Nekhludoff's decision to marry Maslova

Nekhludoff's decision to marry Katerina Maslova emerges not as a romantic impulse but as the culminating act of a profound moral and spiritual crisis. The decision is forged in the crucible of a single night following the trial, when the full weight of his past sin and the emptiness of his present life become unbearable. It is a resolution born of despair, self-loathing, and a desperate, almost religious, need for purification, and it fundamentally reorients the course of his life, setting him on a path of personal sacrifice and social defiance.

The Night of Awakening

The decision crystallizes during the night of April 28, after Nekhludoff returns from the Korchagin dinner party, disgusted by the falseness of aristocratic society and haunted by the image of Maslova in the prisoners' dock. Alone in his drawing-room, he is tormented by the memory of his betrayal and the 100-rouble note he thrust into her apron. He paces, smokes, and confronts the "shameful and horrid" nature of his entire existence—his idle life, his affair with Mary Vasilievna, his hypocritical position as a landowner who believes land ownership is unjust. The memory of his pure, youthful love for Katusha on that Easter morning rises up, and the contrast with his current depravity is so vast that he feels physically ill. In this state of acute moral anguish, he experiences what he calls a "cleansing of the soul," a spiritual awakening that has occurred several times before but never with such shattering force. He recognizes that the aversion he feels for everyone around him is actually an aversion for himself, and this painful acknowledgment brings a strange, quiet joy.

The Formulation of the Resolve

From this turmoil, Nekhludoff formulates a series of concrete resolutions. He will break the lies that bind him: he will tell Missy the truth about his profligacy, confess to Mary Vasilievna's husband, and dispose of his inheritance in accordance with his principles. Most crucially, he resolves to see Maslova, confess his sin, and ask for her forgiveness. The thought that he might marry her if necessary arises almost as an afterthought, a logical extension of his duty. He imagines himself begging her pardon "as children do," and the idea of marrying her, even if it means following her to Siberia, fills him with a sense of righteous purpose. He prays, asking God to "enter within me and purify me of all this abomination," and feels a surge of power, believing himself capable of all the best that a man can do. This is not a calculated plan but a passionate, almost ecstatic, commitment to a new life.

The Confession and the Proposal

The decision is tested and solidified in his subsequent encounters with Maslova. His first attempt to confess in the prison visiting-room is nearly drowned out by the din of other prisoners, and he can only shout, "I have come to ask you to forgive me." The shame he feels, far from deterring him, confirms the rightness of his course. When he finally speaks to her alone, he tells her he has decided to marry her. Her furious rejection—"You go to your princesses; my price is a ten-rouble note"—stuns him but does not break his resolve. He sees in her anger the reflection of his own guilt and understands that his duty is not contingent on her acceptance. Later, when he learns of her alleged intrigue with the medical assistant, his initial disgust gives way to a deeper realization: he loves her not for his own sake but for hers and for God's. This marks a crucial evolution from a self-regarding act of atonement to a selfless commitment to another person's well-being.

The Unwavering Commitment

Nekhludoff's decision remains unshaken by every obstacle. The Senate's rejection of Maslova's appeal does not deter him; he resolves to follow her to Siberia regardless. He makes practical preparations, selling his property and arranging his affairs. He endures the humiliation of petitioning officials like Maslennikoff, whom he despises, and the discomfort of traveling third-class with the convicts. Even when Maslova finally chooses to unite her fate with Simonson, Nekhludoff accepts her decision without resentment, recognizing that his own role in her life is complete. The decision to marry her was never about possessing her but about fulfilling a moral imperative, and that imperative has been satisfied. The resolution, born in a single night of torment, ultimately transforms him from a man defined by his past sins into one defined by his capacity for love and sacrifice, a transformation that is the novel's central spiritual drama.