65 pages • 2 hours read
Ivan TurgenevFathers And Sons
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1862A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
How does Nikolai’s character differ from Pavel’s, and how does this explain the difference in their fates?
What is the role of emotion in Bazarov’s development, for all that he claims to be a creature of rationality?
Compare two women in the novel. Do they emerge as forces in their own right? Why or why not?
Discuss class in the novel. Is inter-class conflict more or less important to the novel’s themes as inter-generational conflict?
How does Sitnikov simultaneously serve as comic relief and reveal the crueler aspects of Bazarov’s personality?
How does Bazarov’s interaction with the novel’s peasant characters change by the end of the novel, and what does this reveal about his character?
Consider Bazarov and Arkady’s relationship. How does separation from Bazarov contribute to Arkady’s character growth?
Compare Bazarov to characters he claims to despise. What does he have in common with Pavel? With Nikolai? With Sitnikov?
How does Bazarov possess both heroic and villainous qualities?
How is Anna similar to Bazarov? What drives them apart—their similarities or their differences? Why?
