Ivan Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons": A Study Guide from Gale's "Novels for Students" (Volume 16, Chapter 4)

Abstract

The generation gap between the fathers and sons in the story neatly symbolized the current political debates between the older reactionaries and the younger radicals. Bazarov is a nihilist who scorns the purposelessness of everything but science—until he falls in love. His friend, Arkady Kirsanov, tries to embrace nihilism, but finally submits to the comforts of a traditional life. A depiction of the ideological divide between two generations, “Fathers and Sons” is one of the first modern Russian novels.