In the 19th century novel Fathers and Sons, author Ivan Turgenev compliments the theme of the

40) of Bazarov. He considers Bazarov the teacher and master of nihilism and himself the student. Arkady always seems to say that nihilists believe certain things and that Bazarov states particular facts, yet Arkady gives the impression that he struggles to embrace these same convictions deep inside of himself. Arkady accepts nihilism to fit in with his generation and to gain the respect and friendship of Bazarov. Arkady never proclaims his own conviction in nihilism as undeniably as Bazarov. As the novel develops and Arkady and Bazarov travel together, Arkady matures to become his own individual. Arkady eventually decides to reject Bazarov and the falseness of his principles. This is evident when Arkady shows his appreciation for music and when he defends his father and his uncle to Bazarov when Bazarov criticizes their aristocratic ways and romanticism. Ultimately, Arkady’s complete growth into his own individual self is seen when he decides to renounce a life without emotion and tradition that Bazarov preached. Arkady breaks free of Bazarov’s spell and shows that he holds the same values as his father when he falls in love with Katya. Katya reminds Arkady of his love of music when she plays the piano for him and he is awakened to see that these emotions fulfill

We formed a special bond with Nabokov despite the difficulty of his prose. This went deeper than out identification with his themes. His novels are shaped around invisible trapdoors, sudden gaps that constantly pull the carpet from under the reader’s feet. They are filled with mistrust of what we call everyday reality, an acute sense of that reality’s fickleness and frailty (293).

Bazarov was considered as the central figure in the novel of fathers and sons. He inculcates the central idea of "nihilism", which means the rejection of religion, which meant he was an atheist. This novel was based on the two opposing ideas of hope and devastation, for not only religious means, but also for emotional hope in the end of the book. Bazarov was a nihilist of humble background whose life-view involves a rejection of anything that has previously been accepted as valid. He refused to take anyone's word for anything; he had no alliances, and no emotions; he cared no more for one country than for another and accepted only what is scientifically proven. His purpose was to destroy all existing religions and values, along with traditional

Through the striking change in the narrator’s lifestyle and state of mind, Dostoyevsky demonstrates how one’s life is purposeless without hope. This is similar to the idea that hope is the belief in the ability to achieve one’s desires because the

But it is also this spiritual deterritorialization that follows Nabokov throughout his life that makes his account of his life seem more artistic and disconnected, even if there is a profound emotional impact on the reader in the end. While some moments in his life might evoke sympathy, like his retelling of his father’s death, or make readers to take a side, such as the incident with Nesbit during his time in Cambridge, Nabokov keeps the reader at a distance by concealing his feelings in rhetoric. An example of this is the “short biography” (173) of his father. Using vivid details to describe his father, one can feel the spiritual resonance the experience had on Nabokov. “And behind it all there was yet a very special emotional abyss that I was

Imperial Russian society during the time of serfdom was characterized by constantly changing social order. The society experienced a complex social change at the threshold to emancipation. It was undergoing many changes with increasing westernization and serfdom culture that gave rise to formation of new classes (raznochintsy) during the nineteenth century. Many authors have reflected and emphasized this component of change in the structure of pre-emancipation Russian society. This paper will examine how two writers: Nikolai Gogol and Ivan Turgenev, in their novels, Dead Souls and Fathers and Sons depict the society’s constantly changing nature through the relationships between their characters and the development in their beliefs and ideas. Although both the novels explore societal change during the pre-emancipation of serfs, the emphasis of change is different in both the novels. In Fathers and Sons, Turgenev oversees shifting values prevalent in the society. He explores the shift in generational values by depicting the difference in beliefs of characters like Bazarov and Nikolai. On the other hand, in Dead Souls Gogol focuses on issues of morality in society. He depicts a struggle for morality and portrays a corrupt society through the landowners and the protagonist, Chichikov, in his book.

The relationship between a father and son is the most sacred relation which may eventually shape the son’s identity and emotional stability in life. Some children are fortunate to be raised with a nurturing and interactive father, while others are unfortunate to receive a straightforward and “indifferent” bond and relation. During the 20th century, men were expected to fulfill the traditional role of a financial provider and sole breadwinner of the family. Men were deemed effeminate and unmanly if they expressed their emotions. Regarding love, unsaid words are often interpreted to misconceptions. The unexpressed sentiments and hostility towards a child transformed into abhorrence regarding the parents. In “Those Winter Sundays,” Robert

In the novel Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev, Arcady plays a major role both in his own life and the lives of others. Arcady, despite the shield he surrounds himself with, is not a true Nihilist like his friend Bazarov through his thoughts and actions we see his change. To begin, Arcady shows signs of Romanticism Early on in the novel despite the announcement of his Nihilist beliefs. For example, Bazarov and Arcady were walking one afternoon in the garden and overheard Nicholas playing his cello.

However, throughout the novel, Arkady is fraught with internal conflict over his philosophy, and begins to slowly stray from his tenets. When staying at his father's, Arkady makes a point of a defending Pavel to Bazarov. Pavel is very much the opposite of Bazarov (who is Turgenev's embodiment of nihilism), acting always with an air of

Culture is the sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes one group of people from another. Culture is transmitted, through language, material objects, ritual, institutions, and art, from one generation to the next. Because the processes of cultural formation are all different, culture is very diverse, for example; human culture, national culture, generation culture, and family culture. Since there are various cultures, cultural conflicts arise. These cultural conflicts can be easily seen around us as other forms of conflict. The best example of cultural conflict is generational conflict. Because each generation is different in the process of formation, each generation has its own culture. If the generations are different, they do not understand their culture. That is why the generational conflict happens. Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev's novel, "Father and Son," is a Russian novel that focuses on the generational conflict, with a detailed observation of the ideological conflicts in the upheaval Russia. The most common conflict between conservatism and progressivism is solved by general conflicts such as the generation of the father and the generation of the son, and the consensus is raised.

Similarly, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, the titular character of Amor Towles’ novel, A Gentleman In Moscow, experiences a fall from grace after he is sentenced by a Bolshevik Tribute to life imprisonment within the grand Hotel Metropol. Despite being declared a former person, the Count continues his former lifestyle as a gentleman and a scholar, vowing to live a life of purpose. Over three decades at the Metropol, this purpose expands to include being a waiter at the Boyarsky, working to preserve the traditional legacy of the restaurant, as well as being the father figure for Sofia, after the young girl is left in his care. All the while, the Count’s sense of self is challenged by a malevolent force inside the Metropol: a man whom the Count calls the Bishop. Both Kundera and Towles rely on internal struggles with identity to develop conflict; however, in The Unbearable Lightness of Being, tension is built from attempting to change one’s identity, while in A Gentleman in Moscow, it is from resistance to change. Regardless, conflict emerges in both works as characters struggle to control their own identities, the identities of those around them, and the cultural identity of the land from which they

In the novel, “Fathers and Sons”, the character Yevgeny Vasilievich Bazarov is perceived to be a strong headed, and intelligent Nihilist who is not afraid to express his beliefs on anyone that dares to question and challenge him about it. He is first introduced in the story by Arkady as a great friend and gives a nice wrap in the first few chapters of the story; giving his father and himself the title of a doctor, “who had a special capacity for winning the confidence of lower-class people and indeed treated them casually”(15). But the story changes him quite a bit when they reveal what he is, Nihilist, who recognizes, nor respects nothing and “regards everything from (a) critical point of view”(17). Due to this given trait of nihilism, and the way he carries his opinions out to others, I believe the novel plays more against Bazarov rather than for him.

In the novel, “Fathers and Sons”, the character Bazarov is known to be a self-confident, and intelligent doctor who’s known to leave a few great impressions behind when interacting with his fellow characters large and small, like Fenichka and the lower-classman people. However, as nice as he may seem, I do not believe that the story intends Bazarov to be the protagonist, but rather the antagonist. His belief of nihilism, the rejection of all religious and moral principles, is one of the reasons why he is shown as an antagonist. Following that, is how he rudely carries out his own opinions to others, but then later on, turns out to be a hypocritic of his own teachings ; making him very displeasing to the audience to read. So although some may argue that Bazarov is a hero, because of lighter traits, I would have to disagree because of his belief of nihilism, how he carries it out to people and later turning himself into a hypocritic, making the novel play against Bazarov rather than for him.

He is a product of his age, an apology of positivism alien to people’s feelings and thoughts. The abyss he is facing, the illogical process of love, is made even more horrible by the shattering of the rules of propriety, he, so necessarily, adhered. Anna sees in him emotionless conventionality and she points in him the same faults Emma addresses to Charles, he understands nothing, he feels nothing, a ministerial machine lacking of imagination and passion. And indeed the distance between him and Charles is never great, Tolstoy, through Anna’s hatred, tries to make of him a caricature of a man as Flaubert did with Charles. The cartilage of his ears, his weary eyes, slow voice, flat feet, the way he swings his pelvis, the blue veins on his white hands, the cracking of his knuckles, all these details recall very closely the stamp Emma abhors in Charles. All the same, Tolstoy’s characters are never wholly evil or wholly good. They are real. Karenin is an hypocrite who mirrors the morality Anna has offended: when on the carriage back home she first confesses to love someone else, Tolstoy has her conceding: No, you are not mistaken, she said slowly, looking desperately at his cold face and between her desperation and his indifference passes all the difference between the epic she represents and the etiquette he embodies. And yet, there is something missing in almost everything Karenin does in the novel: he has no poetic sentiments but he

Nihilism in Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons has several characters that hold strong views of the world. For example, Pavel believes that Russia needs structure from such things as institution, religion, and class hierarchy. On the other hand, Madame Odintzov views the world as simple so long as she keeps it systematic and free from interference.