A House of Gentlefolk · Chapter
XXIV explained
Lavretsky visits the Kalitin household and finds an opportunity to speak privately with Lisa.
What happens
Lavretsky visits the Kalitin household and finds an opportunity to speak privately with Lisa. She gently questions him about his separation from his wife, urging forgiveness and submission to God's will. Lavretsky reacts with impatience, but later apologizes. He invites the family to visit his new country home, and Marya Dmitrievna agrees. Lisa feels a growing closeness and sympathy for him.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Marriage
Lisa challenges Lavretsky's decision to separate from his wife, invoking the sanctity of marriage and the duty to forgive.
Duty and Morality
Lisa insists on submission to God's will and forgiveness, while Lavretsky struggles with his moral obligations.
Characters to notice
- Fedor Ivanitch Lavretsky
Defends his separation from Varvara, but softens after Lisa's plea; invites the Kalitins to his estate.
- Lisa Mihalovna
Boldly questions Lavretsky about his marriage, advocating forgiveness; feels a new intimacy with him.
- Marya Dmitrievna Kalitin
Agrees to the visit after Lavretsky's flattering gestures; suggests including Panshin.
- Marfa Timofyevna Pestov
Declines the invitation, citing her age and preference for her own bed.
- Vladimir Nikolaitch Panshin
Mentioned as a possible companion for the outing, though Lavretsky prefers a family-only party.
Key passages
“It sometimes happens that two people who are acquainted, but not on intimate terms with one another, all of sudden grow rapidly more intimate in a few minutes, and the consciousness of this greater intimacy is at once expressed in their eyes, in their soft and affectionate smiles, and in their very gestures.”
Two acquaintances can suddenly become much closer in a short time, and this new closeness shows in their looks and smiles.
Describes the rapid emotional bond forming between Lavretsky and Lisa.
“You must forgive, if you wish to be forgiven.”
Forgiveness is necessary if you hope to be forgiven yourself.
Lisa's central moral argument to Lavretsky about his wife.
“Why did you marry her?”
What led you to marry her in the first place?
Lisa's probing question that forces Lavretsky to reflect on his past.