# Part IV: Second Marriage explained — What Is to Be Done?

> Chapter companion for What Is to Be Done? by Nikolay Chernyshevsky.

## What happens

Vera Pavlovna marries Kirsanov after Lopukhov's apparent suicide, and they establish a new household based on equality and mutual respect. The chapter explores their domestic life, the continuation of Vera's sewing cooperative, and the development of their relationship as a model of rational love and partnership.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Marriage

Vera's second marriage to Kirsanov is portrayed as a union based on rational love, equality, and mutual respect, contrasting with traditional bourgeois marriage.

### The New People

Vera and Kirsanov exemplify the 'new people'—progressive individuals who reject societal conventions and strive for personal and social transformation.

## Character check-ins

### Viéra Pavlovna

Marries Kirsanov and continues her work with the sewing cooperative, embodying the ideals of the new woman.

### Aleksandr Matvéitch Kirsánof

Marries Vera and supports her independence, representing the rational and progressive man.

### Dmitri Sergéitch Lopukhóf

His apparent suicide sets the stage for Vera's second marriage, though he later returns as Beaumont.

### Rakhmétof

The extraordinary man who appears to guide and influence the characters' revolutionary ideals.

## Key lines

> Vera Pavlovna's second marriage was not a mere repetition of the first; it was a new stage in her development.

Vera's marriage to Kirsanov represents her continued growth and evolution as an individual, not just a rehash of her past.

_Highlights the progressive nature of Vera's personal journey._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/part-iv-second-marriage
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters