Resurrection, by Leo Tolstoy

[teacher_jane1]

Leo Tolstoy said that Resurrection was his own favorite of his novels. Written after his conversion to Christianity, Tolstoy had disavowed the sensual subject matter of the scandalous Anna Karenina and deeply humanist War and Peace. Resurrection is a pointed, somewhat heavy-handed critique of the Russian prison system. A young prostitute named Maslova is brought to court on a murder charge; though she is clearly innocent, the bungling jury accidentally proclaims her guilty. On this jury sits Nekhlyudov, a young Russian nobleman who realizes during the trial that he knows Maslova. She was his lover, and he abandoned her after taking her virginity and condemning her to social exile. When Maslova is declared guilty and sentenced to exile in Siberia, Nekhlyudov sets out to vindicate and free her. His quest takes him through the maddening intricacies of the penal system and forces him to confront the corruption at the heart of Russian society: the impossibility of claiming justice for the poor. Nekhlyudov's quest to save Maslova becomes a quest to save Russia, and in the process, his own immortal soul.

[Hope15]

What moved me the most in this novel is: how true is what Tolstoy says about the judicial system, even in our world of today. And this is not just in France, but all over the world. When I read those sections on judicial errors, imprisonment for lack of official papers, inhuman treatment of prisoners, and the fallacy of the 'correctional system', I really had the impression that very little has changed since his time.

But, before I get carried out, here are some more points that also moved me deeply, as I could relate to all them personally:

Nekhludoff’s internal void, when he feels he has not really done anything useful so far, to give a meaning to his life. Then he is called into the jury duty, where he sees how his former recklessness has ruined the life of a woman and her child. And, he decides to act.

His transformation is not a linear process. At every instant, he is struggling with two internal forces, equally valid and equally strong, and it’s hard to tell which one is going to win. Tolstoy does a great job in unravelling this process, this severe inner conflict in depth, and the gradual change in the lifestyle of Nekhludoff.

Maslova, over whom Nekhludoff has this conflict, doesn’t make his job easy either. In a less experienced writer’s hand, she would have fallen for Nekhludoff's offer immediately, but that would have been unrealistic, and the story would have lost its challenge. In fact, at the end, just the opposite of what’s expected happens! Yet, what happens also appeases the heart of Nekhludoff, and we see his true sacrifice. Isn't this how life is really?

Nekhludoff had stopped believing in himself and started believing in others. This gave him a serious conflict between his conscience and animal instincts; unconsciously, he started to hate himself, thus others as well. When he starts to believe himself again, he feels tender toward himself, experiences a freedom and joy he has never known before. This is something I can relate to, both in my professional and personal world; it gave me the courage to be like him even more.

Nekhludoff had become so obsessed with the 'social mirrors' that, even when he started to act for Maslova, he kept asking himself if he was really doing all that for his conscience, or to look good in the eyes of others. This is so true! No matter how hard I try, my old habit of looking into the social mirrors always comes back.

I loved Tolstoy’s insight where he shows how Maslove reasons in favor of her ‘profession’, to give a meaning to her life. This is something I've always done about my job of a business consultant, although I know how wrong I am. Yet, I have to keep this job to feed mouths.

Then Maslova starts to transform during her travel across Siberia, under the influence of those two fellow prisoners, whose opinions become important to her. She changes, to live up to their eyes, because she feels they care for her. This happened to me too, when I met someone who cared for me.

In fact, in one novel, Tolstoy has enacted two great resurrections: one of Nekhludoff and one of Maslova!!!

Now, coming back to the judicial system. I absolutely agree with the paragraph where Tolstoy says that those who are the most nervous, strongest, talented, yet the least careful and lacking cunning, fall victim to the judicial systems. And, the ‘correctional methods’ are total misnomers, because they correct nothing; only destroy the individual. This is a universal phenomenon, as I've seen.

How can we 'correct' people, by confining them behind bars, by humiliating them? Why call these methods 'correctional' at all? Can't we think of better means? Let's hope.

What does everyone think?

[rachel_bruhn]

I can't say I have ever read this novel (although it sounds like it is probably right up my alley), but I see the same flaws in our correctional system. My undergrad degree is in psychology and criminology, so I have studied a lot about how people work and our criminal "justice" system. The punishment for stealing, for example, is a short jail sentence, after that the debt is supposed to be paid. However, our system keeps that sentence assigned for life.

People convicted of crimes have a hard time trying to find legitimate work because of their history. Everyone has to make a living, so these people are pushed into a life of re-offending because they are unable to find legitimate work that pays well enough to support them.

Similarly, while in prison there is no support to help teach offenders skills to return to society and be a productive citizens. They are sent back out into the world alone and left to return to the people and the life they had before. There are a few transition programs out there that try to help, but they are few and far between. There is clear corruption even within the prison system, where gangs run rampant and even drugs are able to be smuggled in.

For many prisoners, they choose to be there. They get free meals, free beds, free shelter. It used to be that offenders had to pay for their prison stint, or their family was responsible for covering their expenses. However, people began to argue that keeping criminals off the street was a public service, and therefore the public should have to pay for it. Now taxpayers spend millions each year on feeding and housing convicted criminals.

I think the fact that our prisons are over populated shows that the system is not working. As a psychologist, I see ways that society can help offenders (and others on similar life tracks) by removing the stigma associated with getting help. People don't want to see a therapist or psychiatrist because that means they are "crazy". Many people just lack the skills necessary to make better choices and cope with trauma that they have experienced in their lives. If mental/behavioral health services were more readily available to the general population, we might actually be able to start making changes.

I am only familiar with the American "justice" system. After reading your post, I think I need to add Tolstoy to my list of authors to read.

[Hope15]

I agree with you on the correctional system. Thanks for sharing, Rachel

[psdoerksen]

I'm a social worker in Canada, and I tell you, this book articulated better than all the material I've encountered just why we need a restorative justice system, not a punitive one. It's brilliant. Though it works better as an argument than it does as a novel; all it's elements are just a little too "tight."