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:

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?