A Study of Love and Power Hierarchies in Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons

Published in 1862, Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sonsbecame known for both its realism as well as its depiction of nihilism. Critics of different ideologies reacted differently to this novel. There were some who believed that the novel was praising nihilism and exaggerating this praise through the character of Bazarov, while others believed that Turgenev was mocking the younger generation. However, the concept of love also plays a very important role in the text. It sometimes functions as a direct opposition to nihilism. In this paper I wish to analyse the way love is represented in the novel. I will analyse the different kinds of love that are portrayed through various characters and show how it is inherently hierarchical and represents a power struggle. I will also show how it serves as an opposition to nihilism.

Fathers and Sons possesses a number of seemingly conventional tropes of love. Nikolai Petrvich and his son Arkady appear to have a very conventional and stable relationship. However, we see that there is a clear power structure in their bond. It is based on knowledge. Stability is only maintained as long as Nikolai possesses more knowledge than his son. Foucault’s concept of knowledge being power can be seen later on in the text as Arkady befriends Bazarov. Bazarov imparts his nihilist ideology on Arkady as a result of which Arkady begins to question his father’s beliefs. This causes a slight distancing between father and son. Nikolai does not understand Arkady’s ideologies in their fullness and therefore tries to steer conversations towards topics he is familiar with. Nevertheless, he still accepts his son’s beliefs and is willing to compromise with the fact that the power dynamic between him and his son has shifted and he is no longer the more powerful of the two.

Foucault’s concept of knowledge being power can also be seen in the relationship between Arkady and Bazarov. Bazarov claims to be a nihilist attempts to adhere to its principles throughout the novel. He brings this new ideology into other peoples’ lives and seems to derive a little bit of pleasure by shaking their existing beliefs. Interestingly, he himself is one of the more narrow-minded characters in the text since he refuses to accept any other ideology but his own. For most of the novel, Arkady stays very close to Bazarov, both physically and ideologically. Arkady is in awe of Bazarov’s knowledge and conviction. Arkady initially is portrayed as a rather weak-minded character who relies on others to tell him what to believe in. This position was earlier filled by Nikolai. However, Bazarov seems to replace Nikolai as the father figure in Arkady’s life. Arkady is drawn to forceful personalities who know more than he does. He adores Bazarov in an almost homosexual way. He acknowledges that Bazarov has more power than him. This is why he quickly accepts the fact that Anna Sergeyevna chose Bazarov over him, even though he was attracted to her and wanted her attention. It is only towards the end of the novel that Arkady ceases to perceive Bazarov as the “alpha male”. This shift occurs when he falls in love with Katya. For Arkady, love was powerful enough to alter his beliefs in nihilism and cause him to slowly distance himself from Bazarov. However, even with Katya he takes up the role of the docile follower. He is never assertive in the text and characters around him are quick to perceive this and take advantage of it.

There is no love in the text which does not function through a power hierarchy. This is apparent through the number of relationships which are represented in the novel. The relationship between Nikolai and Fenichka is a good example of this. After the death of Nikolai’s wife, he enters into a live-in relationship with his maid and also has an illegitimate child with her. Nikolai clearly feels more comfortable in relationships in which he has the most control. He loves Fenichka, but also maintains the fact that they are not equals. This is why Fenichka does not always feel comfortable in the presence of the other people in Nikolai’s life. She keeps quiet and remains in the background most of the time. Though Nikolai eventually marries her, the power structure remains the same.

Hierarchies are also apparent in the relationship between Madame Odinstov and Bazarov. Anna Sergeyevna is not only wealthier than Bazarov, but she also poses a challenge for him intellectually as she continually questions his beliefs. Anna possesses the added advantage of being of a higher social class, which has an effect on Bazarov, though he attempts to hide it. Bazarov possesses an inherent bourgeois sensitivity to social structures, even though he is a nihilist. Bazarov only feels more powerful when Anna shows clear signs of being attracted to him. But this does not last long. Bazarov also becomes attracted to Anna Sergeyevna and this infuriates him. He compares himself to a tame cat. As his level of attraction for Madame Odinstov increases, so does his anger and frustration about the fact that he is not as in control as he thought he was. As a result, he pushes away from love and responds to Anna with hostility and irritability.

More than belief in “nothing”, it becomes apparent that Bazarov cares about power. He becomes unsettled when his “authority” is taken away from him. This might have been the reason why he kissed Fenichka. In doing this, he seems to be trying to regain the power that he lost through Anna Sergeyevna. This might also be the reason why he agrees to fight Pavel Petrovich. Bazarov and Pavel Petrovich were engaged in a power struggle from the moment they met.  Both of these men believed strongly in their own ideologies and refused to be open to any alternative beliefs. Pavel holds on to the remnants of aristocratic ideologies while Bazarov dismisses everything. Their strong dislike for each other escalates through the course of the novel. It finally climaxes in a shooting challenge between the two in which Bazarov accidentally shoots Pavel in the thigh. Interestingly, Bazarov rushes to Pavel’s aid. All of his beliefs and egotistic clashes seem to be confined within an ideological space. He cannot handle actual physical power clashes.

However, this does not stop Bazarov from continuing to attempt to assert his position of dominance. He even uses his parents’ love to do so. In the novel we see that Bazarov’s mother becomes very emotional when she sees her son. We learn that Bazarov does not visit home very often. When he finally does visit, he behaves in a cold and irritable way, making his parents go out of their way to cater to their son’s needs. Bazarov makes use of their love for him as well as their willingness to do anything to make him happy. He makes himself the most powerful member in his household in this way.

However, love still acts as an opposition to nihilism throughout the novel. Even in Bazarov’s case, he has moments of “weakness” where he feels attracted to Anna Sergeyevna and feels love towards his parents. Turgenev portrays love as the only force which is able to counter ideologies like nihilism. However, Turgenev makes sure to point out that it is love and not mere romanticism which has this power to oppose such political ideologies. In his essay “Two Kinds of Love”, Gary Saul Morson talks about the way in which the more powerful type of love in the novel is the one which establishes itself gradually. This is seen in the case of Arkady and Katya. Their love grows slowly but steadily until it reaches a point where they are firmly rooted in it and it is irrevocable. Morson contrasts this with Bazarov and Anna Sergeyevna, who display more passionate and romantic love, which does not last. Nevertheless, both kinds of love caused a disruption in pre-existing beliefs, both at a personal level and in the larger perspective of society. At a personal level, it caused Arkady and Bazarov to doubt their beliefs in nihilism. On a larger level, love also breaks through class boundaries between Anna Sergeyevna and Bazarov. However, unlike Bazarov, Arkady chooses to yield to love. Bazarov on the other hand, runs away from it.

In a way, love functions a little bit like nihilism. It does not adhere to any external principles and has the power to shatter all other existing ideologies. Its power even extends beyond the political sphere. Love can conquer all kinds of social and economic boundaries. It possesses even more disruptive power than nihilism. However, Turgenev portrays love in a positive light. When accepted by characters, love brings happiness and is more constructive than destructive. He also uses love to highlight the fact that all political ideologies are futile against it. In the case of Arkady, nihilism was quickly forgotten when Katya entered his life. For Arkady, “true love’s kiss” did in fact break the spell of nihilism that he was previously prey to. The characters that accept love have a happy ending in the novel. Bazarov did not let go of his beliefs in nihilism, but he clearly felt the effects of the inner turmoil caused by a clash between love and his ideology. This conflict even manifests itself physically as Bazarov’s health deteriorates at the end of the novel.  Turgenev shows how love and nihilism cannot coexist as their opposing natures cause internal conflicts within characters. They must choose one over the other, even though they acknowledge both. Arkady chooses love while Bazarov chooses nihilism. Interestingly, the character who chose love goes on to live a happy life while the character who chose nihilism is ultimately reduced to the very thing that this ideology believes in, which is nothing.