The decision to appeal to the Emperor

The decision to appeal to the Emperor marks the final legal recourse after the Senate's rejection of Maslova's case, and it becomes the crucible in which Nekhludoff's moral transformation is tested and confirmed. When the advocate Fanarin informs him that the Senate has dismissed the appeal, Nekhludoff is struck by the terrible finality of the verdict: an innocent woman is condemned to four years of penal servitude in Siberia, and the highest court has refused to intervene. The advocate immediately proposes a further step: "We will appeal to His Majesty, and you can hand in the petition yourself while you are here. I will write it for you" . This offer opens a new path, but one that Nekhludoff knows is fraught with the same indifference and procedural obstruction he has already encountered.

The Advocate's Counsel and the Senate's Failure

Fanarin, the advocate who has taken up Maslova's case, is blunt about the slim chances of success. He tells Nekhludoff that the reasons for appeal are "insufficient" and that the Senate's rejection was based on formal grounds, not on the merits of the case. Yet he also acknowledges the injustice: "The case was spoiled in the Criminal Court" . The advocate's advice is practical: Nekhludoff must go to Petersburg, use his connections, and personally deliver the petition to the Emperor or to influential members of the Petition Committee. The advocate even offers to write the petition for him, and Nekhludoff agrees, feeling that this is the only remaining avenue to save Maslova from an unmerited fate.

Nekhludoff's Inner Struggle and the Weight of the Past

The decision to appeal is not merely a legal maneuver; it is the culmination of Nekhludoff's long and painful reckoning with his own guilt. Throughout the novel, he has been haunted by the memory of his betrayal of Katusha Maslova, the servant girl he seduced and abandoned. The trial, where he served as a juror and saw her condemned, forced him to confront the "cruelty, cowardice and baseness" of his past actions . He recalls the moment when, after their last encounter, he thrust a 100-rouble note into her apron and ran away, groaning as if he had hurt himself . This memory, and the realization that he has lived for nine years with such a sin on his conscience, drives him to seek atonement. The decision to appeal to the Emperor is thus an extension of his earlier resolve to "break this lie which binds me and confess everything, and will tell everybody the truth, and act the truth" .

The Spiritual Awakening and the Call to Action

Nekhludoff's decision is also rooted in a profound spiritual awakening that occurs after the trial. In a moment of prayer, he feels the "God within him" awaken his consciousness, and he becomes capable of "all the power of righteousness" . This awakening transforms his view of his own life and his obligations to others. He no longer sees his wealth, his social position, or his future marriage to Missy as meaningful. Instead, he is consumed by the need to help Maslova, to follow her to Siberia if necessary, and to do everything in his power to lighten her fate. The appeal to the Emperor is the most direct and powerful means he can imagine to achieve this, and he pursues it with a determination that surprises even himself.

The Journey to Petersburg and the Encounter with Officialdom

Nekhludoff's journey to Petersburg to pursue the appeal exposes him to the full machinery of the state, which he finds morally bankrupt. He visits the Senate, where he meets Senator Wolf, a man who prides himself on being "un homme tres comme il faut" but who is indifferent to the suffering of the innocent . Wolf tells him that the Senate cannot decide the case on its merits, only on the exactness of the application of the laws. Nekhludoff also seeks help from his aunt, Countess Katerina Ivanovna, who is more interested in the fashionable preacher Kiesewetter than in the plight of a convict. He even approaches the Vice-Governor Maslennikoff, a former comrade, who is more concerned with his own career and the appearance of order than with justice. These encounters reinforce Nekhludoff's conviction that the system is fundamentally corrupt and that only an appeal to the highest authority—the Emperor himself—can possibly overturn the injustice.

The Outcome and Its Significance

The appeal to the Emperor ultimately succeeds, but not through Nekhludoff's direct efforts. It is Selenin, his old friend and now a public prosecutor, who informs him that the sentence has been commuted to exile in a less distant district of Siberia (E03852-E03856). The news arrives while Nekhludoff is in Siberia, accompanying the gang of prisoners. The mitigation is a victory, but it is also a bittersweet one. Maslova, having undergone her own transformation, decides to stay with Simonson, the political prisoner who loves her, rather than accept Nekhludoff's offer of marriage. The decision to appeal, however, remains a pivotal moment in Nekhludoff's moral journey. It represents his final break with the complacency of his former life and his commitment to a new path of service and humility. The appeal is not just a legal document; it is the outward sign of an inner resurrection.