Chapter 2: Florent and Quenu's History
FLASHBACK
Florent had been studying law in Paris when he and Quenu's mother died. She had always favored Florent, her elder son, especially when he would win chief prizes in school. She worked and saved all her money to send Florent to school, and as an effect, Quenu was left to wander the streets in ragged clothes.
When Florent returned to his home after his mother died, he "gave up all thought of continuing to attend the law school and postponed every ambitious project" (57). He had a child to look after and he took on various jobs of being a tutor to help pay for Quenu's various expenses. When Florent began to try and educate Quenu, Quenu proved to be a disenchanted and unwilling student. Florent's only ambition was to make Quenu as happy and comfortable as possible, and so, gave up all notions of educating him seeing as it made him bored and frustrated.
As Quenu grew older, he declared that he wanted to begin to work himself. He tried out various trades but found none that interested him. Even though Quenu wished to be independent and provide from himself, his trial and errors actually put a heavier burden on Florent, who had to pay for the required clothes, lessons, and tolls that Quenu needed to try out the various trades. But Florent quietly and uncomplainingly endured the load and was obliged to take a couple of students an evening on top of his usual students. Florent deprived himself of rest and even the smallest graces to provide for his brother. He selflessly worked to provide a comfortable and happy home for Quenu, "For eight years he had continued to wear the same old coat" (59).
Eventually, Quenu became aware of the opportunities that were just outside his door. Their neighbor, "a worthy man called Garvard," (60), ran a large poultry roasting establishment. It was there that Quenu's love for cooking grew. Quenu became passionate about cooking and enjoyed laboring over hot furnaces and working with savory gravy.
While Quenu happily worked in the poultry shop all day, Florent was obliged to continue his work tutoring to help pay for various expenses. "They continued to live in the room in the Rue Royer Collard, to which they returned every evening; the one glowing and radiant from his hot fire, the other with the depressed countenance of a shabby, impecunious teacher" (61). The two brothers are complete opposites, and not just personality-wise. Quenu is young and ignorant of the depressed state that Florent endures on his behalf and Florent is an unsung hero.
Really, Florent is a hero. He gives up his passion and his great intellectual promise to take care of his younger brother who is neither grateful nor willing to get an education. Not only does Florent have to give up his dreams, but he must provide for his brother by doing menial tutoring which stretches him thin and exhausts him.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
Chapter 1 of The Belly of Paris:
A farm woman, Madam Francois, almost runs a man over while driving her horse and cart to Paris' markets one early, misty morning. He was a ragged character, all dressed in black, passed out in the street. When he says he is trying to get to Paris, she offers him a ride, and he passes out, once again, in the cart. He appears to be a drunk, left out in the streets after a rough night, but it is soon revealed that he, Florent, has just escaped from the Penal Colony of Cayenne to which he had been sent for his participation in the resistance to Louis Napoleon's Coup d'Etat. After several years of imprisonment, he was finally able to escape and return to his beloved city where he plans to live a quiet life and avoid the police at all costs.
All along the ride to the markets, it is blatant that Florent is raving with hunger. Though his situation is sad, there is a comical irony that he is literally surrounded by food, but his pride and manners prevents him from asking the woman for a spare carrot.
When Madam Francois and Florent finally arrive in Paris, it is almost a new city. New markets have been established since Florent has been deported. It is when they arrive in the city that Florent's experience in Cayenne is revealed by the narrator. Florent had been caught as being resistant to Napoleon's Coup d'Etat. He had been walking with a crowd of other resistors when the police began to open fire on the group. As chaos broke out, Florent was trampled and knocked unconscious. When he finally awoke, he was surrounded by dead bodies and even had the body of a dead woman slumped over him, her blood spilling onto his hands and lap.
He hurriedly pushed her off and in a daze, found himself in a wine shop. Upon hearing a group of men talk about throwing up barricades, he offered to help them, but fell asleep from exhaustion after they had built the barricade. Florent awoke to finding that his comrades had abandoned him and in the grasp of the police. The police reported him as being, "very dangerous" because of the blood they found on his hand. He was tried, convicted, and sent to Cayenne without anyone to defend him and without any evidence being adduced.
Florent, who had previously been a student who studied law and firmly believed in the brotherhood of man, was crudely abused by the systems of justice and humanity, systems that he had devotedly trusted.
While in Cayenne, Florent, "had never again been free from hunger" (18) and he "could not recollect a single hour of satiety" (18). But he finally returns to Paris, on a carriage of vegetables, and finds it "fat and sleek and flourishing, teeming with food" (18). Paris becomes almost a character in itself, "the luxurious, greedy city," and "in harmony with those huge markets, whose gigantic breathing, still heavy from the indigestion of the previous day, he now began to hear" (18). Paris and the market places are humanized and personified, and readers quickly become aware that Paris is going to be a character. Paris is going to have a personality and a disposition. The characters are going to directly be affected by Paris.
We also see this personification in the lines that describe Paris when Florent returns to the city, "Paris, looking like a patch of star-spread sky that had fallen upon the black earth, seem to him to wear a forbidding aspect, as though angry at his return" (10). Even when Florent leaves the city and is violently torn from it, Paris shows its response:
At the market, Madam Francois shows Florent around and introduces him to her friend, the artist Claude. Claude agrees to take Florent around the marketplace more as Madam Francois sets up her stand. He shows that he has a great passion for food and the market place. He loves, not to eat the food, but to paint it. But Claude proves not to be a very trustworthy or reliable guide, because Florent is soon abandoned.
While in the market, Florent experiences two overwhelming feelings:
1. Distrust and Paranoia. Because of the circumstances surrounding his removal from Paris, Florent feels distrustful of all those who question him or look at him suspiciously (41). He has abandoned all his previous beliefs in trust and comradery. He now is suspicious that everyone would willingly send him back to Cayenne without the blink of an eye. He is even distrustful of Madam Francois, the woman who helped him. While Madam Francois tries to make conversation with him and ask him questions, he feels disinclined to talk and overcome with a feeling of distrust, "His head was teeming with old stories of the police, stories of spies prowling about at every street corner, and of women selling the secrets which they managed to worm out of the unhappy fellows they deluded" (19).
2. Besides extreme distrust, Florent also experiences extreme hunger. Despite his location among hundreds of different types of food, Florent cannot afford any of it. He is ironically starving while drowning in the savory smells of fish, fruit, pork, and butter. Cruel, cruel irony.
While aimlessly wandering around, Florent sees an old, close friend, Garvard. He calls out to him, and Garvard is both surprised and extremely happy to see him. Garvard tells Florent to follow him, but at a distance (Garvard knows the reasons of Florent's sudden departure so many years ago) and he leads him to a beautiful little butcher shop. When they enter the shop, Florent is reunited with his younger brother, Quenu.
The chapter ends with Florent being reunited with his beloved (and fattened) brother, introduced to his brother's wife, Lisa, and presented to their daughter, little Pauline. The family has done very well for themselves, as apparent by the description of the house pet, "The very cat, whose skin was distended by fat, dilated its yellow eyes and scrutinized him with an air of distrust" (54). There is a clear contrast between the experiences the two brothers have had in the past few years, and the family does not seem aware of Florent's trials or current malnurished condition.
This story is both sad and comical. The irony and sick humor kind of remind me of Catch 22 by Joseph Heller upon which there are outlandishly funny things said and done, but in a devastatingly awful setting. I think that food, and the contrast between the struggling Florent and the thriving Paris, will be a constant image throughout the story.
A farm woman, Madam Francois, almost runs a man over while driving her horse and cart to Paris' markets one early, misty morning. He was a ragged character, all dressed in black, passed out in the street. When he says he is trying to get to Paris, she offers him a ride, and he passes out, once again, in the cart. He appears to be a drunk, left out in the streets after a rough night, but it is soon revealed that he, Florent, has just escaped from the Penal Colony of Cayenne to which he had been sent for his participation in the resistance to Louis Napoleon's Coup d'Etat. After several years of imprisonment, he was finally able to escape and return to his beloved city where he plans to live a quiet life and avoid the police at all costs.
All along the ride to the markets, it is blatant that Florent is raving with hunger. Though his situation is sad, there is a comical irony that he is literally surrounded by food, but his pride and manners prevents him from asking the woman for a spare carrot.
When Madam Francois and Florent finally arrive in Paris, it is almost a new city. New markets have been established since Florent has been deported. It is when they arrive in the city that Florent's experience in Cayenne is revealed by the narrator. Florent had been caught as being resistant to Napoleon's Coup d'Etat. He had been walking with a crowd of other resistors when the police began to open fire on the group. As chaos broke out, Florent was trampled and knocked unconscious. When he finally awoke, he was surrounded by dead bodies and even had the body of a dead woman slumped over him, her blood spilling onto his hands and lap.
He hurriedly pushed her off and in a daze, found himself in a wine shop. Upon hearing a group of men talk about throwing up barricades, he offered to help them, but fell asleep from exhaustion after they had built the barricade. Florent awoke to finding that his comrades had abandoned him and in the grasp of the police. The police reported him as being, "very dangerous" because of the blood they found on his hand. He was tried, convicted, and sent to Cayenne without anyone to defend him and without any evidence being adduced.
Florent, who had previously been a student who studied law and firmly believed in the brotherhood of man, was crudely abused by the systems of justice and humanity, systems that he had devotedly trusted.
While in Cayenne, Florent, "had never again been free from hunger" (18) and he "could not recollect a single hour of satiety" (18). But he finally returns to Paris, on a carriage of vegetables, and finds it "fat and sleek and flourishing, teeming with food" (18). Paris becomes almost a character in itself, "the luxurious, greedy city," and "in harmony with those huge markets, whose gigantic breathing, still heavy from the indigestion of the previous day, he now began to hear" (18). Paris and the market places are humanized and personified, and readers quickly become aware that Paris is going to be a character. Paris is going to have a personality and a disposition. The characters are going to directly be affected by Paris.
We also see this personification in the lines that describe Paris when Florent returns to the city, "Paris, looking like a patch of star-spread sky that had fallen upon the black earth, seem to him to wear a forbidding aspect, as though angry at his return" (10). Even when Florent leaves the city and is violently torn from it, Paris shows its response:
It was a joyous carnival night. The windows of the restaurants on the boulevards glittered with lights. At the top of the Rue Vivienne, just at the spot where he always saw the young woman lying dead - that unknown young woman whose image he always bore with him - he now beheld a large carriage in which a party of masked women, with care shoulders and laughing voices, were venting their impatience at being detained, and expressing their horror of the endless procession of convicts. (18)Zola is showing that Paris is not happy with Florent's return, despite his great love for the city. I think that Paris is also celebrating while Florent is departing. These could be foreboding signs of Florent's future in the story.
At the market, Madam Francois shows Florent around and introduces him to her friend, the artist Claude. Claude agrees to take Florent around the marketplace more as Madam Francois sets up her stand. He shows that he has a great passion for food and the market place. He loves, not to eat the food, but to paint it. But Claude proves not to be a very trustworthy or reliable guide, because Florent is soon abandoned.
While in the market, Florent experiences two overwhelming feelings:
1. Distrust and Paranoia. Because of the circumstances surrounding his removal from Paris, Florent feels distrustful of all those who question him or look at him suspiciously (41). He has abandoned all his previous beliefs in trust and comradery. He now is suspicious that everyone would willingly send him back to Cayenne without the blink of an eye. He is even distrustful of Madam Francois, the woman who helped him. While Madam Francois tries to make conversation with him and ask him questions, he feels disinclined to talk and overcome with a feeling of distrust, "His head was teeming with old stories of the police, stories of spies prowling about at every street corner, and of women selling the secrets which they managed to worm out of the unhappy fellows they deluded" (19).
2. Besides extreme distrust, Florent also experiences extreme hunger. Despite his location among hundreds of different types of food, Florent cannot afford any of it. He is ironically starving while drowning in the savory smells of fish, fruit, pork, and butter. Cruel, cruel irony.
While aimlessly wandering around, Florent sees an old, close friend, Garvard. He calls out to him, and Garvard is both surprised and extremely happy to see him. Garvard tells Florent to follow him, but at a distance (Garvard knows the reasons of Florent's sudden departure so many years ago) and he leads him to a beautiful little butcher shop. When they enter the shop, Florent is reunited with his younger brother, Quenu.
The chapter ends with Florent being reunited with his beloved (and fattened) brother, introduced to his brother's wife, Lisa, and presented to their daughter, little Pauline. The family has done very well for themselves, as apparent by the description of the house pet, "The very cat, whose skin was distended by fat, dilated its yellow eyes and scrutinized him with an air of distrust" (54). There is a clear contrast between the experiences the two brothers have had in the past few years, and the family does not seem aware of Florent's trials or current malnurished condition.
"You'll wait till we have breakfast, won't you?" asked Quenu. "We have it early, at ten o'clock." A penetrating odor of the cookery pervaded the place; and Florent looked back upon the terrible night which he had just spent, his arrival amongst the vegetables, his agony in the midst of the markets, the endless avalanches of food from which he had just escaped. And then in a low tone with a gentle smile he responded: "No; I'm really very hungry, you see."
This story is both sad and comical. The irony and sick humor kind of remind me of Catch 22 by Joseph Heller upon which there are outlandishly funny things said and done, but in a devastatingly awful setting. I think that food, and the contrast between the struggling Florent and the thriving Paris, will be a constant image throughout the story.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Onward Forward.
Although I would love to stay on the topic of Fathers and Sons, my syllabus calls for me to have read my next book within two days... and I like to blog while I read instead of just after.
The back of my book says about Zola:
Emile Zola was born in Paris in 1840 and was raised at Aixen-Provence in a poor family. He began working as a clerk upon failing his baccalaureat but later decided to support himself by literature alone. Within the next few years, Zola published several of his great masterworks, includeing Therese Raquin and Madeleine Ferat. He also write a series of novels: Lew Rougon-Macquart which consists of 20 fictions intended to reveal the effects of heredity and environment on one family. Sounds interesting! The Belly of Paris is the third novel of that series.
Zola died in 1902.
Although I would love to stay on the topic of Fathers and Sons, my syllabus calls for me to have read my next book within two days... and I like to blog while I read instead of just after.
I'm moving on to The Belly of Paris by Emile Zola.
From the title and the cover of my book, it kind of sounds like it might be about food or Paris's marketplaces.The back of my book says about Zola:
Emile Zola was born in Paris in 1840 and was raised at Aixen-Provence in a poor family. He began working as a clerk upon failing his baccalaureat but later decided to support himself by literature alone. Within the next few years, Zola published several of his great masterworks, includeing Therese Raquin and Madeleine Ferat. He also write a series of novels: Lew Rougon-Macquart which consists of 20 fictions intended to reveal the effects of heredity and environment on one family. Sounds interesting! The Belly of Paris is the third novel of that series.
Zola died in 1902.
So basically Bazarov dies and life goes on for everyone else. Odinstova gets married. Arkady and Katya get married. Fenichka and Nikolai get married. Pavel goes to Moscow to do business and ends up in Dresden for his health. Arkady turns out to be a great land owner and the property and peasants become much more successful.
Bazarov is buried in a small village graveyard in one of the remote corners of Russia. Bazarov's parents visit this cite often, "they exchange some brief word, wipe away the dust from the stone, set straight a branch of a fir-tree, and pray again, and cannot tear themselves from the place, wherer they seem to be nearer to their son, to their memories of him..." (166).
Bazarov is completely forgotten by everyone but his parents. His good friend Arkady does not think of him and Odinstova has busied herself with another husband, and all the great efforts and movements that Bazarov worked for in his life were fruitless and go unnoticed.
SO WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?!?!?!
There are so many layers to this story I don't even know where to begin!
There is, first off, the issue of Nihilism: its sad effects on the characters, whether they were theoretical followers or practicers, whether there is such a thing as true Nihilism at all, and the author's opinion on Nihilism.
Then there is the title: Fathers and Sons. The generational differences and the human interactions that children have with their parents as the younger finally reach adulthood. That awkward stage in life where you try to find you niche.
One could also take the historical route and research the time period in which this book was made. It sounds like a very tumultuous time in Russia. The peasants were rising up, Nihilism was spreading, Russia was trying to stake its place as a European country as opposed to an Asian one. I want to look further into what inspired or pushed Turgenev over the edge into writing this. What message was he trying to get across to his readers? To abolish Nihilism and respect your elders?
More discussion is needed to organize my thoughts and find support in the text.
Bazarov is buried in a small village graveyard in one of the remote corners of Russia. Bazarov's parents visit this cite often, "they exchange some brief word, wipe away the dust from the stone, set straight a branch of a fir-tree, and pray again, and cannot tear themselves from the place, wherer they seem to be nearer to their son, to their memories of him..." (166).
Bazarov is completely forgotten by everyone but his parents. His good friend Arkady does not think of him and Odinstova has busied herself with another husband, and all the great efforts and movements that Bazarov worked for in his life were fruitless and go unnoticed.
SO WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?!?!?!
There are so many layers to this story I don't even know where to begin!
There is, first off, the issue of Nihilism: its sad effects on the characters, whether they were theoretical followers or practicers, whether there is such a thing as true Nihilism at all, and the author's opinion on Nihilism.
Then there is the title: Fathers and Sons. The generational differences and the human interactions that children have with their parents as the younger finally reach adulthood. That awkward stage in life where you try to find you niche.
One could also take the historical route and research the time period in which this book was made. It sounds like a very tumultuous time in Russia. The peasants were rising up, Nihilism was spreading, Russia was trying to stake its place as a European country as opposed to an Asian one. I want to look further into what inspired or pushed Turgenev over the edge into writing this. What message was he trying to get across to his readers? To abolish Nihilism and respect your elders?
More discussion is needed to organize my thoughts and find support in the text.
Bazarov returns to his home to live with his parents and again, in a state of desperate loneliness, throw himself into his work and studies in science. He begins aiding his father when helping the peasants with their sicknesses and becomes consumed with the work. His parents are initially enthralled with him finally being home but they soon tell that he is not happy, that something is missing from his life, and this casts a dark shadow over the parents' conscience.
Cholera breaks out and when the first casualty arises, Bazarov goes to the body to see if tests can be done or studies made to help treat the disease. While making his observations, Bazarov gets pricked somehow and he knows he has become infected with the virus.
An Obsrvation: Bazarov had been studying medicine for quite some time. Throughout the book he had been doing tests on frogs. It is unlikely that Bazarov would make any mistake in creating a safe environment for him to do tests on cholera. Though not intentional, I think Bazarov may have secretly wished to get sick to end his loneliness and his misery. With no goal in life, no chance of every loving, all of his studies, all of his efforts, mean nothing.
The statement Turgenev made about Pavel, "His handsome, emaciated head, the glaring daylight shing full upon it, lay on the white pillow like th ehead of a dead man... And indeed he was a dead man," (134) could also be a statement about Bazarov. There are so many similarities between Pavel and Bazarov that Turgenev could have also been asserting that Bazarov was a dead man, and maybe Bazarov realized this and "accidentally" inoculated himself with the Cholera virus.
When Bazarov reveals to his father that he has been cut in the presence of the cholera victim, he calmly explains that he is indeed feverish but probably had a cold, a feeble attempt to offer his parents solace, which his parents gladly accept to reassure themselves, but really know the truth when they see him slowly get sicker. Bazarov gets sicker by the day, a doctor is called, feeble attempts are made to cure him, and while Bazarov is revived for a short while, the illness quickly ensues and his degradation continues. It is then that he asks his father to call for Odinstova.
Odinstova arrives, and brings a doctor of her own, showing that she only wants the best for Bazarov, a gesture that shows she still has feelings for him. While the father gives the new doctor a small consultation and briefing on Bazarov's condition, Bazarov and Odinstova talk in private.
"Well, what do I have to say to you... that I loved you? There was no sense in that even before, and less than ever now. Love is a form, and my own form is already breaing up. I better say how lovely you are! And now here you stand, so beautiful..." (161).
This. Is. Tragic. Is he really still trying to deny his feelings to her, even on his death bed?
Bazarov dies the next day. He dies a Nihilist. A lonely, tragic Nihilist.
When the funeral arrangements preside, a priest comes to do the Last Rites, something that the atheist Bazarov would not have appreciated.
:When they anointed him, when the holy oil touched his breast, one eye opened, and it seemed as though at the sight of the priest in his vestments, the smoking censers, the light before the ikon, something like a shudder of horror passed over the death-sticken face" (162).
It seems that Bazarov's parents will forever be mourning their child. But I think that they won't only be mourning his death, but also mourning his life and mourning the fact that he could not be happy and that they could not make him happy.
Cholera breaks out and when the first casualty arises, Bazarov goes to the body to see if tests can be done or studies made to help treat the disease. While making his observations, Bazarov gets pricked somehow and he knows he has become infected with the virus.
An Obsrvation: Bazarov had been studying medicine for quite some time. Throughout the book he had been doing tests on frogs. It is unlikely that Bazarov would make any mistake in creating a safe environment for him to do tests on cholera. Though not intentional, I think Bazarov may have secretly wished to get sick to end his loneliness and his misery. With no goal in life, no chance of every loving, all of his studies, all of his efforts, mean nothing.
The statement Turgenev made about Pavel, "His handsome, emaciated head, the glaring daylight shing full upon it, lay on the white pillow like th ehead of a dead man... And indeed he was a dead man," (134) could also be a statement about Bazarov. There are so many similarities between Pavel and Bazarov that Turgenev could have also been asserting that Bazarov was a dead man, and maybe Bazarov realized this and "accidentally" inoculated himself with the Cholera virus.
When Bazarov reveals to his father that he has been cut in the presence of the cholera victim, he calmly explains that he is indeed feverish but probably had a cold, a feeble attempt to offer his parents solace, which his parents gladly accept to reassure themselves, but really know the truth when they see him slowly get sicker. Bazarov gets sicker by the day, a doctor is called, feeble attempts are made to cure him, and while Bazarov is revived for a short while, the illness quickly ensues and his degradation continues. It is then that he asks his father to call for Odinstova.
Odinstova arrives, and brings a doctor of her own, showing that she only wants the best for Bazarov, a gesture that shows she still has feelings for him. While the father gives the new doctor a small consultation and briefing on Bazarov's condition, Bazarov and Odinstova talk in private.
"Well, what do I have to say to you... that I loved you? There was no sense in that even before, and less than ever now. Love is a form, and my own form is already breaing up. I better say how lovely you are! And now here you stand, so beautiful..." (161).
This. Is. Tragic. Is he really still trying to deny his feelings to her, even on his death bed?
Bazarov dies the next day. He dies a Nihilist. A lonely, tragic Nihilist.
When the funeral arrangements preside, a priest comes to do the Last Rites, something that the atheist Bazarov would not have appreciated.
:When they anointed him, when the holy oil touched his breast, one eye opened, and it seemed as though at the sight of the priest in his vestments, the smoking censers, the light before the ikon, something like a shudder of horror passed over the death-sticken face" (162).
It seems that Bazarov's parents will forever be mourning their child. But I think that they won't only be mourning his death, but also mourning his life and mourning the fact that he could not be happy and that they could not make him happy.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
After the whole Kissing Scene, Pavel casually challenges Bazarov to a duel.
No big thing.
He also proposes that they use pistols.
Pistols = Certain Death.
Bazarov agrees. He knows that he has got himself into this situation and must accept the challenge.
There is an understanding between the two that there will be no records of their duel. No witnesses, no statements, no papers. If there were records or questions asked, then Fenichka's disloyalty would be revealed and Nikolai's heart would be broken.
Pavel putting his life on the line to uphold his brothers honor is just another example of his Romantic disposition. Challenging someone to a duel to protect honor is such a classic, old way of settling issues. The fact that it is a secret duel makes it all the more Romantic. He is doing it to regain his brother's honor, though, without anyone knowing. It displays a personal, empathetic sentiment.
The two meet in the forest later the next day, both bearing pistols. The parameters of the duel are set and the two take their strides, turn, and
Pavel is injured but conscious, and offers his life up to Bazarov, reminding him that part of the deal was to have two bullets. Bazarov internally smiles at Pavel's chivalry and organizes a way to get him home, and it becomes Bazarov's duty to actually tend to Pavel until Nikolai can retrieve a doctor. (Nikolai is led to believe the whole thing was an accident).
Pavel becomes somewhat delirious and overly happy. I think he experiences a sort of high off the adrenaline, and he even seems to have forgotten all animosity toward Bazarov, "Nikolai Petrovich kept stealthily wringing his hands, while Pavel Petrovich laughed and joked, especially with Bazarov" (128).
It is while Pavel is still on his Adrenaline High that he notices Fenichka, "Pavel Petrovich gazed at her intently, and drank off the glass to the last drop" (129). Readers believe that he is looking at her intently with anger or suspicion because of her infidelity, but also because that is how he always related to her, that is until he says, "Don't you think, Nikolai, Fenichka has something in common with Nellie?" and by this he means, "Princess R-. Especially in the upper part of the face" (129).
When he says, "I can't bear any insolent upstart to dare to touch..." he means Bazarov because he just witness him kissing Fenichka, but could he also mean Nikolai? His own brother? He must have some jealousy in the matter. Nikolai doesn't even realize it, even when Pavel made the blatant comment about Fenichka and Princess R-'s resemblance.
Any jealousy or selfish thoughts that Pavel might have had are overruled by his love for his brother. When he gets Fenichka alone, he pushes her to stay true to only Nikolai.
The last paragraph in the chapter struck me as rather Romantic of Turgenev and a good example of the author's beliefs in Romanticism.
Cut to Odinstovas:
Arkady and Katya are a lot alike:
Both are in a way "subordinate" to either Odinstova (Katya to her sister), or Bazarov (Arkady to his mentor). Arkady and Katya are sitting outside of Odinstova's home chatting. Arkady reveals that he holds Katya's presence and her opinion higher than anyone else's, even over Odinstova's, which Katya didn't expect.
Katya is honest with Arkady about her opinions on Bazarov. She explains that Bazarov and him are two very different people. She says that Arkady shouldn't try to be like him. Bazarov is wild and fleeting and restless, while Arkady is tamed.
The whole scene is very peaceful and watching the two, it is apparent that they are very comfortable with each other and respect one another. Arkady seems to be completely relaxed and himself when he is with Katya. This is apparent when his demeanor completely changes when Bazarov arrives at Odinstova's home. Arkady is dismayed and there is a very obvious change in his emotions and attitude.
Odinstova comes and talks to Bazarov in a very formal way. They basically act as if they never had feelings for one another. What bugs me is the two talk about Arkady and Katya as if they are significantly younger than they are, when in reality, they are only 3-4 years their junior.
Anyway, Arkady realizes that he does not look up to Bazarov any more, his admiration for him has evaporated, and he is also no longer jealous of Odinstova's obvious preference for Bazarov over himself. This shows a growth in character on Arkady's part. He has matured, but it has somehow made him appear more free and young, most people link 'mature' with old, sad, aged, but Arkady seems freed by it. Before, he was juvenile and blindly following Bazarov, which made him look childish, but it also made him tired, going against his true beliefs, and old. He was shackled down by trying so hard to be a strict Nihilist. Now he is free from being herded along by Bazarov. Though Arkady's annoying despondence that was very child like is gone, his maturity makes him free, and that freedom makes him young. Arkady recognizes the change within himself, attributes it to the lessons he learned from Katya, and he proposes to her.
There is another proposal that also takes place. Odinstova reaches out to Bazarov, asking him to stay, but Bazarov claims that he has been "moving too long in a sphere which is not [his] own" (147). I think Bazarov is tired out by the company he has been keeping. He is exhausted by all the attempts he has made at women and how they have all failed. I also think he doesn't want to be a charity case for Odinstova. I think he looked at her invitation to stay as a way of smoothing over the ice from what had happened earlier in their relations. "Smoothing out" being the key thing, not offering to make any further advancements. Bazarov does not want that. He either wants Odinstova as a lover or not at all. He bids adieu and leaves, knowing he will probably never see Katya, Arkady, or Odinstova ever again.
No big thing.
He also proposes that they use pistols.
Pistols = Certain Death.
Bazarov agrees. He knows that he has got himself into this situation and must accept the challenge.
There is an understanding between the two that there will be no records of their duel. No witnesses, no statements, no papers. If there were records or questions asked, then Fenichka's disloyalty would be revealed and Nikolai's heart would be broken.
Pavel putting his life on the line to uphold his brothers honor is just another example of his Romantic disposition. Challenging someone to a duel to protect honor is such a classic, old way of settling issues. The fact that it is a secret duel makes it all the more Romantic. He is doing it to regain his brother's honor, though, without anyone knowing. It displays a personal, empathetic sentiment.
The two meet in the forest later the next day, both bearing pistols. The parameters of the duel are set and the two take their strides, turn, and
SHOOT!
Pavel's bullet just barely misses Bazarov's ear, piercing a tree directly behind him instead, and Bazarov manages to shoot Pavel in the leg. Pavel is injured but conscious, and offers his life up to Bazarov, reminding him that part of the deal was to have two bullets. Bazarov internally smiles at Pavel's chivalry and organizes a way to get him home, and it becomes Bazarov's duty to actually tend to Pavel until Nikolai can retrieve a doctor. (Nikolai is led to believe the whole thing was an accident).
Pavel becomes somewhat delirious and overly happy. I think he experiences a sort of high off the adrenaline, and he even seems to have forgotten all animosity toward Bazarov, "Nikolai Petrovich kept stealthily wringing his hands, while Pavel Petrovich laughed and joked, especially with Bazarov" (128).
It is while Pavel is still on his Adrenaline High that he notices Fenichka, "Pavel Petrovich gazed at her intently, and drank off the glass to the last drop" (129). Readers believe that he is looking at her intently with anger or suspicion because of her infidelity, but also because that is how he always related to her, that is until he says, "Don't you think, Nikolai, Fenichka has something in common with Nellie?" and by this he means, "Princess R-. Especially in the upper part of the face" (129).
" 'Ah, how I love that light-headed creature!' moaned Pavel Petrovich, clasping his hands mournfully behind his head. 'I can't bear any insolent upstart to dare to touch...' he shispered a few minutes later.PAVEL LOVES FENICHKA! She has a similar appearance to his true love the Princess R- who deserted him earlier in his life! This whole time readers thought that he would gaze in at her to make her feel uncomfortable and to check in on her, but really it was because he loved her and wanted to see her. Fenichka was always afraid of Pavel because he was always staring at her with a "knowing look," like he ws judging her. Now we know that he stares at her because he longs for her.
Nikolai Petrovich only sighed; he did not even suspect to whom these words referred"
When he says, "I can't bear any insolent upstart to dare to touch..." he means Bazarov because he just witness him kissing Fenichka, but could he also mean Nikolai? His own brother? He must have some jealousy in the matter. Nikolai doesn't even realize it, even when Pavel made the blatant comment about Fenichka and Princess R-'s resemblance.
Any jealousy or selfish thoughts that Pavel might have had are overruled by his love for his brother. When he gets Fenichka alone, he pushes her to stay true to only Nikolai.
"Fenichka!" he was saying in a strange whisper; "love him, love my brother! He is such a kind, good man! Don't give him up for any one in the world' don't listen to any one else! Think what can be more terrible than to love and not be loved! Never leave my poor Nikolai!" (132)He ends in convincing Nikolai to must marry Fenichka already. It is the right thing to do. Who cares about her status or the fact she got pregnant out of wedlock in a not-so-proper way. Just marry her! Pavel knows how it feels to love someone and then get rejected. He does not want his brother to experience that as well, so he gives up any chance he might have had with Fenichka to protect his brother.
The last paragraph in the chapter struck me as rather Romantic of Turgenev and a good example of the author's beliefs in Romanticism.
Pavel Petrovich moistened his forehead with eau de cologne, and closed his eyes. His handsome, emaciated head, the glaring daylight shining full upon it, lay on the white pillow like the head of a dead man... And indeed he was a dead man. (134)So either Pavel died or Turgenev is making a statement about how Pavel was a dead man, a dead man in the case that he was alone, had loved and had not been loved in return, and because of this, his life had no meaning = dead man.
Cut to Odinstovas:
Arkady and Katya are a lot alike:
Both are in a way "subordinate" to either Odinstova (Katya to her sister), or Bazarov (Arkady to his mentor). Arkady and Katya are sitting outside of Odinstova's home chatting. Arkady reveals that he holds Katya's presence and her opinion higher than anyone else's, even over Odinstova's, which Katya didn't expect.
Katya is honest with Arkady about her opinions on Bazarov. She explains that Bazarov and him are two very different people. She says that Arkady shouldn't try to be like him. Bazarov is wild and fleeting and restless, while Arkady is tamed.
The whole scene is very peaceful and watching the two, it is apparent that they are very comfortable with each other and respect one another. Arkady seems to be completely relaxed and himself when he is with Katya. This is apparent when his demeanor completely changes when Bazarov arrives at Odinstova's home. Arkady is dismayed and there is a very obvious change in his emotions and attitude.
Odinstova comes and talks to Bazarov in a very formal way. They basically act as if they never had feelings for one another. What bugs me is the two talk about Arkady and Katya as if they are significantly younger than they are, when in reality, they are only 3-4 years their junior.
"By the way, did you know I used not quite to understand your close friendship with Arkady Nikolaich; I thought him rather insignificant. But now I have come to know him better, and to see that he is clever... And he's young, he's young... that's the great thing... not like you and me, Evengy Vassilyich (Bazarov)" (142).The thing is, they make themselves old. If they wanted to be young and foolish, they could be. If they could just let down their guard and allow themselves to express their true feelings toward one another, they could live in innocent, immature, ignorant bliss as well. I personally think it is their own fault that they are not happy.
Anyway, Arkady realizes that he does not look up to Bazarov any more, his admiration for him has evaporated, and he is also no longer jealous of Odinstova's obvious preference for Bazarov over himself. This shows a growth in character on Arkady's part. He has matured, but it has somehow made him appear more free and young, most people link 'mature' with old, sad, aged, but Arkady seems freed by it. Before, he was juvenile and blindly following Bazarov, which made him look childish, but it also made him tired, going against his true beliefs, and old. He was shackled down by trying so hard to be a strict Nihilist. Now he is free from being herded along by Bazarov. Though Arkady's annoying despondence that was very child like is gone, his maturity makes him free, and that freedom makes him young. Arkady recognizes the change within himself, attributes it to the lessons he learned from Katya, and he proposes to her.
There is another proposal that also takes place. Odinstova reaches out to Bazarov, asking him to stay, but Bazarov claims that he has been "moving too long in a sphere which is not [his] own" (147). I think Bazarov is tired out by the company he has been keeping. He is exhausted by all the attempts he has made at women and how they have all failed. I also think he doesn't want to be a charity case for Odinstova. I think he looked at her invitation to stay as a way of smoothing over the ice from what had happened earlier in their relations. "Smoothing out" being the key thing, not offering to make any further advancements. Bazarov does not want that. He either wants Odinstova as a lover or not at all. He bids adieu and leaves, knowing he will probably never see Katya, Arkady, or Odinstova ever again.
Arkady and Bazarov leave Bazarov's family's house and head back to Arkady's house. Before they leave, his parents are heartbroken. His mother is seen as despondent. "[her] eyes, bent steadfastly on Bazarov, did not express only devotion and tendernes; in them was to be seen sorrow also, mingled with awe and curiosity; there was to be seen to a sort of humble reproachfulness" (108). His parents are aware of his genius, of his strong convictions and his aptitude, but they also blame themselves for his cold demeanor, like they believe they failed in raising him properly, and despite their desperate attempts to re-connect with him, to have some sort of deep relationship with him, they are unable to.
On their way to Arkady's, for God knows what reason, they stop at Odinstova's on the way. They awkwardly greet a surprised Odinstova, chat for an hour or two, then go back in the coach for an uninterrupted ride back to Arkady's. It was at Arkady's bidding to swing by Odinstova's and I wonder what he wished to get out of the experience. Yes, he was jealous and slightly bitter toward Bazarov because of his obvious enchantment of Odinstova, but it does not appear that he wanted to hurt Bazarov as a malicious way to get back at him by putting him in an awkward situation, and thus, I have no idea what the purpose of this visit is, on neither the characters' part nor the author's. It may be the author's way of showing that neither Arkady nor Bazarov are truly Nihilists since they have acted on their feelings in going to visit Odinstova.
Things have gone from bad to worse at Marino (Nikolai's property) with senseless difficulties on the farm adding up and peasants demanding higher wages. Nikolai is exasperated. He does not know how to deal with the rising turmoil on his property. He says he cannot flog them to make examples out of them and he cannot call the police because his principles won't allow it. When Arkady returns home, Bazarov returns to his study of biology and anatomy, but Arkady is restless. He does not have an aversion to taking over the family business of running Marino, but he feels that he needs to be somewhere else.
He finds himself looking for a reason to go back to Odinstovas. He quickly finds letters that Odinstova's mother sent to Nikolai's wife many years ago and takes the chance to run over to Odinstova's and present her the artifacts.
Upon arriving, the door is opened by Katya, and he is surprised by how happy he is to see her. Odinstova welcomes him heartily, contrasting to how when she greeted both him and Bazarov only a week prior, and Arkady stays there for many weeks.
Cut back to Marino, Bazarov is left abandoned by his friend in a home where the owners feel animosity toward him. How awkward! Bazarov consumes his time with doing hist studies to avoid Nikolai and Pavel, but the two elder men are actually quite interested and curious in watching Bazarov in his lab. The one person in the house Bazarov seems comfortable around is Nikolai's lover, Fenichka. Fenichka like wise, appears to be more comfortable around Bazarov than even with Nikolai Petrovich himself, "Perhaps it was because she unconsciously felt the absence in Bazaroc of anything aristocratic, of all that superiority which at once attracts and frightens" (117). Fenichka sees Bazarov as more relate-able. He is not snooty, he does not judge her, and he does not put on airs to appear that he is of a higher class. She is comfortable around him because they are, more or less, on the same class level. It is Pavel that she is truly afraid of:
One morning, after a long walk around the property, Bazarov finds Fenichka alone in the gardens near the house. They speak and obviously flirt (this is totally going against Bazarov's Nihilism), and then Bazarov kisses Fenichka. She "feebly" tries to push away, but Bazarov maintains the kiss until they are interrupted:
On Bazarov's end, I don't think he really truly loves Fenichka. I honestly think he is just on the rebound, for lack of a better term, from being denied by Odinstova. I think that, now that he has had that experience of love, he wants more of it, and Fenichka was the perfect 'available' person to reach out to. Bazarov liked being in love. He liked the feeling, but it contradicts his Nihilist beliefs. And the fact that he kissed Fenichka without actually truly loving her, shows that a.) He is desperate to have those feelings of love again. and b.) He is not a true Nihilist. He is just a theoretical one. He cannot be a true Nihilist and also act on his emotions, on his passions. Which brings up Odinstova.
Is Odinstova a Nihilist? She might be one without even knowing it. Bazarov, an outspoken and argumentative Nihilist, cannot seem to keep his passions under control, but Odinstova, constrastly, is able to keep her emotions in check. Even though she doesn't assume the title of a Nihilist, I think Odinstova is a practicing one, though, she doesn't know it.
Philosophical Question: Can a person be categorized as a Nihilist, even when they don't know they are one? Can we call Odinstova a Nihilist, even though she doesn't assume the title herself? Even though she isn't even aware that she is practicing Nihilist beliefs?
On their way to Arkady's, for God knows what reason, they stop at Odinstova's on the way. They awkwardly greet a surprised Odinstova, chat for an hour or two, then go back in the coach for an uninterrupted ride back to Arkady's. It was at Arkady's bidding to swing by Odinstova's and I wonder what he wished to get out of the experience. Yes, he was jealous and slightly bitter toward Bazarov because of his obvious enchantment of Odinstova, but it does not appear that he wanted to hurt Bazarov as a malicious way to get back at him by putting him in an awkward situation, and thus, I have no idea what the purpose of this visit is, on neither the characters' part nor the author's. It may be the author's way of showing that neither Arkady nor Bazarov are truly Nihilists since they have acted on their feelings in going to visit Odinstova.
Things have gone from bad to worse at Marino (Nikolai's property) with senseless difficulties on the farm adding up and peasants demanding higher wages. Nikolai is exasperated. He does not know how to deal with the rising turmoil on his property. He says he cannot flog them to make examples out of them and he cannot call the police because his principles won't allow it. When Arkady returns home, Bazarov returns to his study of biology and anatomy, but Arkady is restless. He does not have an aversion to taking over the family business of running Marino, but he feels that he needs to be somewhere else.
He finds himself looking for a reason to go back to Odinstovas. He quickly finds letters that Odinstova's mother sent to Nikolai's wife many years ago and takes the chance to run over to Odinstova's and present her the artifacts.
Upon arriving, the door is opened by Katya, and he is surprised by how happy he is to see her. Odinstova welcomes him heartily, contrasting to how when she greeted both him and Bazarov only a week prior, and Arkady stays there for many weeks.
Cut back to Marino, Bazarov is left abandoned by his friend in a home where the owners feel animosity toward him. How awkward! Bazarov consumes his time with doing hist studies to avoid Nikolai and Pavel, but the two elder men are actually quite interested and curious in watching Bazarov in his lab. The one person in the house Bazarov seems comfortable around is Nikolai's lover, Fenichka. Fenichka like wise, appears to be more comfortable around Bazarov than even with Nikolai Petrovich himself, "Perhaps it was because she unconsciously felt the absence in Bazaroc of anything aristocratic, of all that superiority which at once attracts and frightens" (117). Fenichka sees Bazarov as more relate-able. He is not snooty, he does not judge her, and he does not put on airs to appear that he is of a higher class. She is comfortable around him because they are, more or less, on the same class level. It is Pavel that she is truly afraid of:
She was more afraid of Pavel Petrovich than ever; for some time he had begun to watch her, and would suddenly make his appearance, as though he sprang out of the earth behind her back, in his English suit, with his immovable vigilant face, and his hands in his pockets. (117)As Fenichka and Bazarov's friendship and relationship grow, blossoming into something more than it probably should be, Pavel seems to be appearing around the corners of her life more and more, maybe because he suspects something. He watches her, with suspicious eyes and a "vigilant face," like he knows that Fenichka and Bazarov have feelings for each other. Like he is being a chaperone over the two to make sure they don't do anything to shame or hurt his brother Nikolai. "He always scares me. It's not what he says but he has a way of looking knowingly" (120).
One morning, after a long walk around the property, Bazarov finds Fenichka alone in the gardens near the house. They speak and obviously flirt (this is totally going against Bazarov's Nihilism), and then Bazarov kisses Fenichka. She "feebly" tries to push away, but Bazarov maintains the kiss until they are interrupted:
A dry cough was heard behind the lilac bushes. Fenichka instantly moved away to the other end of the seat. Pavel Petrovich showed himself, made a slight bow, and saying with a sort of malicious despondence, "You are here," he retreated. (120)I can understand that Fenichka would want a sort of kinship with Bazarov, a man that is from her same stature. She is surrounded by intimidating people of a higher class all day and all night, and she feels like she has to act in a way to show that she knows her place. It must be lonely and exhausting. But I can't believe she would let herself be weakened by Bazarov's smooth words. She has a great set up at Marino and Nikolai is the father of her child!
On Bazarov's end, I don't think he really truly loves Fenichka. I honestly think he is just on the rebound, for lack of a better term, from being denied by Odinstova. I think that, now that he has had that experience of love, he wants more of it, and Fenichka was the perfect 'available' person to reach out to. Bazarov liked being in love. He liked the feeling, but it contradicts his Nihilist beliefs. And the fact that he kissed Fenichka without actually truly loving her, shows that a.) He is desperate to have those feelings of love again. and b.) He is not a true Nihilist. He is just a theoretical one. He cannot be a true Nihilist and also act on his emotions, on his passions. Which brings up Odinstova.
Is Odinstova a Nihilist? She might be one without even knowing it. Bazarov, an outspoken and argumentative Nihilist, cannot seem to keep his passions under control, but Odinstova, constrastly, is able to keep her emotions in check. Even though she doesn't assume the title of a Nihilist, I think Odinstova is a practicing one, though, she doesn't know it.
Philosophical Question: Can a person be categorized as a Nihilist, even when they don't know they are one? Can we call Odinstova a Nihilist, even though she doesn't assume the title herself? Even though she isn't even aware that she is practicing Nihilist beliefs?
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