Resurrection Characters

Mary “Missy” Korchagina is a wealthy young heiress whom Nekhlyudov considers marrying before his moral awakening. She represents the shallow, self-interested aristocratic world he ultimately chooses to leave behind.

Mary Vasilyevna is Nekhlyudov’s kind-hearted aunt who once looked after Maslova. She treats Maslova with affection and is one of the few aristocrats in the novel who shows her genuine compassion.

Peter Gerasimovich is a reform-minded lawyer who assists with Maslova’s appeal. He supports justice in theory but remains limited by the constraints of legal formalism and social convention.

Simon Kartinkin is a hotel servant who gives suspicious and misleading testimony during Maslova’s trial. He may have played a role in the theft that led to Smelkov’s death, but he escapes punishment while Maslova is blamed.

Euphemia Bochkova is a chambermaid on trial for conspiring to kill Smelkov. She testifies against Maslova with vague but damaging claims. Her motives seem rooted in personal animosity or jealousy, and her testimony reinforces the court’s eagerness to condemn Maslova.

Matryona Pavlovna is the housekeeper in Nekhlyudov’s aunts’ household. She disapproves of Maslova’s growing closeness with Nekhlyudov and helps bring about her dismissal.

Schonbock is a colonel in the Guards and the brother-in-law of one of Nekhlyudov’s society contacts. Nekhlyudov visits him in Petersburg while seeking help overturning Maslova’s sentence. Schonbock presents himself as well-connected and willing to help, but his involvement is superficial.

Fanarin is a lawyer whom Nekhlyudov consults in his efforts to appeal Maslova’s conviction. He is knowledgeable and well-connected but more focused on technicalities and social maneuvering than on moral questions.

Sophia Vasilyevna is Nekhlyudov’s more conservative aunt. Unlike Mary Vasilyevna, she disapproves of Maslova and upholds traditional views about class and propriety.

Korablyova is a woman imprisoned with Maslova during the early part of her sentence. She is tough and crude, shaped by hardship, and helps define the rough social environment of the women’s prison.

Theodosia is a fellow prisoner who shares a cell with Maslova. She is one of the minor characters who reflect the quiet suffering of ordinary women caught in the machinery of the justice system.

Martha is a villager whose hardship Nekhlyudov becomes aware of during his rural journey. Her husband's imprisonment for cutting trees on Nekhlyudov’s land highlights the impact of arbitrary justice and peasant desperation.

Countess Charskaya is Nekhlyudov’s aristocratic aunt who initially mocks his moral transformation but ultimately offers to help him navigate high society.

Mariette is a socially connected woman who promises to help Nekhlyudov after seeing his sincerity. Though charming, she subtly entangles him in aristocratic life and tempts him back toward the world he seeks to leave.

Baron Vorobyov is a contact Nekhlyudov approaches on behalf of Theodosia. Though friendly, he emphasizes protocol and channels applications through official bureaucracy.

Senator Wolf is one of the officials who hears Maslova’s appeal. He seems sympathetic and biased toward leniency yet ultimately fails to sway the court.

Senator Nikitin is part of the panel weighing Maslova’s appeal. He appears distracted and votes to uphold the original sentence.

Senator Skovorodnikov serves on the appeal panel and casts the deciding vote against Maslova because he dislikes Nekhlyudov.

Senator Bay supports overturning Maslova’s sentence on principle. He voices liberal legal theory but lacks sufficient influence to change the outcome.

Selenin is the assistant prosecutor at Maslova’s appeal and a former friend of Nekhlyudov. He is principled yet resigned to the legal system’s boundaries, emphasizing strict adherence to law over justice.

Nataly is Nekhlyudov’s sister, once idealistic but now conforming to social expectations. She admires his commitment yet fears his plans and shames him for wanting to marry Maslova and redistribute land.

Rogozhinsky is Nataly’s husband and a lawyer who criticizes Nekhlyudov’s moral crusade. He defends the law as a civilizing force and argues that such disruptive changes threaten social order.

Kriltsov is a consumptive, radical prisoner whose sacrifice deepens Nekhlyudov’s understanding of revolutionary commitment. He dies for a cause greater than himself, illustrating the cost of conscience.

Ivan Mikhaylich is a former Minister and bureaucrat Nekhlyudov approaches in Petersburg. He proves self-serving and indifferent yet agrees to assist with Maslova’s appeal.

Kondratyev is a self-taught factory worker turned Marxist prisoner. He distrusts religion and romantic distractions, committed fully to ideological purity.

Novodvorov is an intellectual radical whose ambition masks arrogant domination. His theoretical certainty breeds conflict, contrasting with Simonson’s moral reasoning.

The Court President is the judge who oversees Maslova’s trial. Although he notices the jury's error in the verdict, he allows the sentence to stand.

Maslennikov is the governor of the prison where Maslova is held. He prides himself on being progressive but fails to grasp the deeper cruelty of the system he oversees.

Menshov is a poor man wrongly accused of theft. Nekhlyudov briefly encounters his case and is appalled at how easily the system criminalizes the innocent poor.

Buzovkin is a convict Nekhlyudov meets and briefly talks to while spending time with the political prisoners.

Bogatirev is an officer close to the Tsar whom Nekhlyudov contacts about sectarian pardons.

Kolosov is a Petersburg official who briefly appears during Nekhlyudov’s bureaucratic visits. He offers polite but empty advice.

Toporov is a high-ranking church official who unexpectedly agrees to revoke sectarian exile orders.

Rantseva is another female political prisoner who keeps quiet but nurtures others with small gestures.

Makar Devkin is a peasant convict who warns Nekhlyudov about prison injustice.

Taras is Theodosia’s husband, a humble farmer who forgives her crime after her repentance.

Shustova is a former political prisoner, rescued thanks to Nekhlyudov’s intervention.

Gurkevich is another political prisoner who Vera asks Nekhlyudov to support.

Smelkov is a wealthy merchant who hires Maslova and later dies from poison.

Kitaeva is the madam of the brothel where Maslova works.

Anisya is a beggar Nekhlyudov meets while visiting his various properties.

Nabatov is a calm, resourceful activist jailed for educating peasants.

Doukhova is a political prisoner Nekhlyudov briefly meets.

Neverov is a political prisoner who committed suicide in prison.

Agrafena is Nekhlyudov’s housekeeper.