Critically examining Nihilism in the context of Russian Literature;Ivan Turgenev's Fathers and Sons

FATHERS AND SONS

by Ivan Turgenev

Critically examining Nihilism in the context of Russian Literature with reference to Fathers and Sons

-Venus Anand

Ivan Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. His first major publication, a short story collection entitled ‘A Sportsman's Sketches’ (1852) was a milestone of Russian Realism, and his novel ‘Fathers and Sons’ (1862) is regarded as one of the major works of 19th-century fiction. [ I intend to show that ] Turgenev’s ‘Fathers and Sons’ revolves around the idea of Nihilism. Much of the novel is written to show how Nihilism frames Bazarov’s mind network. I’ll talk about the concept of ‘Nihilism’ and its construction within the novel by using the description of Bazarov. The conclusion will give a glimpse of setting of stage for nihilism in Russia as well as comments on Bazarov.

Derived from the Latin word 'nihil', which means 'nothing', Nihilism is a belief which argues that the world is without objective meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value. Although Nihilism is often thought of as a vague philosophical concept, it was a big political movement, particularly in Russia during 1860s. Rather than a simple introspection or personal emotions, this political Nihilism movement in Russia dealt with authority and social structures, and questioned the validity of all existing moral values and institution. Such characteristics of Nihilists are represented in the novel, in which the main character of Bazarov is a Nihilist. The book says, "A Nihilist is a person who does not bow down to any authority and who does not accept any principle on faith" because "conditions in the social organization are so bad as to make destruction desirable for its own sake, independent of any constructive program or possibility."

“Whoever has once in his life, if only for a few minutes, looked at things with the eyes of a Bazarov such a person remains a Nihilist all his life” - Dmitry Pisarev

It is inherently difficult to separate ‘nihilism’ from Bazarov and discuss the two as separate entities because it was Turgenev himself who in writing ‘Fathers & Sons’ first popularised this label and applied it to Bazarov.

First, Bazarov can be seen as the original Nihilist but at the same time he is not the complete Nihilist. This is largely due to the fact that Bazarov fell hopelessly in love with Madame Odintsov. This makes him a failure at the women problem, as he is more concerned with her attractiveness than her theoretical possibilities. Furthermore, Bazarov never states his atheism outright.

Second, Bazarov doesn’t identify himself as a revolutionary. Indeed, despite being described by Turgenev as a ‘man of action’, we never see Bazarov do much of anything. He often sits around the Russian countryside feeling very bored. His emphasis on death and his sentimental love diminish his stature, and for this reason he cannot be a complete Nihilist.

Third, for Bazarov anything that is not tangible and concrete doesn't exist. Psychology, quantum mechanics, neurochemistry would be scoffed at by him. It seems peculiar that Bazarov would say, "nowadays we laugh at medicine in general, and worship no one” while at the same time he pursues a career as a doctor. The medicine that he uses deals in the 'pure sciences'. This implies that his ideas come from practice not theory.

Fourth, by looking closer at Bazarov we discover that his work confirm his Nihilistic ideas. To explain, one only need to look at Bazarov's main focus : the dissection of frogs. Each time he pokes around the anatomy of a frog he notices they all have similar structures such as heart, liver, intestines etc. Humans also share a common internal anatomy. Abstract concepts like authority, religion or science do not naturally exist within people and are only made real by others. Bazarov knows this and his studies confirm his rebellious attitude. For him, art is trivial and accomplishes nothing; therefore he does not recognize art.

Fifth, Bazarov immediately discards the traditional assumptions about social placement in society, treating peasants and aristocrats in the same way; with peasants, he converses comfortably but disdainfully.

‘He had a special flair for inspiring trust in members of the lower class, although he never indulged them and treated them in an offhanded manner’. This was precisely his manner with almost every other character in the novel. Bazarov considered every human an equal in purely scientific terms-comparing all humans to frogs, stating, "since you and I are just like frogs, except that we walk on two legs, I'll find out what's going on inside us as well"- which was his only means of characterizing people.

CONCLUSION

In practicality, non-recognition of art, and deviated manner of characterizing people, Bazarov shows Nihilist’s views that the current structure of society is concerned with such trivialities as 'art' and 'parliament-ism' while ignoring real life issues such as food, freedom, and equally. Nihilists are aware of these social woes and hence mentally deny recognizing any of the present authority or institutions that only serve to perpetuate a myth. Bazarov clearly wishes to sweep away the assumptions and non-scientifically proven ‘truths’ of social, political, emotional, and spiritual life in Russia. He begins by rejecting all common assumptions about serfdom, the foundation of Russian social hierarchy, and its reform, including all of its social and economic ramifications.

Russia in the early and mid nineteenth century was a place of increasing tension and dramatic political, economical, and social changes. Industrialization created big wealth disparities and entirely new classes of people as the old aristocratic power system transformed into a plutocratic one. Cities grew rapidly and traditional agrarian lifestyles were decimated. Moreover, after the Russian campaign to subdue Napoleon, western ideas, which clearly articulated a desire for a constitution defending human rights, a representative government, and democracy, were brought to Russia. So, when the Czar Alexander I died in 1825, a regiment of soldiers refused to pay allegiance to the new crown, wanting instead the establishment of a Russian constitution. And although the 'Decembrists' as they were called, were finally suppressed, there remained a possibility of big social change throughout the century. All these changes set the stage for Nihilism and its growth.