an underlying principle or presupposition on which an argument is built. Paul wishes to know if Bazarov believes in any widely accepted truths, and so he questions Bazarov as to which postulates he abides by. It is a fair question, since it is difficult for two people to hold a conversation if there is no shared underlying structure of truth and belief. Bazarov erupts, however, exclaiming “‘Is it an examination in tenets?’” It is not an examination in tenets, because tenets are opinions. On a basic level, Paul wishes to know whether he and Bazarov have any common ground at all in their respective understandings of the world.

Bazarov places no value in beauty, humanistic thought, or religious experience. As a result the work of poets—even geniuses such as Goethe—holds no interest for Bazarov. Bazarov cares only for rational approaches to the world, which he conceptualizes as a frog to dissect more and more.

Bazarov’s reaction is a direct expression of his nihilistic and materialist worldview. Authorities, institutions, and traditions hold no sway over a nihilist. Bazarov rejects all authorities and values, trusting only his own rational faculties.

The noun “brusquerie” refers to blunt or rude behaviour. As an aristocrat, Paul expects to be treated with elegant manners, particularly by those younger than he is. Bazarov has no respect for such conventions.

This passage reveals a great deal about Pavel’s character, in terms of both the choices he has made and the way he feels about his life. Arkady’s account constitutes an elegant reflection on the experience of aging, precocious for a young man. It is important to note the subjectivity of Arkady’s perspective: Arkady may be making assumptions, claiming Paul’s life has been diminished by his bachelorhood.

As a haughty young man and a nihilist, Bazarov holds no respect for the generations before him. Part of the nihilist agenda is the throwing out of traditions and older principles. As a result, Bazarov likes to think that he “[brought] himself up,” an opinion that is characteristically arrogant.

Bazarov uses this idiom to characterize Paul as a hypocrite. When Arkady claims that Paul is helpful in offering advice about women, Bazarov counters with this harsh saying. Paul has been “scalded” in his own dealings with women, only to turn to offer advice to others.

Paul is a paradox. While he cares for the peasants, he still considers himself to be of a higher class than they are. He is progressive in his respect for the movement to liberate the serfs but conservative in his religious and intellectual principles.

Much of Paul’s reputation is built on his aristocratic manner and taste for fine things. Arkady lists such luxuries as Paul’s silver nécessaire—a type of purse—and travelling bath in order to convey his tastes.

A “habitué” is a regular, or someone who habitually attends a specific place. In the wake of his failed affair, Paul tries returning to the status of “society habitué” in order to retain a sense of order. However, he is no longer the young officer he once was, and so he finds no solace in being a socialite.

Paul offers Princess R. a ring with a design of the Sphinx, a figure in Greek mythology who has the head of a woman and the body of a lion. The Sphinx is an enigmatic creature, and Paul outright states that it is a metaphor for the princess. The naive princess is flattered by the accurate but unpleasant comparison. The Sphinx offers riddles to passing travelers, devouring those who cannot answer correctly. The princess is Paul’s Sphinx. She contains a riddle he cannot solve, and his endless attempts to do so ruin his life.

As Paul’s love affair with Princess R. begins to deteriorate, he senses the futility of his pursuit, the inevitable defeat of it. After their meetings, he descends into a “bitter, galling sensation.” He is both forlorn and irritated, because he knows the affair is a lost cause.

The way Arkady relates the story, it seems that Paul’s attraction to the princess was the result of some ineffable quality in her. It was not her beauty that allured so much as “that glance!” Paul found himself drawn in by her enigmatic personality.

The way Arkady relates the story, it seems that Paul’s attraction to the princess was the result of some ineffable quality in her. It was not her beauty that allured so much as “that glance!” Paul found himself drawn in by her enigmatic personality.

The psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, the third book of the Bible. The psalms are Princess R.’s desperate nightly retreat from the world of St. Petersburg society. This passage illustrates the princess’s psychological imbalances, as well as her spiritual yearnings.

It is not entirely clear why Arkady refers to Princess R. by her initial rather than her full name. Perhaps Paul never told Arkady the princess’s name. Perhaps Arkady wishes to preserve the princess’s anonymity. Perhaps Turgenev chose to underscore the princess’s mysterious nature by withholding her name from the reader.

This passage elucidates the differences between Nikolai and Paul as young men. While Paul was prideful, active and extroverted, Nikolai was quiet, bookish, and introverted. As becomes clear, there is an irony in the way the brothers’ adult lives have unfolded. Though Paul seemed destined for success, it is Nikolai who built the steadier, happier life for himself.

A “rake” is a pleasure-seeker who engages in such habits as gambling, drinking, and promiscuous behavior. As a promising young officer with notable good looks, Paul “play[ed] the rake” as a young man in St. Petersburg. The word “rake” comes from “rakehell,” which may derive from the Old English rakel, meaning “rash,” or the Old Norse reikall, meaning “restless.”

Bazarov and Paul can be viewed as doubles. Though the two men dislike each other, Arkady’s description of Paul also could be applied to Bazarov. Like Paul, Bazarov is also “self-confident” and “amusingly sarcastic.” The similarities between the two likely fuel their mutual disdain.