Resurrection

The Senate reviews Maslova’s case. Each Senator is biased—the president is preoccupied with memoir-writing and imagined slights, Bay is a melancholy liberal, Wolf pushes for reversal, and Skovorodnikov is driven by spite and personal discomfort with moral earnestness.

After a dismissive conversation about another scandalous case, Fanarin makes a strong argument for appeal, but the Senators remain unmoved. Selenin speaks against revision, and the final vote hinges on Skovorodnikov, who opposes the appeal out of disdain for Nekhlyudov’s moral motives. The sentence is upheld.

Nekhlyudov is outraged by the Senate’s adherence to legal form over moral clarity. The advocate suggests submitting a personal petition to the Emperor, offering to draft it. Wolf approaches and offers a dismissive apology. Then, Nekhlyudov speaks with Selenin, who insists that the Senate acted properly by refusing to reexamine the case on its merits, while Nekhlyudov argues that justice has been subverted. When Selenin changes the subject to religion, Nekhlyudov is further disillusioned. The encounter ends with polite words but cold finality.

This chapter offers a reflective portrait of Selenin, once a principled student and friend to Nekhlyudov, but now spiritually compromised by years of bureaucratic conformity. Though he entered government service to serve humanity, Selenin’s desire to avoid conflict gradually led him to accept a joyless marriage, an empty court title, and outward displays of faith he no longer believes in. His encounter with Nekhlyudov momentarily revives a sense of what he has lost. Though they promise to meet again, both men recognize the distance that now separates them.

After hearing stories of high-level corruption from the advocate, Nekhlyudov parts ways, disheartened by the Senate’s rejection of Maslova’s appeal and the broader moral decay of society. A note from Lydia Shustova’s mother reminds him of his small successes, but the weight of systemic injustice and personal failure weighs on him.

He joins his aunt and Mariette for tea, and he finds himself drawn to Mariette’s charm. Though initially annoyed by her levity, her shift to a sympathetic tone flatters and captivates him. Doubts creep in about his choices, and he questions his decision to follow Maslova and renounce his wealth.

Nekhlyudov wakes up ashamed of his doubts from the night before. Determined to stay the course, he visits Lydia Shustova, recently freed from unjust imprisonment. Her grateful mother introduces him to their modest home and to Lydia’s aunt, a political exile named Kornilova. During the visit, Lydia recounts how, during interrogation, she feared she had inadvertently betrayed a friend, Mitin. Distressed, she flees the room.

Nekhlyudov speaks with Kornilova, who offers insight into the psychological toll of solitary confinement. She reflects on her own arrest years earlier—an event that transformed her sense of humanity and eroded her belief in others.

Lydia, still upset, does not return, and her mother reports that she will be sent to the country to recover. Kornilova expresses gratitude to Nekhlyudov for helping her niece. Before he departs, she asks him to deliver a letter to Doukhova and gives him permission to read or destroy it if he finds it compromising. Nekhlyudov chooses not to read the letter and seals it, intending to deliver it.

Nekhlyudov visits Bogatyryov, a good-natured Court official, to ask him to deliver the sectarians’ petition to the Tsar (i.e., the Emperor). Bogatyryov suggests Nekhlyudov speak with Toporov, a bureaucrat in charge of religious affairs.

Toporov’s job is to uphold the divine authority of the Orthodox Church through human systems of control. He agrees to release the individuals who were studying the Bible, though he originally sanctioned their imprisonment. As he leaves, Nekhlyudov realizes that punishment is rarely about justice; more often it serves to protect the comfort and privilege of the ruling class by silencing those who threaten it.

Nekhlyudov attends the theater as promised, joining Mariette and her aloof husband. Though Mariette had claimed to have something important to tell him, she says nothing of substance, clearly interested only in captivating Nekhlyudov’s attention. He is both drawn to and repulsed by her. Disturbed by the artifice, he leaves early and walks through the city. He passes a sex worker and is struck by the similar energy of attraction and disgust she evokes.

Nekhlyudov returns to Moscow and goes to the prison hospital to tell Maslova that the Senate has rejected her appeal and that she must prepare for exile. He is shocked to learn she has been sent back to prison for allegedly having an affair with the medical assistant. Nekhlyudov wrestles with feelings of betrayal, but ultimately reaffirms his commitment to support her.

When they meet, he treats her coldly but softens after seeing her distress. Maslova signs the petition to the Emperor, and Nekhlyudov leaves feeling renewed in his decision. The narrative clarifies that the accusation was a misunderstanding, and that Maslova had been unjustly punished.

As Maslova’s departure approaches, Nekhlyudov prepares to leave Moscow. He divides his responsibilities into three categories: Maslova’s petition and preparations for Siberia; the legal and financial restructuring of his estates to benefit the peasants; and assistance for prisoners who appeal to him, which leads him to question the justice system. 

Based on his observations and reading, he categorizes prisoners into five groups: The innocent; the circumstantially guilty; those punished for violating unjust laws; morally superior political and religious dissenters; and the marginalized. Nekhlyudov rejects prevailing criminology theories, finding no convincing justification for state punishment. He becomes increasingly disturbed by the realization that science and law have both failed to answer the question: By what right do some people punish others?

Maslova’s convict gang is scheduled to depart on July 5th, and Nekhlyudov plans to leave the same day. The day before, his sister Natalia and her husband, Ragozhinsky, arrive in Moscow. While Natalia and Nekhlyudov were close in their youth, Natalia is now devoted to her shallow, self-serving, and politically opportunistic husband.

Natalia visits Nekhlyudov’s humble rooms and is struck by his simple lifestyle and serious reading material. While she admires her brother’s resolve, she is disturbed by his plans to marry Maslova and intends to dissuade him. Ragozhinsky is outraged by Nekhlyudov’s plan to give the land to the peasants, contemplating putting Nekhlyudov under guardianship.

Nekhlyudov visits Natalia, and their conversation quickly turns to Maslova. Natalia expresses concern, unable to understand his motives or how such a marriage could lead to happiness. Nekhlyudov insists that he is seeking moral reform, not happiness.

When Ragozhinsky joins them, the discussion becomes heated. He defends the legal system and insists that the guilty are punished and the innocent rarely suffer. Nekhlyudov passionately disagrees, citing specific cases of injustice he has witnessed. 

The debate extends into broader ideological conflict when Ragozhinsky questions Nekhlyudov’s decision to give away his land. Ragozhinsky defends inherited privilege and accuses Nekhlyudov of irresponsibility and mental illness, while Nekhlyudov grows cold and restrained, ending the conversation in frustration.

Nekhlyudov visits Natalia again, and their conversation returns to tense topics. Natalia expresses concern about his plan to marry Maslova and tries to steer the conversation to lighter matters. When Ragozhinsky joins them, the discussion escalates. Ragozhinsky defends the legality and necessity of state punishment, while Nekhlyudov argues that the legal system is designed to uphold class interests and punishes both the vulnerable and the morally superior. The conversation grows increasingly confrontational, and Nekhlyudov leaves ashamed that his behavior was driven more by anger than principle.

Nekhlyudov prepares to leave Moscow as Maslova is scheduled to depart. He reads over his diary entries, and reflects on his arguments with Ragozhinsky, regretting the events but deciding he does not have time to make amends.

He arrives at the prison as the final preparations are underway. The process of checking in and organizing over 600 prisoners is slow and exhausting in the summer heat. Nekhlyudov joins a group of onlookers outside the gates, waiting to catch a glimpse of the convicts.

The prisoners exit in groups: First the hard laborers in chains, then the exiled, then the women and their children. Nekhlyudov loses sight of Maslova. As the group assembles and boards carts, confusion and pleading erupt. Some prisoners beg for seats but are mostly refused by the indifferent and aggressive convoy officer. When the order to march is given, the gang sets off under armed escort, and a woman sobs loudly from one of the carts.

Nekhlyudov follows the prisoners, hoping to find and speak with Maslova. The heat is oppressive, and the air is dusty. The procession draws public attention, with people displaying mixed reactions—fear, pity, curiosity, generosity.

Nekhlyudov recognizes several of the prisoners, including Fyodorov and Okhotin. He sees Maslova but is told he cannot speak to her until they reach the railway station.

The presence of the prisoners causes disruption and discomfort among the city dwellers. A wealthy family in a fine carriage is forced to wait as the gang passes. The parents respond with disgust and offer no explanation to their children. The daughter imitates their revulsion, but the young son intuitively understands the injustice of what he sees and struggles to hold back tears, recognizing the prisoners as people like himself.

As Nekhlyudov follows the prisoner convoy, he stops at a tavern to rest and write a letter of reconciliation to his sister and brother-in-law but finds himself unable to complete it due to lingering resentment.

Continuing on, he encounters a scene where a convict has collapsed from the oppressive heat and exhaustion. The man lies gasping on the street, ignored by the convoy. A crowd gathers, and police fumble to assist the man, ordering him to be taken to the station. Nekhlyudov offers his carriage to transport the dying man, following behind.

Nekhlyudov follows his carriage to the police station, where the convict is declared dead and taken to the mortuary. While there, Nekhlyudov witnesses the dehumanizing treatment of the corpse and the casual indifference of the officials.

As Nekhlyudov prepares to leave, another cart carrying a second dead convict arrives. This man, strikingly handsome and physically strong, had also died from heat and exhaustion. Nekhlyudov is disturbed by the waste of human life and the lack of any recognition of the deceased men’s dignity. His repeated question—“Why has this happened?” (445)—is met with shrugs and indifference. He is left shaken as he returns to his carriage.

At the train station, the convicts, including Maslova, are being loaded into carriages for the journey to Siberia. Five have died of exposure, but the convoy’s concern is mainly procedural, ensuring that official duties and paperwork are completed.

After tipping a sergeant, Nekhlyudov is allowed to speak with Maslova. She smiles and requests water for the women, as well as help for a woman in labor in the nest carriage and permission for Fedosia to see her husband, Taras. Nekhlyudov tries but fails to secure assistance from the convoy officer. As the train departs, Maslova meets Nekhlyudov’s eyes and smiles.

Nekhlyudov falls asleep in the refreshment room at the train station. He is awakened by a waiter and finds himself amid a lavish scene: The Korchagins and their entourage have arrived, including Missy, Prince Korchagin, and other acquaintances. Soon after, Natalia and Agrafena Petrovna arrive, and he joins them for a private conversation.

He apologizes for his tense conversation with Ragozhinsky, and Natalia, again, expresses concern over Nekhlyudov’s intentions with Maslova. He explains Maslova has refused marriage but that he intends to continue supporting her. They part, with Nekhlyudov boarding a third-class carriage with Taras. Natalia, initially moved by the parting, thinks of how she will tell her husband of the conversation. Both siblings experience a lingering sense of sadness.

Nekhlyudov stays on the train’s platform during a storm, reflecting on the death of the convicts during the transfer. He recognizes that none of the officials feel personally responsible, yet collectively they caused the deaths through indifference and systemic obedience. This leads Nekhlyudov to the realization that these crimes happen because people abandon human compassion in favor of bureaucratic duty.

The storm passes and the air cools. Nekhlyudov compares the officials to paved earth, “impermeable to the feelings of humanity as this paved earth is impermeable to the rain” (459). He concludes that institutions normalize inhumanity by allowing people to follow orders without personal accountability. He affirms to himself that all dealings with human beings must be grounded in love.

Nekhlyudov rides in the crowded third-class carriage, briefly chatting with a stove-builder and a woman traveling home from visiting her husband. He observes a factory worker and his wife drinking vodka, drawing contrasts between their lifestyle and the idealized loyalty of the woman’s husband.

Nekhlyudov joins Taras, who is cheerfully engaged in a conversation with a gardener. Taras recounts how Fedosia once tried to poison him but repented after jail. Upon her release on bail, they reconciled and returned to farming, where she proved hardworking, loyal, and transformed. Their life was peaceful until an unexpected court summons reminded them of the unresolved legal case.

The train slows, and Nekhlyudov steps onto the platform with the gardener.

At a station stop, Nekhlyudov sees the Korchagin family being met with pomp and luxury. He avoids contact with them, returning to the third-class carriage. There, a group of peasant workers board the train. Driven away from other carriages, they are allowed into Nekhlyudov’s.

At first, the peasants are intimidated by Nekhlyudov’s presence, but they relax when he treats them kindly and speaks with Taras. One elderly man, returning home after more than two months in the peat bogs, shares stories of the hard labor, poor food, and low wages. Another, sick with ague, lies pale in the corner. Nekhlyudov tries to help, suggesting quinine. He reflects, feeling that the working class, not the upper class, is the true high society.