Resurrection
What is Resurrection about?
Resurrection , the last full-length novel written by Leo Tolstoy , was published in 1899 after ten years in the making. A humanitarian cause—the pacifist Doukhobor sect, persecuted by the Russian government, needed funds to emigrate to Canada—prompted Tolstoy to finish the novel and dedicate its ensuing revenues to alleviate their plight. Ultimately, Tolstoy’s actions were credited with helping hundreds of Doukhobors emigrate to Canada. The novel centers on the relationship between Nekhlúdoff, a Russian landlord, and Máslova, a prostitute whose life took a turn for the worse after Nekhlúdoff wronged her ten years prior to the novel’s events. After Nekhlúdoff happens to sit in the jury for a trial in which Máslova is accused of poisoning a merchant, Nekhlúdoff begins to understand the harm he has inflicted upon Máslova—and the harm that the Russian state and society inflicts upon the poor and marginalized—as he embarks on a quest to alleviate Máslova’s suffering. Nekhlúdoff’s process of spiritual awakening in Resurrection serves as a framing for many of the novel’s religious and political themes, such as the hypocrisy of State Christianity and the injustice of the penal system, which were also the subject of Tolstoy’s nonfiction treatise on Christian anarchism, The Kingdom of God Is Within You . The novel also explores the “single tax” economic theory propounded by the American economist Henry George , which drives a major subplot in the novel concerning the management of Nekhlúdoff’s estates.
Main themes in Resurrection
Redemption and guilt
In Resurrection, redemption and guilt provides a lens for understanding the story's core message.
Social injustice
The presence of social injustice in Resurrection connects readers to its enduring relevance.
Institutional corruption
The theme of institutional corruption weaves through Resurrection, adding depth to its narrative.
Christian ethics
The theme of christian ethics weaves through Resurrection, adding depth to its narrative.
Why Resurrection is still relevant today
Resurrection is Tolstoy's last major novel, written after his spiritual transformation. Prince Nekhlyudov seeks redemption after recognizing a prostitute he once seduced. The novel critiques Russian social institutions—courts, prisons, the church—with fierce moral conviction. It's Tolstoy's most directly political fiction.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Resurrection about?
Nobleman Nekhlyudov serves on a jury and recognizes the defendant as a woman he seduced and abandoned years ago. Seeking to expiate his guilt, he follows her to Siberian exile, confronting Russia's legal and penal systems.
Is Resurrection as good as Tolstoy's earlier novels?
It's more polemical and less novelistic than War and Peace or Anna Karenina. Tolstoy's message sometimes overwhelms his art. But it contains powerful scenes and represents his mature moral vision directly.
What does Tolstoy criticize in Resurrection?
Tolstoy attacks virtually every Russian institution: courts that ignore justice, prisons that destroy inmates, churches that betray Christianity, and an aristocracy blind to its exploitation of others.
How does Resurrection reflect Tolstoy's later philosophy?
The novel embodies Tolstoy's radical Christianity—criticism of institutional religion, advocacy for the poor, and belief in personal moral transformation. Nekhlyudov's journey mirrors Tolstoy's own spiritual crisis.