# Marcus Karenin — The World Set Free character guide > Marcus Karenin in The World Set Free by H. G. Wells. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Karenin, old Karenin, Marcus, II Karenin, X Karenin **First appearance:** 0003-prelude ## Who they are An aging visionary who, from a Himalayan surgical station, weighs the world's new freedom against its coming 'beautiful ecstasy of waste.' ## Relationships ### [Fowler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/fowler) _friendship_ Fowler and Marcus Karenin share a deep intellectual camaraderie, often debating the future of society and science. ### [Rachel Borken](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/rachel_borken) _romantic_ Marcus Karenin and Rachel Borken share a deep, emotionally charged romantic bond, marked by mutual admiration and intellectual connection. ### [Gardener](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/gardener) _friendship_ The Gardener and Marcus Karenin share a quiet, reflective friendship, often discussing philosophy and the natural world. ### [Kahn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/kahn) _rivalry_ Kahn and Marcus Karenin are intellectual and political rivals, clashing over the direction of post-war reconstruction. ### [The Woman at the Window](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/the_woman_at_the_window) _psychological_ Marcus Karenin is fascinated and haunted by The Woman at the Window, who symbolizes an unattainable ideal or obsession. ### [Edith Haydon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/edith_haydon) _friendship_ Edith Haydon and Marcus Karenin are close friends and intellectual allies, supporting each other through personal and societal upheavals. ### [The Woman at the Window](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/the_woman_at_the_window) _psychological_ Marcus Karenin is fascinated and haunted by The Woman at the Window, who symbolizes an unattainable ideal or obsession. ### [Fowler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/fowler) _friendship_ Fowler and Marcus Karenin share a deep intellectual camaraderie, often debating the future of society and science. ### [Rachel Borken](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/rachel_borken) _romantic_ Marcus Karenin and Rachel Borken share a deep, emotionally charged romantic bond, marked by mutual admiration and intellectual connection. ### [Kahn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/kahn) _rivalry_ Kahn and Marcus Karenin are intellectual and political rivals, clashing over the direction of post-war reconstruction. ### [Fowler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/fowler) _friendship_ Fowler and Marcus Karenin share a deep intellectual camaraderie, often debating the future of society and science. ### [Rachel Borken](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/rachel_borken) _romantic_ Marcus Karenin and Rachel Borken share a deep, emotionally charged romantic bond, marked by mutual admiration and intellectual connection. ## In the story ### [The World Set Free](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/the-world-set-free) Undergoes a transformative operation and envisions a new world order. ### [Prelude: The Sun Snarers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/prelude) Karenin is a visionary leader who undergoes a transformative operation and plays a key role in the establishment of the World Republic. ### [IV: The New Phase](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/iv-the-new-phase) A Russian congenital cripple who dominates the educational committee of the World Republic, overseeing the mental and spiritual reconstruction of society. ### [§ X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/x) Dominant figure on the educational committee; a congenital cripple who advocated self-abnegation and universal education based on the principle 'Whosoever would save his soul shall lose it.' ### [§ XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/xi) Credited with bringing religion back into the texture of human life, seeing it as a common necessity and rephrasing it for the new age. ### [The Last Days of Marcus Karenin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/v-the-last-days-of-marcus-karenin) Central figure; reflects on his life, the past, and the future of humanity while awaiting a risky operation. ### [§ I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/i) Arrives at the Himalayan surgical station for his second operation, reflects on his completed work and the scenery. ### [§ II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/ii) The patient, facing a risky operation with serene acceptance, reflecting on his own physical defects and the future of human health. ### [§ III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/iii) Awakens on his last day before surgery, contemplates death and the fear of a diminished survival, and discusses his legacy with Gardener. ### [§ IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/iv) The central figure, lying ill, reflecting on the old world and the necessity of atomic destruction. ### [§ V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/v) Leads a philosophical discussion on the inevitability of scientific progress and the role of historical context in shaping individuals like Bismarck. ### [§ VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/vi) Karenin rests, wakes, deals with administrative matters, and then participates in a discussion about love and women's place in the new world. ### [§ VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/vii) Leads the discussion on unspecialising sex and abolishing the sexual heroine; argues for thinking in relation to the sun and stars. ### [§ VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/viii) Leads the conversation, expressing optimism about scientific progress and humanity's potential for self-modification and space exploration. ### [§ IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/ix) Central figure; reflects on his operation and the collective human spirit. ### [§ X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/chapters/x) The central figure of the chapter, who desires solitude before his operation, contemplates the stars and the moon, undergoes surgery, and dies from a post-operative complication. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters/marcus_karenin - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_set_free_se/characters