Resurrection

Nekhlyudov travels to the prison, passing through a bustling market and cheerful Sunday crowds. At the prison gate, he joins a group of visitors, many of whom are carrying food or clothing for relatives inside.

After a brief delay for church services, visitors are admitted in groups and carefully counted. Nekhlyudov enters the wrong visiting area and finds himself in a deafening room where prisoners and visitors are separated by nets. Disturbed by the shouting and the inhumane setup, Nekhlyudov experiences a wave of despair and moral nausea—“a curious moral nausea, comparable to the physical sensations of seasickness” (188).

Realizing he is in the wrong room, Nekhlyudov asks to see the women’s ward and is escorted to the smaller, equally noisy women’s visiting area. Inside, he sees chaotic conversations taking place through wire mesh. He spots Maslova standing behind Fedosia, smiling and unaware of his presence. She is dressed neatly in a white dress, no longer in her prison cloak. The warder asks who he is there to see, then calls Maslova’s name.

Maslova approaches the visitor’s net with a smile, not recognizing Nekhlyudov until she sees his face more clearly. As he awkwardly asks her for forgiveness, she recalls their past, reacting with discomfort and bitterness.