Rebirth (Illustrated Edition)

Author: (Russia) Tolstoy
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Katusha Maslova is the daughter of a peasant woman. Her mother worked at the dairy farm of the lady, Sophia's sisters. Her father was a wandering Romani. At the age of three, Maslova's mother died. The lady, seeing that she was pretty, adopted her. Thus, she lived a life half like a lady and half like a maid. She did housework, cleaned rooms, polished icons with white chalk, roasted meat, ground flour, brewed coffee, washed some light chores; sometimes she read to the mistress. At the age of sixteen, she fell in love with the lady's nephew, the young noble. At that time, he was a university student, coming to his aunt's house for the summer vacation. Two years later, went to serve in the army. Passing by his aunt's house on his way, he stayed there for four days. On a evening, he had a physical relationship with Maslova. As he left, he gave her one hundred rubles and went to the army. After that, never sent her a letter. She was pregnant. Once, Maslova found out that would pass by the station near the estate. Originally, the aunt invited him to come down and visit them, but he replied that he couldn't come, as he had to arrive in St. Petersburg on the specified date. Maslova was very heartbroken, but she decided to go to the station to see him herself. It was a rainy, cool autumn night. Due to the darkness, she couldn't see the small paths in the fields and got lost. By the time she reached the station, the train was about to leave. She saw sitting in the first-class carriage. But there wasn't enough time to say a word to him before the train started. Maslova chased after the train along the platform, dropped her headscarf, and fell hard. Maslova was soaked in rain and exhausted when she returned home. From that day on, she underwent great changes in her thoughts, realizing the unbridgeable gap between herself and the noble young man. She imagined "sitting in a velvet chair, in that brightly lit carriage, talking, drinking, having fun; while I, in the open air, with wind and rain, stood in the dark, crying." She no longer trusted people, believing that everything was a deception. When's aunts found out that Maslova was pregnant, they drove her out of the house. To make a living, she had to work as a maid for others. But every time, she was teased and humiliated by the master. The child she gave birth to also died. Later, she fell into the Kadykova brothel and became a prostitute. Ten years later, Maslova was involved in a murder case and was put on trial by the court. The case went as follows: A Siberian merchant, Similkov, went to the brothel for pleasure. The waiter Karginkin and the former maid Bochka saw that the merchant was rich and had the idea of killing him for his money. They gave a packet of powder to Maslova, asking her to put it in the merchant's teacup, pretending it was a sleeping pill. At that time, Maslova was being bothered by the merchant and wanted to get rid of him, so she did as she was told. As a result, the merchant was poisoned to death. After the incident, the waiter and the maid bribed the lawyer to put all the blame on Maslova. The court held a trial for Maslova's case., as a noble representative, participated in the jury. During the trial, the judges were busy with their own affairs and indifferent to the case. One judge, having just argued with his wife, was in a bad mood and worried that she wouldn't give him food when he got home after finishing the case. Another judge, Matvey, was always late. He was concerned about his illness. He thought that if the number of steps from the door to his seat was divisible by three, his gastritis would be cured. The distance could be covered in twenty-six steps, so he added a small step to make it twenty-seven. The assistant prosecutor, Plevy, who had drunk all night, had not yet sobered up and began to read the trial case against Maslova. The presiding judge wanted to finish the trial before six o'clock so that he could go on a date with a red-haired Swiss girl. recognized Maslova in the jury box, which shocked him. He recalled his seduction of Maslova and believed he was the cause of her misfortune. After seducing Maslova, he had once been plagued by a guilty conscience. But when he thought that everyone in high society did the same, he felt at ease. After completing his service, he visited his aunt's house, but Maslova had already been driven out by the lady. After that, tried hard to forget his mistake and avoid thinking about it. He was now deeply involved with the noble Korchagin family and was rumored to be about to marry Maria, the daughter of Korchagin. However, he had no intention of marrying. He was having an affair with the wife of a nobleman from a county. The trial continued. The court was about to sentence Maslova. The assistant prosecutor, Plevy, stood up and delivered a load of nonsense. He judged Maslova guilty based on criminal genetics, believing that the lower class was inherently inferior and that inferior people would inevitably commit crimes. Maslova was a prostitute, an "inferior and degenerate example," and her crime was unquestionable. Later, the jury wrote a verdict on Maslova. They believed that Maslova had no intention of robbing or stealing money, but forgot to add "no intention of killing," and also made a oversight. As a result, Maslova had to be sentenced. Originally, the presiding judge disagreed with this opinion, but he feared that he would miss his date with the red-haired girl and rushed to conclude the case. Maslova was sentenced to four years of hard labor in Siberia. Maslova was returned to prison, and the prisoners greeted her with sympathetic words. When they learned that she had been sentenced, one prisoner said, "In these days, truth has gone to the dogs." believed the court's judgment was unfair. He went to find the lawyer Fanaly, to appeal the case to a higher court. At the same time, he also went to find the prosecutor. He admitted that he had seduced Maslova, requested to visit the prison, and was to marry Maslova to atone for his mistake. He declared that he would no longer serve as a juror because the court "did not benefit anyone but was immoral." In prison, met Maslova and asked her to forgive him, telling her about his decision to marry her. But Maslova could not forgive him for the past. She angrily said, "You can go find your countesses, my price is a ten-ruble note. I am a criminal, you are a count, there's nothing for you here. You've had your fun with me in this world, and now you want to use me to save yourself so you can go to heaven! I hate you—your glasses, your dirty fat face! Go, go!" was turned away, but he wanted to live up to his conscience, even if Maslova didn't want to marry him, he would go to Siberia with her. Where she went, he would follow. He began to criticize the life path he had walked and felt ashamed of his parasitic life, wanting to break away from his class. To prepare for Siberia, returned to his estate—Kuzminskoye Village. He implemented measures to improve the lives of the peasants. He rented out the land to the peasants at a low price (30% cheaper than what the peasants rented from the landlord in the same county) and changed their dependence on the landlord. Then, he visited Panof (the estate he inherited from his aunt) and personally talked to the peasants, understanding their living conditions and sympathizing with their poverty and situation. He believed, "The main reason the common people are so poor is that they have lost the only thing that can support them—the land." He agreed with the tax system proposed by the American Henry George, believing that "land cannot be the property of anyone; like water, air, and sunlight, it cannot be bought or sold. Everyone has the right to equally enjoy the benefits that land gives to humanity." Here, he rented out the land to the peasants and further used the funds collected from the peasants as public funds or taxes for their own use. He called a meeting of the peasants' representatives. At first, the peasants were half-believing and didn't dare to believe the landlord's kindness. After explained it again and again, they finally accepted it. When returned to the provincial city from the countryside, he felt an infinite sense of relief and a sense of novelty, as if a traveler had discovered a new land. gave Maslova a family photo from his aunt's house, which included her and's photos, and told her that he was going to St. Petersburg for a trip, as the Supreme Court would be hearing Maslova's appeal case. At the same time, he also helped Maslova transfer from the prison to the prison hospital for work. stayed with his aunt in St. Petersburg. His uncle, Count Ivan Mikhaylovich, was the former Minister of State. Through his introduction, visited several influential figures, including the judge, the member of the appeal committee, Baron Frolov, and the head of the state-run church, Topolov. But these high-ranking officials were just as concerned with their own interests as the prisoners' lives. Through his visits, clearly saw that "these officials, from his aunt's husband, the judgeフ, and Topolov, to the handsome, clean, dignified, and self-important gentlemen sitting at the desks of various ministries, although they clearly saw that this situation was causing innocent people to suffer, they didn't care at all, only concerned with suppressing and eliminating all dangerous elements." Maslova's appeal case was dismissed by the Supreme Court for insufficient reasons. left St. Petersburg and told Maslova the bad news. At that time, Maslova had already left the prison hospital. She was falsely accused of having an affair with the medical assistant and was sent back to prison. once again told her that he was determined to go to Siberia with her. Maslova fell in love with again, and so deeply that she unknowingly did everything he hoped she would: she quit smoking and drinking, and no longer showed off her charms. But she also thought that this union would be a misfortune to him. She couldn't accept the sacrifices he made for her. The prisoners being sent to Siberia set off. It was a hot July, and the streets were almost deserted, with only a few passersby walking in the shadows at the roadside. Some prisoners couldn't withstand the scorching sun and died of heatstroke on the spot. campaigned tirelessly for the prisoners' poor conditions, almost becoming their protector. At the same time, through his efforts, Maslova was transferred to the category of political prisoners. In this group, she was quiet and peaceful and no longer bothered by men. Maslova found the political prisoners to be "lovable good people" and learned that they stood with the common people, opposing the upper class. Some of them were from the noble class but sacrificed their privileges and freedom for the common people, which made her particularly admire and respect them. She met a political prisoner named Simonsen. He was shy, modest, and had great willpower. After graduating from university, he joined the populists and served as a village teacher, "openly criticizing things he believed were false and unjust." For this, he was arrested. Soon after, Simonsen fell in love with Maslova. At that time, Maslova had to choose between Simonsen and. She felt, " was proposing out of generosity and because of what had happened in the past. But Simonsen loved her because of her in her current situation, just because he loved her." So, she accepted Simonsen's love. With the help of his St. Petersburg friend, the assistant prosecutor Selinin, had Maslova's case changed from hard labor to exile near Siberia. He told Maslova the news. At that time, a need for family and children arose in his heart. However, Maslova had decided to go with Simonsen. She didn't want to "ruin"'s life. was rejected again, but he didn't feel any pain. He had done his best and made sacrifices to love her. He had paid enough to atone for his mistake. Thus, he peacefully slept on a bench outside the prison, feeling a sweet and pleasant sleep. Later, Maslova and Simonsen left. was left behind. He found five life principles in the Gospel: to be pious toward God, to swear, to endure, to love enemies, and not to resist. He believed that if people followed these five principles and constantly repented, they could "attain great happiness, and the heavenly kingdom on earth would be established." He began to live a new spiritual life. His soul was saved.