Nihilism comes from the Latin nihil, meaning nothing. Its definitions includethe rejection of all distinctions in moral value, constituting a willingness to refute allprevious theories of morality, and a doctrine among the Russian intelligentsia of the1860s and 1870s, denying all authority in favor of individualism (The AmericanHeritage Dictionary, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1973).Turgenev introduces Bazarov as a nihilist and mentor to his young friend, Arkady. Thoroughly immersed in nihilism, Bazarov appears emotionally cold. He rejects naturalfeelings and inclinations such as fear, love, and affection. Anything connected withemotion--art, literature, poetry, music-- Bazarov views as unnecessary. Instead, heembraces the cold logic and reasoning of the mind. Bazarov coaches his young student,Arkady, in the aspects and subtitles of nihilism. Arkady, however, sometimes lapses intoromanticism and allows his emotions to lead him, for which Bazarov sharply rebukeshim.Turgenev juxtaposes Bazarov and Arkady to illustrate the tension betweennihilism and romanticism, logic and emotion. As Arkady blooms into a well-adjustedman, Bazarov becomes increasingly bottled up and unhappy. Nihilisms characteristic ofemotional repression runs counter to the natural inclinations of the human soul. For mostof the book, Turgenev reveals the rules and intricacies of nihilism, and their effects onArkady and Bazarov, allowing the reader to form an unbiased opinion. Not until the enddoes Turgenev expose his opinion of nihilism.Nihilists believe in whatever is useful (53), explains Bazarov. Art, poetry,nature, and music are sentimental constructions of the romantic mind and serve no goodpurpose. During a heated argument about art and imagination with Arkadys aristocraticuncle, Bazarov declares, according to [nihilism], Raphael is not worth a nickel (57). Ina similar clashing of views, Bazarov blurts, A decent chemist is twenty times moreuseful than an...
