What Is to Be Done? · Chapter
Part IV: Second Marriage explained
Vera Pavlovna marries Kirsanov after Lopukhov's apparent suicide, and they establish a new household based on equality and mutual respect.
What happens
Vera Pavlovna marries Kirsanov after Lopukhov's apparent suicide, and they establish a new household based on equality and mutual respect. The chapter explores their domestic life, the continuation of Vera's sewing cooperative, and the development of their relationship as a model of rational love and partnership.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage marks the dramatic climax because the speaker articulates a decisive psychological reversal: she…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Love and Marriage
Vera's second marriage to Kirsanov is portrayed as a union based on rational love, equality, and mutual respect, contrasting with traditional bourgeois marriage.
- The New People
Vera and Kirsanov exemplify the 'new people'—progressive individuals who reject societal conventions and strive for personal and social transformation.
Characters to notice
- Viéra Pavlovna
Marries Kirsanov and continues her work with the sewing cooperative, embodying the ideals of the new woman.
- Aleksandr Matvéitch Kirsánof
Marries Vera and supports her independence, representing the rational and progressive man.
- Dmitri Sergéitch Lopukhóf
His apparent suicide sets the stage for Vera's second marriage, though he later returns as Beaumont.
- Rakhmétof
The extraordinary man who appears to guide and influence the characters' revolutionary ideals.
Key passages
“Vera Pavlovna's second marriage was not a mere repetition of the first; it was a new stage in her development.”
Vera's marriage to Kirsanov represents her continued growth and evolution as an individual, not just a rehash of her past.
Highlights the progressive nature of Vera's personal journey.
