# Sexual Exploitation and Women's Position in Resurrection

> Theme guide for Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy.

Máslova's fall from innocence into prostitution and prison illustrates how women, especially those of lower classes, are objectified and victimized by men, while society blames them for their own degradation. Her internal justification of her role as a prostitute reflects a survival mechanism in a patriarchal world.

## Where it surfaces

- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/ii): Katúsha's life is a series of sexual exploitations: seduced by Nekhlúdoff, assaulted by a police officer and a forester, and eventually forced into prostitution by economic necessity.
- [The Indictment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/x): Máslova's role as a prostitute ('Lúbka') and her exploitation by Smelkóff and the brothel system are central to the charges against her.
- [The Trial Begins: The Indictment and Pleas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/xi): Maslova's testimony reveals her powerlessness: she was coerced by Smelkoff and manipulated by Kartínkin, yet she is the one on trial for her life.
- [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/xvi): Nekhlúdoff's predatory pursuit of Katúsha, a servant, exemplifies the sexual exploitation of women in a patriarchal society, where her resistance is overridden by his animal passion.
- [The Seduction](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/xvii): Nekhlúdoff's predatory pursuit of Katúsha, a servant, highlights the power imbalance and exploitation inherent in their relationship.
- [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/xix): Máslova's past as a prostitute and her current status as a prisoner underscore the exploitation of women, while Kitáeva's testimony reveals the commodification of women's bodies in the brothel system.
- [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/xxi): Máslova is blamed as a temptress and 'decadent' woman, while the man who seduced her remains unpunished, highlighting gender inequality.
- [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/xxix): Máslova is objectified by male convicts and even by the men in court who previously looked at her approvingly, reflecting her vulnerability as a woman.
- [XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/xxxvii): Máslova's memory of being seduced and abandoned by Nekhlúdoff, and her subsequent life of prostitution, highlight the exploitation of women.
- [XLIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/xliii): Máslova's past seduction by Nekhlúdoff and her subsequent fall into prostitution and prison illustrate the exploitation of women and their limited options.
- [XLIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/xliv): Máslova's view of life as a prostitute highlights the exploitation and limited agency of women in her society.
- [XLVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/xlviii): Máslova accuses Nekhlúdoff of having used her for pleasure and now seeking to save himself, reflecting her experience of exploitation.
- [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/xiii): Máslova's flashback to her life in prostitution and her bitter recollection of the 'terrible nights' highlight the exploitation and suffering imposed on women.
- [XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/xxviii): Nekhlúdoff compares Mariette's manipulative charm to a prostitute's direct offer, highlighting the exploitation of women in different social strata.
- [Chapter XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/xxix): Máslova's false accusation of an intrigue with the medical assistant underscores the sexual exploitation and vulnerability of women in prison.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/i): Máslova faces constant sexual harassment from male prisoners and guards, illustrating the vulnerability of women in the prison system.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/chapters/iii): Both Máslova and Mary Pávlovna share a repulsion to sexual love, the former from traumatic experience, the latter from ideological conviction, highlighting women's struggles with sexuality and dignity.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/themes/sexual_exploitation_and_womens_position
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/resurrection_se/themes