In Ivan Turgenev's novel, 'Fathers and Sons,' there are many contrasting ideas, people, and places; between Pavel and Bazarov, Madame Odintsov's liberal views versus Bazarov's nihilistic views, the older generation versus the new one. The two places, however, that I think contrast each other the most are Madame Odintsov's estate, Nikolskoe, and Nikolai's estate, Marino.
Arkady and Bazarov go back and forth between the two estates - sometimes going to Bazarov's home as well - and they differ in many ways, helping to contribute to the contrasting ideas throughout the book. The first obvious reason they are different is that Marino is in a rural area and Nikolskoe is in an urban area.
While that does create different lifestyles for the people living at the two estates, it can also affect the ideas people are exposed to in everyday life. For Nikolai, being in a rural area has caused him to lose connections to the changing, modern world. Because of his continuing traditional views, he can't connect as well with his son, Arkady and his more modernized beliefs, causing Nikolai to feel awkward when Arkady first came back home.
An example of this is when Nikolai says how the farm must feel special to his son because he was born there and Arkady replies that it 'makes no difference where a man is born ¦. absolutely no difference.? This shows a bit of the nihilist belief system that Arkady has picked up from Bazarov conflicting with Nikolai's emotional attachment to things.
Then, when Arkady and Bazarov stay at Madame Odintsov's estate we can automatically tell a difference in the urban environment. Since Odintsov is a bit more modernized in her beliefs she's more able to have spirited debates with Bazarov, and sometimes Arkady, as opposed to the aggressive arguing that goes on between Bazarov and Pavel. Madame Odintsov's responses to Bazarov's extreme nihilist views presents another difference in the friends' experience at the two estates.
She always seems to be fascinated and intrigued by Bazarov's nihilist views even though they are so opposite to her own artistic, liberal ones. This is shown in quotes like, 'And so you haven't the slightest artistic feeling? ', she observed, putting her elbows on the table and bringing her face nearer to Bazarov. After further discussion and debate she says, 'You amaze me, gentlemen'? (pg. 67-68).
Her body language shows her interest in his opinions and her fascinated tone shows how she just views their conversations as friendly debates as opposed to the heated arguments Bazarov and Pavel seem to get into. On the other hand, when Bazarov and Arkady are back at Marino, Pavel and Bazarov always have some reason to get into an argument over their differing beliefs. These two situations the main characters get into show that pretty much anywhere they go Bazarov is going to have different views than somebody but the tone of those debates is what sets the two environments apart.
A few more sets of ideas that I think the two places represent are work and play, men and women, and the old and the young generations. At Marino even though they are not actually working at jobs, Bazarov does his scientific research on frogs there and there is a lot of trouble with the farm which is always an ongoing problem that Arkady eventually has to take control of. Then, at Nikolskoe they get to be with women, relaxing, with no intergenerational conflict of any kind.
That is also where both boys fall in love. At this point the two places actually started to connect because Nikolskoe used to be where friends live and Marino was for family, but then Katya marries Arkady, becoming part of his family. These two main settings of the book, Marino and Nikolskoe, contribute immensely to the book's meaning because they represent the two sides of almost every controversy that's presented in the book and the two main characters literally go back and forth between the two places just like two people would argue back and forth in a debate. The two contrasting places contribute to the issues they represent throughout and even help the reader visualize the conflicting ideas.
Author: David Sutton