Nihilism In Yevgeny Vasilievich Bazarov's Fathers And Sons

In the novel, Raskolnikov’s crime, and his justification of the crime, display very nihilistic ideas. Nihilism argues that life does not have a purpose or an objective meaning. Moral nihilists’ views are that morality does not inherently exist, and that any established moral values are abstractly contrived (Stick 332). Dostoyevsky uses Raskolnikov’s nihilistic character to criticize the principles of nihilism; Dostoyevsky uses Raskolnikov to prove that nihilistic ideas do not work and only deteriorate society. Many nihilistic figures during the mid 19th century loathed the character Raskolnikov for criticizing and making their principles seem foolish. The nihilistic thinkers claimed that murder for no reason, or rather murder just for the sake of murdering, was completely out of the nihilistic realm and did not have anything to do with their thoughts and principles.

Mikhail Lermontov’s ‘A Hero of our Time’ is set in the 1840s, a crucial time in Russian history. Pechorin was a revolutionary character in Russian literature due to his cynical and amoral personality that alienates him from all social strata. ‘A Hero of our Time’ generated a large amount of outrage from the public due to Lermontov, claiming Pechorin to be the ‘hero’ of our its time. ’Bela’ is a framed narrative portrayed from the views of an old friend, Maxim Maximych, however, the story told by Maxim Maximych suggests it is an unjust and biased view of our ‘hero’ thus we as readers are to depict the true ‘hero’ Pechorin is. Examining the chapter ‘Bela,’ his actions signify his capability to damage a society, demonstrating him to be the callous and manipulative character he is.

The author portrayed the banker as a foolish and greedy man, and since Chekhov characterized him as static, he never changed. His inability to alter his ways resulted in him making an extraordinarily rash bet and later on him wanting to kill a man in cold blood. “That is not true! I bet you two million that you

There are very few people in the world who are willing to go against the popular trends and do what they feel in their hearts is correct. But Yevgeny Yevtushenko is one of those people. In his poem Babi Yar, he tells the story of the modern persecution of the Jews, focusing on atrocities like those of the massacre at Babi Yar and the pogroms at Beilostok, and also the general anti-Semitism that killed men like Dreyfus and pervades the entire Russian people. The poem uses many literary devices, such as graphic imagery and contrasts, while painting a very clear picture of the scenes of pure horror.

To him, nihilism meant a radical overturn and repudiation of the societal values and moral principles already in existence. He believed that “Nihilism is not only the belief that everything deserves to perish; but one actually puts one’s shoulder to the plough; one destroys (Will to Power). With the growing influence of nihilism, came the influence of a new doctrine known as utilitarianism: the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Extremists in Russia believed that violence was the only way to go about political change. These same ideals influenced Raskolnikov throughout the novel. Raskolnikov’s self imposed isolation from humanity represents one of the main principles of nihilism; the idea that relationships are meaningless. This results in his adoption of Nietzsche’s concept of a “superman”. Raskolnikov kills the pawnbroker, Alyona, thinking that it was a justifiable act because she was a corrupt member of society. Because he considers himself a “superman” of society, he kills her, attempting to prove that he is about the above the law and establish his

A combination of factors sets Yakov different from society, things such as being a Jew who doesn’t believe in God, having unfortunate unluckiness, his interest in history.

Dmitri Dmitritch Gurov lived a deplorable life thinking there would never be any fallout. Unfortunately for him, Anton Chekhov proves him wrong in a tragic way. His is a case of “the biter bit”. He thought he could take advantage of Anna, but instead he finds himself trapped in a situation he never thought would happen. He falls hopelessly in love with

Ivan the 5th, who is also heavily known as Ivan the Terrible was the first Tsar to rule over Russia. Ivan the Terrible, was known for his violent and ruthless outbreaks. He was feared greatly and this led to the fleeing of Prince Krubsky. Prince Krubsky was the leading general of the Tsar when he fled and deserted his lead for the Polish- Lithuanian forces in Livonia. Prince Krubsky who was also a member of the select council, did not want to adopt the dislike of Ivan the Terrible.

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.

“Nothing has ever been more insupportable for a man and a human society than freedom.” –The Grand Inquisitor” “Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” - Father Zosima. These two quotes voice the polarized philosophies that impregnate the book, The Brothers Karamazov. Ivan, the second of the three sons, and Zosima, the old monk, are huge commentators on the question, “Is the burden of free will to much for a human to bear?”

Through Raskolnikov’s exemplification of the impracticality of this principle\, Dostoevsky makes his greatest point in Crime and Punishment. His commentary on the subject seeks to discredit the theory in the circumstance of an individual “superman” by displaying Raskolnikov as a character who is difficult for readers to identify with because of his inanity. Even Raskolnikov’s name is a symbol of nihilistic ideas, the word “raskol” meaning schism in Russian, illustrating the shift from an older school of thought (social utopianism) to a darker philosophy: nihilism and utilitarianism. Raskolnikov seems to fluctuate back and forth between the two philosophies, acting on one and then mentally chastising himself for it, immediately and almost erratically changing his mind. This symbolizes the more human side of him struggling

The idea of the Übermensch, A concept accredited to Nietzsche claims that as an answer to nihilism the meaning of life is a superior man, one who has trained themselves to be the unequivocal best. Many readers of Nietzsche interpret the Übermensch in many ways, some see it as beyond human, while others see it as a man who has found their inner self. The idea is often associated with Nazi Germany and their horrendous acts, however from both Nietzsche own views and other interpretations and is obvious that this is but another thing Hitler had distorted to create his empire. However as for my interpterion, I believe that the Übermensch is the symbol of the era and the people of region and that normally it is unattainable to achieve.

This commentary will focus on perhaps the most interesting and complex character in Fathers and Sons: Bazarov.

The author showed his opinion on the structure of the society, social norms and beliefs. He expressed his disagreement with “The Extraordinary Man Theory”. He told the audience that all people have feelings and emotions and cannot rely only on logic and calculations. People cannot hurt others and go unpunished. The ending of the novel helped to strengthen his ideas and convictions. In the end, everyone in the novel received the deserved punishment assigned either by the law or by fate. Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov realized that their actions were wrong and contradicted to the all social norms. They recognized that they were not extraordinary men. Dostoevsky made this novel very educative and filled with morality. It is great for people of all times and generations. It reveals what is good and wrong; it teaches how to be a