The concept of a “superfluous man” began to appear in Russian literature in the 19th century. It refers to a man who often possesses superior intelligence, which leads him to feel misunderstood and victimized in a society that does not give him the opportunity to realize his abilities. These men are superfluous because they are extra people in society, who cannot find their place and withdraw into themselves. Researchers believe the authors wrote about the superfluous man to represent the struggle between Russia's progressive thinkers and their oppressive government. While this may be true, the superfluous man has key characteristics that are important to analyze in order to understand his character type. Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time, Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and Turgenev's Fathers and Children are novels about superfluous men named Pechorin, Ivan, and Bazarov, respectively, who all experience conflict in their love lives. The source of this conflict, whether it is their lack of fulfillment, their thirst for power, their frustration at being misunderstood or their repressed passion, highlights the inner turmoil that characterizes superfluous men. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayLack of fulfillment is characteristic of the superfluous man; he has many ambitions which are crushed by society and cannot fulfill his potential. Pechorin's relationship with Princess Mary is conflicted due to the feeling of dissatisfaction that he constantly experiences. Pechorin pursues the princess but begins to withdraw when he wins her love because she does not fulfill him. Speculating about this in his diary, Pechorin wrote: “I am no longer capable of losing my head in love. Ambition has been crushed in me by circumstances…”[1] When he says that he cannot lose his head in love, he means that he does not flourish in his romantic relationships. The reason is that Pechorin blames society for his feelings of disappointment and he projects this disappointment onto those around him. If everyone around him is disappointing and mediocre, he will eventually see any woman that way, no matter who she is. In a conversation with his friend Grushnitsky, he says: “The princess, I think, is one of those women who want to have fun, and two boring minutes with you will finish you off for good. »[2] He generalizes that she is the same as all other women, just another common product of society, and uses his intellect and understanding of human nature to manipulate her. So why is Pechorin pursuing Princess Mary? He wrote in his diary that he aspired to power over others: “to inspire in others love, devotion, fear – is this not the first symptom and the supreme triumph of power? »[3] This aspiration for power is characteristic of the superfluous man because it is a reaction to the feeling of dissatisfaction. By nature, when we feel a void, we try to fill it with something. In the context of Imperial Russia, power is the greatest thing a man can have. The superfluous man then runs inexhaustibly after power, believing that it will fill his void. Since power can only satisfy a person temporarily, the desire of the superfluous man is insatiable; he becomes hungry for power. These men's power can come from many sources, such as acceptance into society through a high-ranking job, or the love and acceptance of a woman, as in Lermontov's case. Lermontov recognized that this type of power is only an illusion, describing it as "food to sustain [his] spiritual powers." »[4]Tolstoy's superfluous man, Ivan Ilyich, is comparable to Pechorin. Ivan Ilyich's relationship with his wife Praskovya suffers because his inner conflicts manifest themselves there. Just as Pechorin aspires to power, society shapes Ivan to aspire to it as well. Instead of seeking power over a woman, Ivan strives to climb the ranks of society because he believes this will make him accomplished. His main problems arise when his "official duties", as he calls them, are no longer limited to his work but also to the maintenance of his marriage and his family. After a year of marriage, Ivan realized that "[marriage] is in fact a very complex and difficult matter in respect of which, in order to fulfill one's duty, that is, to lead a decent life and approved by society, a defined attitude must be adopted. just like for his official duties. »[5] When Ivan's duties, his job and his marriage go very well, Ivan is satisfied. It is when he falls ill and is no longer able to accomplish them that he fully assumes the psychological state of the superfluous man. Ivan feels victimized by society due to the nature of his illness; an accident in which he fell and hit his side cost him his life. His opportunities to fulfill his role as a member of the court are then taken away from him and he becomes disillusioned with society. As his work and marital duties are closely intertwined, Ivan simultaneously becomes disappointed in his wife. While he was sick and bedridden, he heard his wife and daughter singing in another room and exclaimed, "They don't mind, but they will die too!" Fools! Me first, and them later, but it will be the same for them. And now they are happy... the animals! »[6] Hearing them enjoy life alienates Ivan because he can only see life as unfair and unfriendly. His wife also adopts these qualities when she does not take the trouble to understand the full scope of his illness and blames him for not getting better.[7] As he gets closer to death, Ivan progresses further into the superfluous type. He begins to question the decisions he has made in his life: "it occurred to him...that those barely perceptible impulses which he had immediately repressed might have been real, and everything else false." And his professional duties and the whole organization of his life and family, as well as all his social and official interests, could have been wrong. »[8] Ivan wonders if marriage and all its other duties are just constructs of society. , but not how life should actually be lived. It is clear from Ivan and Pechorin's introspection that the superfluous man is very self-aware. In Turgenev's Fathers and Children, Bazarov's relationship with Anna Odinsteva reveals the mindset of a superfluous man who has rejected society and isolated himself by choice. Bazarov is a nihilist and a man of science, therefore he rejects all romantic ideals and even reduces emotions to the interactions of the nervous system. His hardened emotions and strict scientific outlook make him an exception in society, and he chooses to isolate himself so that he can live in harmony with its ideologies. This effort at conscious isolation manifests itself in his relationship with Anna. When speaking to Anna, “he expressed even more strongly than before his careless contempt for everything romantic; but when he is left alone, he recognizes with indignation the romantic side that is in him. »[9] Bazarov experiences cognitive dissonance; his mind tells him that he believes in science, but his passion for Anna surpasses all logical thinking. A romantic relationship would contradict his nihilistic beliefs, so he struggles to suppress the passions that arise within him. Even if Bazarov eventually gives in to his passions, he is.