The role of Arina
Character of Arina Savishna
Arina Savishna plays a minor role in this novel. She was an inn keeper who impressed the agriculturist, rich landlord Nicholas Petrovitch. He was so impressed by her that he offered her a job as a housekeeper in his huge house. Arina was a perfectionist. She was a hard worker. She was a sincere worker and never got herself into problems. Her cleanliness and services were remarkable. She also prepared delicious Tea. She had a single child, a daughter named Fenitchka. This girl later went on to become the wife of Nicholas Petrovitch. Arina was a wonderful mother who instilled good manners in her child. But alas, she died of cholera leaving her daughter alone behind. But her good deeds made Fenitchka the wife to the rich landlord.
Character of Arina Vlasseievna
The other mother who attracts attention to herself because of her unquestioning and undemanding love towards her only child, Bazarov is Arina Vlasseievna. Arina Vlassievna mother of Bazarov is a very sweet woman. She was a generous lady always ready to help people. She felt pity for the beggars and gave them alms. She was a good landlady and treated her peasants well. One negative point in Arinas character is that she was very superstitious and believed in evil spirits and the like. To quote her
Arina Vlassievna was a true type of the lesser Russian nobility of the old regime she ought to have come into the world two hundred years earlier, in the time of the grand dukes of Moskow. Very impressible and of great piety, she believed in every possible omen, in divinations, in witchcraft, in dreams .. (Pg.145)
Arina Vlasseievna stands out in the novel as a woman who has loads of love and affection towards her son, Bazarov. Hers is a true motherly love which does not expect anything in return. Her love was pure and innocent. It was an unreciprocated love since her son never shared or showed his love to her. She was just a nuisance to him a boredom, that only wasted his time. He never understood or felt the joy of being loved unselfishly. He did not gave any credit to her love, let alone show any affection towards her. Thus, the figure of Arina arouses pity in our heart. We feel sympathetic towards her in her desperate attempt to reach her son. We can feel her silent prayers and silent tears. She is a true mother indeed She has a selfless loving heart.
Arina is a lovely dignified lady. She was a beauty in her youth. She married on force, out of her will. She was against her marriage still she went on to become a dutiful wife. She served her husband well. She left her entire estate to her husband to administrate. She never interfered in his work. She was delighted at her sons birth. Her child, Bazarov became the center of her horizon. He gave a new meaning to her life. She began to look for the love that she did not find in her spouses arms. He was the entire world to her. She began to shower all her energy, her attention and her love exclusively on him. She adored her son so much that when he arrived home after three years, she arranged a prayer for his well being. This showed her strong belief in god. She was very religious. She was so much concerned about her son that she arranged his bedroom to his comfort and took great care on every minute little detail of his room. She cooked all his favorite dishes. She gaped in awe when his son played cards along with his father. Her son was not interested in her affections though. But she did not care. She was showering all her fondness on her only child. According to Turgenev She loved and feared her son incredibly
Arina was devastated when his son left suddenly to attend some business. She comforted her husband and hid her emotions. The next time her son visited them, she didnt pour out her emotions. She held them back to give him some privacy. This reflects her understanding nature. She is generous even in her love and rejoices in seeing her loved one happy. She listens to her husband who asks her to be away from her son and not disturb him on trivial issues.
The tragedy of her life is that her son remained unaffectionate towards her. He was basically aloof in nature and disbelieved in demonstrative love. According to him showing too much of love was of no use. He had a practical approach to his life. He was even unemotional about his friends and his life. He did not have the capacity to love anyone.
When he was infected with a deadly virus, his parents were distressed. To quote Arina she felt
A few days earlier she had dropped her toilette glasses which broke and she considered this as the most sinister omen. (Pg.236). Arina was a strong lady. She never broke up. She even provided strength to her husband. She prayed for the wellbeing of her son. When a German doctor came to see Bazarov, she felt that her prayers had been answered. Alas But, this was not true. Arinas son had to die. That was his fate. But, Arina showed great strength in grief too. She was there bearing everything with a determination giving comfort to her husband. When the grief became unbearable then she gave vent to it in loud tears. She wept very badly but never cursed the gods. She knew that Bazarov was fated to have a short life. Hence, this happening was out of anyones control. This shows that Arina was a practical lady who accepted things at face value.
When the world was celebrating their happiness, the old couple went to their sons graveyard to offer flowers with tears in their eyes. They had lost their only child. They had nurtured him with great care and done everything for him. They feel bewildered as to why God did not hear their prayers. But how the heart rests inside the tomb sprung with soft flowers, smiling at us in peace. To quote they speak to us not only of eternal repose, of that perfect repose of indifferent nature they speak to us also of eternal reconciliation, and of a life which cannot end.
The story tells us so much about the relationship of fathers and sons. But we get the essence of a new one that is the mothers love.
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