Resurrection · Chapter
XII explained
Nekhlúdoff recalls his first summer with his aunts, where he met Katúsha as a pure young student.
What happens
Nekhlúdoff recalls his first summer with his aunts, where he met Katúsha as a pure young student. He describes their innocent flirtation during games, the growing attraction between them, and his departure, marked by Katúsha's tears. The chapter reflects on his youthful idealism, his reading of Spencer, and his decision to give up his land to the peasants.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Sacrifice
Nekhlúdoff's pure, innocent love for Katúsha is contrasted with his later guilt; his youthful idealism includes sacrificing his land to the peasants.
Land Ownership and Economic Injustice
Nekhlúdoff's reading of Spencer leads him to recognize the injustice of private land ownership and to resolve to give up his inherited land.
Characters to notice
- Prince Dmitri Ivanovich Nekhludoff
Recalls his first summer with his aunts, his youthful idealism, and his innocent attraction to Katúsha.
- Katerina Maslova
Appears as the young Katúsha, a half-ward half-servant, who shares playful moments and a kiss with Nekhlúdoff.
- Matrona Pavlovna
The old servant in whose room Nekhlúdoff and Katúsha sometimes talked.
- Princess Sophia Vasilievna
One of Nekhlúdoff's aunts, who fears he might marry Katúsha.
- Maria Ivanovna
Another aunt, who fears Nekhlúdoff might form an intimacy with Katúsha.
- Herbert Spencer
His views on land tenure influenced Nekhlúdoff's decision to give up his land.
Key passages
“He not only did not feel any desire to possess her, but the very thought of it filled him with horror.”
He felt no lust for her; the mere idea of it horrified him.
Highlights Nekhlúdoff's pure, idealistic love for Katúsha during his youth.
“He decided not to retain property rights, but to give up to the peasant labourers the land he had inherited from his father.”
He resolved to surrender his inherited land to the peasants, rejecting private ownership.
Reflects Nekhlúdoff's early moral awakening and commitment to social justice.