Fathers and Children · Chapter
IX explained
Bazarov meets Fenitchka and her baby Mitya in the garden, charming them with his medical knowledge.
What happens
Bazarov meets Fenitchka and her baby Mitya in the garden, charming them with his medical knowledge. He then critiques the Kirsanov estate's management and Russian peasants, leading to a debate with Arkady about nature. The chapter ends with Bazarov laughing upon hearing Nikolai Petrovitch play the violoncello.
Themes in this chapter
Generational Conflict
Bazarov's mockery of Nikolai's cello playing highlights the divide between the older generation's romanticism and the younger nihilists' pragmatism.
Nature vs. Science
Bazarov dismisses nature as a 'workshop' and man as a 'workman,' opposing Arkady's more romantic view of nature.
Social Class and Change
Bazarov's critique of the estate's management and his casual interaction with Fenitchka reflect shifting social dynamics between gentry and peasants.
Characters to notice
- Yevgeny Bazarov
Meets Fenitchka and her baby, demonstrating his medical skill and charm; critiques the estate and Russian peasants; laughs at Nikolai's cello playing.
- Arkady Kirsanov
Introduces Bazarov to Fenitchka, defends his father's honor, and debates Bazarov's views on nature.
- Fenitchka
Sitting in the arbor with Dunyasha and Mitya; interacts with Bazarov, who examines her baby.
- Nikolai Petrovitch Kirsanov
Plays Schubert's 'Expectation' on the violoncello, prompting Bazarov's laughter.
- Dunyasha
Present in the arbor with Fenitchka and Mitya; giggles when Bazarov addresses her.
- Mitya
Fenitchka's baby; examined by Bazarov and cries when Arkady tries to hold him.
Key passages
“Nature’s not a temple, but a workshop, and man’s the workman in it.”
Nature is not something sacred to be admired, but a resource to be used and manipulated by humans.
Bazarov articulates his utilitarian, scientific view of nature, rejecting romanticism.
“Upon my word, a man of forty-four, a paterfamilias in this out-of-the-way district, playing on the violoncello!”
A forty-four-year-old father living in the countryside playing the cello is absurd to Bazarov.
Bazarov's laughter underscores the generational clash between his nihilism and Nikolai's sentimental pursuits.