Fathers and Children by Turgenev - Essay Example

Fathers and Sons The story of Turgenev's Fathers and Children is the story of two sons coming home from college and finding out that their new ideas do not mesh well with the older ideas of their fathers, some of whom are liberals of the 1830s and some of whom hold to much earlier, more traditional beliefs. Because the story opens with Arkady's father waiting for him to arrive, it is easy to follow the college student Arkady as the main character, but his friend Bazarov is actually the character the author follows most through the book. Both students have become nihilists while away at school. According to Alan Pratt, "nihilism is the belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated. It is often associated with extreme pessimism and a radical skepticism that condemns existence. A true nihilist would believe in nothing, have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy" (2005). As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Arkady is not as devoted to this philosophy as he seems. His character changes drastically throughout the story thanks in part to the loving relationship he shares with his liberal-minded father, his encounter with Katya that awakens feelings within him and his realization that his idol, Bazarov, is not as committed to these beliefs either but is allowing them to ruin his life. The close relationship between Arkady and his father is very clear from the opening of the book. Nikolai is very excited to be getting his son home and greets him very warmly, hugging him and making a fuss to see him. He is confused by Arkady's coolness, which is a part of the nihilist viewpoint. The idea that this is just an affectation is revealed when the narrator describes the scene in the carriage as Arkady asks after his uncle, "in spite of the genuine, almost childish delight filling his heart, wanted as soon as possible to turn the conversation from the emotional into a commonplace channel" (ch. 3.2). Throughout the ride home, he finds it necessary to curb his enthusiasm because emotional outbursts of affection are not part of the nihilist way of life. When he tries to explain this viewpoint to his father and his uncle, he finds them both confused by a position that would reject all principles and values. Pavel sums up Bazarov's character with the epigram, "He has no faith in principles, but he has faith in frogs" (ch. 5.73). At this point, Arkady simply looks on his uncle with compassion, as if his uncle is simply unable to understand the deeper purpose Bazarov is dedicated to following, but Pavel's comments about the new bailiff, "he's not a man to keep his place; he'll walk off in a huff like a fool" (ch. 5.74), will come back later to apply to Bazarov himself and help break Arkady away from Bazarov's influence as Arkady starts to recognize his friend's weaknesses at the same time that the new distance between his father and himself begins to bother him. This is especially true in light of the way that Bazarov criticizes Pavel for losing so much over the love of a woman in light of Bazarov's actions later in the story. The next chink in Bazarov's armor for Arkady is made when his opinions regarding the women come forward. They first meet Madame Odintsova at a ball and she invites them to come visit her in spite of Bazarov's arrogant behavior. As the two young men get to know the two young women at Odintsova's home, more of Bazarov's attitude is revealed, such as his inability to appreciate art or beauty to any significant degree compared to Arkady's inability to ignore his own love for music. The longer the two young men stay at the house, the more distant they become with each other as it becomes increasingly difficult for them to ignore their natural feelings. "Bazarov ... began to show signs of an unrest, unprecedented in him; he was easily put out of temper, and unwilling to talk, he looked irritated, and could not sit still in one place, just as though he were possessed by some secret longing; while Arkady, who had made up his mind conclusively that he was in love with Madame Odintsov, had begun to yield to a gentle melancholy" (ch. 17.1) while also spending a great deal of time with Katya doing things they both enjoyed. The distance that grows between the two men at this stage of their journey makes it almost possible for Arkady to separate his thoughts from those of Bazarov, thinking that they are too different, but Bazarov's indications that there might be an emotional issue driving him causes Arkady to rethink this opinion. The kindred feeling he senses in Bazarov as they depart causes him to change his mind about going home and request to go with Bazarov instead. As Arkady spends some time at Bazarov's home, he comes to realize that Bazarov's parents have just as much affection for their son, but that Bazarov is incapable of understanding or appreciating it. This realization leads to their first true arguments as the two young men begin to discuss some of their conflicting ideas. In Chapter 21, Bazarov and Arkady are lying in the shade and talking about their nihilism when Arkady starts to bring up some of his questions about the lack of feeling Bazarov claims to have. He does this by first asking whether there is any reason why Bazarov would have such harsh feelings toward his parents and then begins to disagree with Bazarov as the latter begins to speak about the uselessness of existence. This comes to a point when Bazarov tells Arkady, "I don't know what to say to you. A real man ought not to care; a real man is one whom it's no use thinking about, whom one must either obey or hate" (ch. 21.82). Arkady responds that he doesn't hate anyone, and it seems as if this is the first time that he's really allowed himself to consider what he truly feels as it may be different from Bazarov's opinions. As the conversation continues and Bazarov starts to criticize Arkady for sounding more and more like his uncle. When Bazarov calls Pavel an imbecile, the two men almost come to blows and Arkady is forced to see his own feelings of loyalty and devotion, coupled with his own poetic nature, cannot be held in keeping with the strict understandings of nihilism that Bazarov is attempting to enforce. Thus, through the story, Arkady can be seen to change a great deal as he slowly begins to develop his own ideas as something separate from those of his friend Bazarov. There are many events which bring about these changes. The primary factors, though, are the original wealth of genuine warm feeling he has for his family and the pain the nihilist separation caused upon their reunion, the distance placed between them as they each began to fall in love with a woman in spite of their vow to ignore sentiments of that nature, and Arkady's realization that Bazarov is either just as much faking it as Arkady has been or he is seriously disturbed in not being able to appreciate the joy and beauty in life. Although he returns from school full of big ideas that seem impressive and new, the distance they place between himself and his family is hurtful to Arkady and he wishes it did not have to be so. As he becomes separated somewhat from Bazarov during their stay at Olintsova's house, he finds it impossible to separate himself from enjoying the arts and appreciation of nature that he naturally shares with Katya and begins to see his way clear of Bazarov's nihilism. However, when he perceives that they are both experiencing similar emotions upon leaving the lady's house, he decides to stick with Bazarov to learn if there is something he was missing in the original lessons. When he discovers at Bazarov's house that Bazarov has no good reason to reject all of the good in life and that he has become incapable of seeing the good in others, Arkady is finally able to come forward and disagree with the nihilist sentiment enough to argue about it. All of this demonstrates Arkady's maturing into a man. Works Cited Pratt, Alan. "Nihilism." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Embry-Riddle University, 2005. Turgenev, Ivan. Fathers and Children. Trans. Michael R. Katz. 2nd Ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. 2009. Read More