A review of novel ;'Fathers n sons'

Fathers n sons by,Ivan Turgnev:

A moderately sized novel on19th century lives of Russian society's old generation of aristrocrats,n young,educated n rebels who have no respects for old n decadent pompous older generation of aristrocrats.It is a conflict between old world charm of well settled big landowners n rebellious University passed out young ones who questions and discard old customs of bygone era in the light of new frontiers of scientific information, n rationalism leading to the cult of nihilism.

Considering the works of his literary compatriots n contemporaries,it is fairly modest sized novel which is quintessentially russian of 19th century in outlook n treatment.
All forward looking new ideas, which gripped Russia in second part of century found place in the novel. Dostoevesky too had dealt nihilism in his many novels but there his protagonists essentially suffer from spiritual angst,are always torn between good n evil n most of them met with traumatic end.Here the main protognist believes in nihilism but he is creative n constructive too,he is not an unhappy soul unlike the heroes of Dostoevesky n wants to construct a new world too while destroying the older one.

This novel too is a tragic one,but the hero here is a free thinker,naturalist, physicist,chemist n a medical student who does not have any spiritual angst,he is not a tormented soul but a clear eyed disruptor,and challenger of everything that does not withstand the rigorous anvil of science or nature,be it customs,old values, beliefs,n charm of aristocratic world. He despises all pretensions in the name of tradition n believe in seeing all things in new light of modern scientific information.The emotions like love n hate to him are just an anamolous behavior of some obscure group of dendrons of our brain. Art n ,poetry are a symbol of decadent,n conditioned minds of gone by old school romantics.A tailor or a cobbler is no bit better or worst than the fine poet or a painter.Art,is of not a penny worth more than its utilitarian value.

Story line runs as:
Two students Arkady(a noble hearted young university educated aristrocrat who like any young man suspects of falling into all new fads n cults prevalent in Russia) n his iconoclastic friend Bazarov-a main protagonist-comes to visit Arkady's aristrocrat land owning father(Nikolai Petrovitch,a very kind hearted n retired widower aristrocrat who adores his son, believes in reforms n has clandestingly sired a son with his enchanting young housekeeper named Finichka)n uncle(Pavel Petrovitch a retired army personnel, charmingly regal n a love-lorn loner) at Marino their house in country-side.Young n impressible Arkady worships Bazarov for clarity of his ideas n no-nonsense attitude towards life. There the two generations, one old n other university fresh, interact,clash n bruise each other. The exchange of ideas,specially between conformist, n aristrocrat uncle n non-conformist n non reverential Bazarov are the most interesting parts of the novel.


The utterly unsentimental Bazarov n Arkady while on travel meet a charming widow named Anna Odintsov belonging to high society n her unmarried sister Katya.They found,Anna Odintsov quite suave,n loquacious, besides being breathtakingly beautiful.She is a perfect specimen of beauty with brains.Both the gentlemen came under her spell the moment she sets her eyes upon them.Arkady was overawed by her n fell to her charm but when finding her sentiments wanting towards him,gradually inched towards her sister n found his match in her.

Bazarov who always took pride in his unsentimental materialism n who considers love as a most useless sentiment unknowingly went head over in love with her.He tried to trifle with his sentiments but they betrayed him n soon he too realise the inescapable power of spell of love.More he tried to negate his feelings,deeper he fell into it.
Anna Odintsov too,found in him her match n loved him but as both were too similar in nature n though she found his company extremely delightful,she knew by her uncanny insight that they both were not made for each other.Bazarov was so infatuated that he started even feeling zealous of Arkady when mistakingly he conjectured that Arkady too loved her.
After injuring Pavel Petrovitch over an unnecessary duel over Finichka,Bazarov visits his old father n mother in province.

Bazarov's father is a retired regimental surgeon,n a pious,loving, n devoted father who still practices medicine. Mother
dotes on her son,she is pious, but simultaneously superstitious,and is rather an uneducated, traditional russian woman.Lives of both father n mother revolve only around Bazarov,they adore him,but are overawed by him too His father in particular believes in his son's genius and often envisions him doing some thing great with his life.
Arkady, who considered Bazarov his hero,mentor n who once remained fascinated by his modern n irreverent ideas and approach towards life,gradually drifts away from him as he starts noticing lots of difference between them.Like an old chip of a block,he gently returns to the old world charm of well intentioned,progressive,but patrician life n soon fell in a rut.

While living with his parents,Bazaro v ,dejected in love gets n infection of dreadful pathogen n despite all affection n care of doting father n mother dies in harness. At the time of his end our hero expresses desire to meet his love-Anna Odintsov.The lady arrives with a doctor but it was too late.

The last chapter closes with six months after the demise of Bazarov. This chapter sums up the irony of the novel. Arkady quietly marrying Katya along with his father who marries his concubine housekeeper.The life for all rest of characters goes on merrily leaving the tragedy of Bazarov's death far behind.The Anna Odintsov travels abroad , marries a person who is builder of modern Russia,n quite influential too,but as cold as an ice,she lives a life of quite a luxary albeit seeking elusive love in a marriage. Uncle Pavel also travels abroad n regales the society there with his pedigree n manners but suffers from extreme loneliness n continues to live without any desire to live.Quite distant from this, Bazarov lies in his grave completely undisturbed by beasts n men but birds perch n sing upon his grave n two pale sad living shadows regularly walk over his grave n grieve inconsolably.

The novel belongs to the genre of great lineage of 19th century Russian literature which gave us Dostoevesky, Tolstoy,Pushkin,Gogol, n Chekhov but is different too from the creations of all the above authors.Here the hero though too meets a tragic end n he is a rebel n nihilistic too but definitely lacks the pangs of existentialist dilemma of heroes of Dostoevesky's novels unlike them he never suffers the tug of conscience between good n evil,he lives so short that he does not tests his own beliefs on the altar of sufferings of humanity. .He is sure of himself n believes in soundness of his principles but only in one sentiment called love he falters n finds himself as romantic as any silly old buff n his scientific behaviourism has no answer to the pangs n curses of love. It is essentially a romantic novel a tragedy n a classic to be adored.

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