Fate and Free Will

Where it surfaces

• V

  Lemm is described as 'born under an unlucky star,' and his life is marked by relentless hardship and missed opportunities, emphasizing the role of fate in shaping his destiny.

• VIII

  Ivan's deliberate choice to marry Malanya and pursue a new life in Petersburg illustrates his exercise of free will against familial fate.

• XI

  Ivan Petrovitch's sudden blindness and decline, his futile attempts to control his fate through doctors and travel, and Lavretsky's passive endurance of his upbringing.

• XII

  The chance appearance of Mihalevitch in Varvara Pavlovna's box strikes Lavretsky as 'curious and significant,' suggesting a fateful turn in his life.

• XVI

  Lavretsky's sense of being overwhelmed by fate, yet his eventual choice to become indifferent and return home.

• XXV

  Mihalevitch dismisses destiny as 'an old habit of expressing things inexactly,' arguing instead for personal agency and the need to take action.

• XXVII

  Lavretsky's reflection on his past and the sudden news of his wife's death suggest the unpredictable turns of fate that shape his choices.

• XXIX

  Lisa suggests happiness does not depend on ourselves, while Lavretsky insists on the power of personal choice in matters of love.

• XXXII

  Lavretsky feels helpless, waiting for fateful news; Lisa's enigmatic look and her avoidance of Lavretsky hint at forces beyond their control shaping their destinies.

• XLI

  Lavretsky struggles with his own choices and the role of fate in his pursuit of happiness, questioning whether he can master his own destiny.

• XLII

  Lisa declares that happiness does not depend on us but on God, suggesting a fatalistic acceptance of their separation as ordained.

• Epilogue

  The characters' fates are sealed: Lisa in the convent, Lavretsky as a solitary wanderer, and the younger generation moving forward, suggesting an acceptance of fate.