Resurrection

Tolstoy's final major novel, "Resurrection," plunges into the moral abyss of 19th-century Russia through the spiritual awakening of Prince Dmitri Nekhlyudov. Years after a youthful indiscretion with a housemaid, Katerina Maslova, Nekhlyudov finds himself serving on a jury where Maslova, now a prostitute, is unjustly convicted of murder. Overwhelmed by profound guilt and a sudden, searing realization of his complicity in her tragic fate, Nekhlyudov embarks on a radical quest for atonement. He dedicates himself to overturning her wrongful conviction, abandoning his privileged life, and following her arduous journey through the corrupt legal system to Siberian exile. As he confronts the systemic injustices, the hypocrisy of the Church, and the pervasive suffering of the lower classes, Nekhlyudov's transformation exposes the stark moral decay beneath society's veneer. The novel is a powerful indictment of social corruption and a deeply personal exploration of sin, forgiveness, and the arduous path to spiritual regeneration.