# Katerina Vasílyevna — What Is to Be Done? character guide > Katerina Vasílyevna in What Is to Be Done? by Nikolay Chernyshevsky. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Katerina, Kátya, Miss Pólozova **First appearance:** 0088-xv-vi-ra-pavlovna-s-fourth-dream ## Snapshot A rich man's daughter who fell in love with a man's letters, then with the question of why money ruins everyone it touches, and who reads George Sand in secret. ## Who they are Katerina Vasílyevna moves through her father's frivolous house surrounded by flatterers and fortune hunters, her imagination fixed on Geneviève and Miss Nightingale rather than on the marriage market. The Sólovtsof episode leaves her asking whom she can believe, and her charitable giving only deepens her sense that money cannot fix the poverty it creates. Her seriousness and her wealth make her a natural friend for Viéra and a quiet counterweight to the novel's more programmatic characters. ## In the story ### [XVII: A Letter from Ekaterina Vasílyevna Pólozova](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xvii-a-letter-from-ekaterina-vas-lyevna-p-lozova) The letter writer, who enthusiastically describes her visit to Viéra Pavlovna's sewing shop and plans to establish a similar one. ### [Part V: New People, and the Finale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/part-v-new-people-and-the-finale) A character who undergoes transformation through the new people's influence, eventually marrying Charles Beaumont (Lopukhóf). ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/i) Mentioned as the daughter of Pólozof, who is grateful to Viéra Pavlovna's husband. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/ii) The chapter focuses on Kátya's upbringing, her freedom to read and dream, and her sudden decline in health at age seventeen. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/iii) The sick girl suffering from hopeless love; initially silent but eventually reveals the man's name to Kirsánof. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/iv) Suffers from consumption due to suppressed love for Sólovtsof; hides her true feelings from her father. ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/v) Suffering from love for Sólovtsof; shows calm firmness and readiness to die. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/vi) The sick girl whose mental suffering is the cause of her illness; she is grateful to Kirsánof for his intervention. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/vii) Struggles with doubts about her fiancé Sólovtsof, postpones the wedding, and ultimately breaks the engagement after recognizing his true nature. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/viii) Reflects on her romantic disappointment with Jean Sólovtsof and her growing disillusionment with wealth and society. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xi) Melancholy and lonesome; expresses desire for meaningful work and frustration with societal restrictions on women; teaches little girls but feels it is insufficient; shows interest in Mrs. Kirsánova's cooperative. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xii) Visits Vera Pavlovna's workshop, is greatly inspired, and recounts her experience to Beaumont. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xiii) The object of Beaumont's intentions; Pólozof believes Beaumont is an excellent match for her. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xiv) Initially cool and suspicious of Beaumont, but soon engages in lively conversation and decides to trust him, offering to share information about the Kirsánofs. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xv) Her enthusiasm transforms into a constant, earnest mood; she reflects on Beaumont's feelings and concludes he may love her. ### [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xvi) Shows concern for Beaumont's absence and visits him, demonstrating her growing attachment. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xvii) Visits Beaumont freely and speaks to him with casual familiarity, often leaving him with her father when tired. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xviii) Engages in deep discussions with Beaumont about marriage, experience, and women's intellect; reflects on her own character and past love for Sólovtsof. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xix) Visits Vera to announce her marriage to Beaumont, revealing Beaumont's prior knowledge of Vera. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xxi) Visits the factory with her husband; hosts gatherings there. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xxii) Lives in the adjoining apartment, runs her own sewing shop, prepares to pass medical examinations, and engages in playful debates with Vera. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xxiii) Hosts the party, expresses concern for the lady in mourning, and whispers to her husband about the possibility of a similar fate. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/characters/katerina_polozova - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/characters