What Is to Be Done? · Chapter
XVIII explained
Vera and Lopukhov discuss the terms of their future marriage, emphasizing mutual independence, equality, and the rejection of traditional gender roles.
What happens
Vera and Lopukhov discuss the terms of their future marriage, emphasizing mutual independence, equality, and the rejection of traditional gender roles. Vera insists on earning her own living and maintaining separate rooms to preserve freedom, while Lopukhov admires her reasoning. They agree to treat each other as respectful strangers to sustain love and harmony.
Themes in this chapter
Women's Emancipation
Vera asserts her right to financial independence and rejects traditional marital dependence, embodying the struggle for women's liberation.
Freedom and Individuality
The couple designs a marriage based on mutual respect and personal autonomy, prioritizing individual freedom over conventional roles.
Critique of Bourgeois Society
Vera critiques the hypocrisy of treating strangers better than loved ones and rejects the bourgeois notion of marriage as a form of ownership.
Characters to notice
- Viéra Pavlovna
Articulates her vision of an egalitarian marriage, insisting on financial independence and separate living spaces to avoid dependence.
- Dmitri Sergéitch Lopukhóf
Accepts Vera's conditions, praises her ideas, and agrees to treat her as an equal, though he initially tries to flatter her.
- Aleksandr Matvéitch Kirsánof
Mentioned by Vera as a close friend of Lopukhov; she expresses jealousy and dislike, but Lopukhov defends him.
Key passages
“Money lies at the root of all things, you say, Dmitri Sergéitch; whoever has the money has the might and the right, say your books; consequently, so long as a woman lives at her husband’s expense, she will be dependent upon him”
Vera argues that economic dependence leads to subjugation, so she must earn her own living to avoid being controlled by her husband.
Vera applies rational egoist principles to her own situation, insisting on financial autonomy.
“In the first place, we shall have two rooms, yours and mine, and then a third room where we shall drink tea, take dinner, receive guests who come to call on both of us! and not on you alone, and not on me alone.”
Vera proposes separate personal spaces and a shared common area to maintain independence while living together.
This arrangement symbolizes the couple's commitment to equality and personal freedom within marriage.
“you must always treat me as they say it is right to treat a stranger: this, my dear, seems to be better than all else for preserving harmony, for preserving love.”
Vera suggests that spouses should treat each other with the same politeness and respect they would show a stranger, to maintain love and avoid conflict.
This idea critiques the common tendency to take loved ones for granted and advocates for consistent respect.