Resurrection · Chapter
XXII explained
The president delivers a lengthy summing-up to the jury, explaining legal definitions and their responsibilities.
What happens
The president delivers a lengthy summing-up to the jury, explaining legal definitions and their responsibilities. Nekhlúdoff, observing Máslova in the dock, begins to recognize her as the Katúsha he once loved and feels the stirrings of guilt and repentance for his past actions and his entire idle life.
Themes in this chapter
Moral Awakening and Redemption
Nekhlúdoff's recognition of Máslova triggers a painful confrontation with his past cruelty and the beginning of his moral awakening.
Injustice of the Legal System
The president's verbose and pedantic summing-up highlights the bureaucratic and impersonal nature of the trial, which fails to address the human truths at stake.
Characters to notice
- Prince Dmitri Ivanovich Nekhludoff
Serves on the jury, observes Máslova, and experiences a moral awakening as he recognizes her and confronts his past.
- Katerina Maslova
Watches the president's speech intently from the prisoners' dock; Nekhlúdoff sees her as the same Katúsha from his youth.
- The Judges
The president delivers the summing-up while the other judges listen attentively but glance at the clock.
Key passages
“He felt himself in the position of a puppy, when its master, taking it by the scruff of its neck, rubs its nose in the mess it has made.”
Nekhlúdoff felt like a puppy being forced to confront the mess it made, unable to escape the shame of his actions.
This simile illustrates Nekhlúdoff's growing sense of guilt and the inescapable moral reckoning he faces.