Resurrection

The trial drags on as the prosecution insists on reading lengthy medical reports about the state of Smelkov’s corpse. The jury listens to detailed and graphic descriptions of the external and internal examinations, which disgust Nekhlyudov and deepen his feelings of guilt. Despite the tedium, the public prosecutor demands the reading of every document to demonstrate his authority.

When the jury is finally allowed to view the physical evidence, including a diamond ring and sealed jars containing body parts, their reactions are casual and disengaged. The merchant jokes about the dead man’s finger size.

The trial proceeds with closing arguments. The public prosecutor delivers a long, self-important speech filled with scientific jargon and rhetorical flourishes. He argues that Maslova, influenced by degeneracy and hypnotic powers, manipulated and murdered Smelkov. He portrays Kartinkin and Bochkova as degraded but secondary participants.

Next, the defense attorney for Kartinkin and Bochkova argue they are innocent, blaming Maslova entirely. Maslova’s advocate delivers a weak and uncomfortable speech, admitting her role in the theft but insisting she had no intention of poisoning Smelkov. He attempts a moral argument about her seduction and fall but fails to persuade.

The prosecutor rebuts both defenders, reaffirming his stance with confidence. When the prisoners are allowed to speak, Bochkova and Kartinkin deny guilt and blame Maslova. Maslova, overwhelmed, says nothing and begins to sob. Watching her, Nekhlyudov struggles to contain his emotions but remains too ashamed to acknowledge his responsibility.

After the closing arguments, the court finalizes the questions for the jury. The president then delivers a long summation, explaining legal definitions of theft, murder, and their combinations. Though he wants to finish quickly so he can meet with a woman he is having an affair with, he cannot resist elaborating on the jury’s duties and responsibilities.

While he speaks, Maslova watches him, allowing Nekhlyudov to observe her without fear of meeting her eyes. As he watches her, she becomes more recognizable to him as the young woman he once loved. Despite growing feelings of shame and the beginnings of self-reproach, Nekhlyudov resists acknowledging the weight of his past actions, attempting to justify the encounter as a coincidence.

The jury retires to deliberate, and conversation among them reveals mixed opinions. While some jurors express sympathy for Maslova, others focus on circumstantial details and personal anecdotes. The foreman leads the group toward a consensus, though fatigue and confusion influence the final decisions.

They agree that Kartinkin is guilty of theft and poisoning, and Bochkova guilty only of theft, with a recommendation for mercy. In Maslova’s case, the jury concludes she is not guilty of theft, but guilty of poisoning—omitting the crucial clause that she lacked intent to kill. No one notices this oversight until it is too late. The judges debate whether to override the verdict, but ultimately uphold it. The prosecutor recommends Maslova’s punishment—15 years of penal servitude.

Nekhlyudov is horrified when he realizes the mistake, but it is irreversible. Looking at Maslova, he is struck by the finality of the outcome. He begins to feel a dark relief, knowing that her exile will eliminate the need for him to confront his responsibility to her directly.

The court delivers its verdict: Kartinkin is sentenced to eight years of penal servitude, Bochkova to three years of imprisonment, and Maslova to four years of penal servitude in Siberia. When the sentence is read, Maslova breaks down and insists on her innocence, sobbing uncontrollably. Nekhlyudov, shaken by the outcome, chases after her in the corridor, but she passes him without noticing.

Determined to intervene, Nekhlyudov speaks to the court president, explaining the jury’s mistake in failing to add “without intent to cause death.” The president acknowledges the oversight, but says the verdict stands, though an appeal might be possible. Their conversation ends outside the courthouse, where the president departs casually, leaving Nekhlyudov alone with the weight of the irreversible judgment.

Nekhlyudov convinces himself that his emotions were heightened by the setting. He resolves to help Maslova and seeks out an advocate to file an appeal. He meets the well-known lawyer Fanarin at the courthouse and explains the situation privately, offering to cover all expenses. Fanarin agrees to review the case and provide an answer in a few days.

Seeking distraction, Nekhlyudov decides to attend a dinner at the home of the wealthy Korchagin family. He boards a tram and arrives at their house.

Nekhlyudov arrives at the luxurious home of the Korchagins, where he is greeted by servants and led into the dining room. The family and a few guests are already at dinner. Though he had once enjoyed the elegance and flattery of this setting, everything now feels superficial and unpleasant to him. He finds the conversation trivial and the people around him insincere.

Missy, who hopes to marry Nekhlyudov, tries to engage him in light conversation and notices his distant mood. When she questions him privately, he admits that something serious has happened but refuses to explain. Hurt and confused, Missy leads him to visit her mother, Princess Sophia Vasilyevna, who receives guests in her ornate boudoir.

Nekhlyudov visits Princess Sophia Vasilyevna in her private boudoir after dinner, where she lies smoking and talking with Kolosov, her rumored lover. The princess attempts to draw Nekhlyudov into small talk, complimenting his artistic abilities and asking about literature, while Kolosov offers pompous opinions on art and culture. Nekhlyudov grows increasingly uncomfortable with their insincerity and the performative atmosphere, observing both their behavior and the power dynamics between Sophia Vasilyevna and her servant Philip, whom she fussily directs to block out the sunlight.

After a strained conversation, Nekhlyudov excuses himself and leaves the boudoir. He returns to the main drawing room, where he is met by Katerina Alexeyevna, who tries to engage him in conversation and teases him about his mood. Missy soon joins them and invites him to hear her play a piece on the piano, but he declines. Missy is hurt by his distance, sensing rejection, and struggles to hide her disappointment as he takes his leave.

Walking home, Nekhlyudov is overwhelmed by shame and disgust. He reflects on his inevitable betrayal of Missy, his false relationships, and his treatment of Maslova. At home, he avoids his servant and retreats to the drawing room, where memories of his mother’s recent death and a portrait of her in her youth provoke more revulsion and guilt.

Nekhlyudov revisits his past moral awakenings and recognizes that he has, again, sunk into lies and self-deception. He condemns himself as a scoundrel, resolves to confront the truth, and prays for strength and cleansing.

After walking 10 miles back from court, Maslova returns to prison, hungry and overwhelmed.

Initially in disbelief, she is soon overcome by despair, unable to understand how the same men who ogled her approvingly during the trial could so causally condemn her. Bochkova taunts her in the prisoners’ room. Maslova’s spirits lift slightly when an attendant delivers her money sent by Kitayeva, which she hopes to use for cigarettes.

Hours later, she buys cigarettes and bread but is not allowed to smoke during the long walk. Back at the prison, she passes a group of male convicts who leer at her and assault her. Maslova, too weary to speak, is handed over to the chief warder, searched, and returned to her cell.

Maslova is returned to her prison cell, where she joins 14 other women and three children. The room is dim and filthy, with a stinking tup and warped tiered plank beds. Some women sleep or sew, others shout to male convicts through barred windows, while children play on the floor.

Among the prisoners are the stern Korablyova, who was accused of killing her husband; the kind Fedosia, who tried to poison her husband; a mother and infant; an older woman accused of arson, and a tall, quiet girl who had drowned her child.

Maslova is met with sympathy from the other prisoners. Overwhelmed, Maslova breaks down in tears. When she tells them her sentence, the others express outrage and pity. Maslova smokes, and conversation turns to the injustice of the courts, the lack of a proper lawyer, and how poverty determines sentencing.

As the women comfort Maslova, they also return to their routines—knitting, chatting, or caring for children. Maslova says she wants vodka.

Maslova shares tea, bread, and vodka with Korablyova and Khoroshavka, the better-off women in the cell. In high spirits, she describes how the men at court ogled her, and the women speculate about one man being the infamous escapee Shcheglov.

A red-haired woman tries to join them and starts a fight with Korablyova, which escalates until the jailers intervene. Later, as the prisoners settle in for the night, Maslova struggles to accept her sentence. She and Korablyova express pity for the red-haired woman, who cries silently in her bunk, remembering a life of abuse and humiliation.

Nekhlyudov wakes feeling transformed, remembering the trial and resolving to be honest. He receives a letter freeing him from his romantic entanglement with Mary Vasilyevna, his married lover. Determined to help Maslova, he decides to visit her and considers marrying her.

He informs Agrafena Petrovna he’s giving up his house and confesses his role in Maslova’s downfall. Though she downplays his guilt, he insists on taking responsibility.

As he travels to the courthouse, Nekhlyudov feels humbled and changed. He prepares to see an advocate and then visit Maslova.

Nekhlyudov returns to the courthouse and learns he must wait to speak with the procurer about visiting Maslova. He joins the jury for another case—this time a young man accused of stealing old mats.

The courtroom proceedings unfold with the same formalities and absurdities as before, despite the petty nature of the crime. As the case drags on, Nekhlyudov reflects on the social conditions that create such offenders and becomes increasingly disturbed by the cruelty and futility of the justice system. He sees the entire process as a farce, punishing individuals instead of addressing root causes.

During a court recess, Nekhlyudov visits the procurer to request permission to see Maslova. He confesses that he seduced her and feels morally responsible for her wrongful conviction. The procurer, surprised but intrigued, grants him an order of admittance.

Nekhlyudov also declares he can no longer participate in jury duty, calling the judicial system immoral. The procurer advises him to formally resign through the court but dismisses his objections with quiet amusement.

After Nekhlyudov leaves, the officials gossip about his unusual declaration.

Nekhlyudov visits the preliminary detention prison but learns Maslova is in the old temporary prison. After a long journey, he arrives only to be told the inspector is unavailable and the permit he holds is invalid for the facility.

Unable to see Maslova, he returns home, still determined. That evening, he revives his old diary and writes about his recent awakening. He resolves to confess to Maslova and seek redemption, ending his entry with a renewed sense of peace and purpose.

That night, Maslova lies awake, thinking about how to secure a better position through a relationship with a prison official. Her thoughts drift to past encounters, but never to Nekhlyudov. She has buried all memory of him since the night she tried to catch his train, and he passed by without stopping or reaching out to her. From then on, she saw the world as driven only by self-interest and pleasure.

Maslova wakes up on Sunday morning. The women wash, argue, and prepare for inspection. After a head count, they are led in rows to the prison church.

Maslova points out Bochkova to Fedosia as they join a crowd of over 100 women, including convicts’ wives and children. The men follow, some awaiting exile, others already sentenced, identified by their shaved heads and chains.

The richly adorned church, built by a wealthy donor, contrasts with the suffering congregation. The prisoners fall silent as the inspector arrives to take his place for the service.

The prison church service begins with traditional Orthodox rituals: Prayers for the Emperor, scripture readings, and the Eucharist. The priest performs elaborate gestures to consecrate bread and wine, believed to become the flesh and blood of Christ. Children receive communion, and the priest consumes the remainder. He then adds a lengthy hymn of glorification, repeating praises to Jesus while the prisoners bow, cross themselves, and chains rattle.

Afterward, all line up to kiss the cross and the priest’s hand. The solemn but mechanical service ends with murmured prayers and jostling convicts.

As the service goes on, no one present—including the priest, inspector, or prisoners—appears aware that the rituals contradict the teachings of Christ. The priest and deacon perform their roles out of habit and for livelihood, while the prison officials rely on religion to justify their actions. Most prisoners believe in the rituals as a source of benefit, though a few doubt them.

When Maslova and Fedosia step forward, they see Fedosia’s husband watching from the men’s side, and Maslova continues the service distractedly.