"Although hundreds of thousands of people live in a small area, they try their best to spoil the land beyond recognition, although they throw stones into the ground at will to stop the growth of flowers and trees, although they remove newly unearthed grass, burn coal and oil smoke, although they cut down trees and expel birds and animals, spring in the city is still spring. The sun is warm and grass grows everywhere, not only on the boulevard, but also in the cracks in the slate. Where there is no mowing, it is green and full of business. Birch, poplar and stout plums are pulling out fragrant sticky leaves one by one, and bodhi trees are sprouting new buds. Western jackdaw, sparrows and pigeons in the west feel that spring is coming, and they are all happily nesting. Even the flies were warmed by the sun, and the foot of the night wall buzzed. Flowers, trees, birds, insects and children are all happy and full of vitality. Only people, only adults, have been deceiving themselves, torturing themselves and torturing others. What they think is sacred and important is not this charming spring morning, the beauty of the world created by God for the benefit of all beings, or the beauty that makes everything tend to peace, coordination and mutual love; They think that what is sacred and important is the various means they invented to rule others. " (Chapter I 1)

This is the first paragraph of the novel Resurrection, and I like the beginning.

When spring returns to the earth, everything is revived, and flowers, animals, insects, fish and children are full of joy and vitality. Only this creature called "adult" is deceiving and torturing itself and others endlessly. People always have to do something in this short time in the world. There are many things to do, but few things to do. This raises a question of choice: What is "sacred and important"?

Everyone thinks that what they do is sacred and important.

At the moment, people in the provincial prison office believe that it is sacred and important to send prisoners to court for trial according to the requirements of official documents; Duke Nekhludoff believes that it is sacred and important to fulfill the social responsibility of jurors according to conscience; There are also court presidents, court judges, prosecutors, clerks, civil executors, jurors, lawyers and so on. Their sacred and important thing is to build a harmonious society with "various means of ruling others invented by themselves". And what does Maslova, as a "criminal", think?

Usually, people always think that thieves, murderers, spies and prostitutes will admit their humbleness and feel ashamed of it. Actually, it's just the opposite. Those who are corrupted by fate or their own sins, no matter how humble their position is, tend to hold such a view of life as if their position is just and noble. In order to keep this view, they always instinctively cling to those who affirm their outlook on life and stand. But we will be surprised if thieves boast of their tricks, prostitutes boast of their lewdness and murderers boast of their cruelty. We are surprised because these people live in narrow circles and have special habits, while we are outsiders. However, if the rich boast of their wealth, that is, their plunder, officers boast of their victory, that is, their bloody slaughter, and rulers boast of their power, that is, their cruelty, isn't it the same thing? We can't see that these people have distorted their concept of life and reversed good and evil in order to defend their position. This is nothing more than because their circle is relatively large and there are many people, and we are also people in this circle.

This is how Maslova views her life and her position in the world. She is a prostitute and sentenced to hard labor, but she also has her world outlook. With this world outlook, she can appreciate herself and even be pretentious.

This world view is that all men, old and young, middle school generals, educated and uneducated, without exception, think that having sex with attractive women is the greatest pleasure in life. Therefore, all men pretend to be busy with other things on the surface, but in fact they are eager for this matter. She is a charming woman who can satisfy or not satisfy their desires, so she is an important and indispensable person.

Her past lives has proved that this view is correct.

During this decade, no matter where she was, she saw that all men, from Nekhludoff and the elderly police chief to the cautious prison guards, needed her. As for those men who don't need her, she didn't see or pay attention. Therefore, in her view, the vast world is nothing more than a secluded place where lechers live in groups. They spy on her from all sides and take all means-deception, violence, money and tricks-to possess her.

This is Maslova's way of looking at life. Starting from this outlook on life, she is not only a humble person, but also a very important person. Maslova put this outlook on life above everything else. She can't help but cherish it, because once she gives up this outlook on life, she loses the meaning of living on the earth. In order not to lose the meaning of her life, she instinctively attached to people with the same outlook on life. She found that Nekhludoff wanted to drag her to another world, so she resisted, because she foresaw that she would lose such a position in life in that world, thus losing confidence and self-esteem. To this end, she tried to avoid recalling her youth and her initial relationship with Nekhludoff. Those memories of the past are out of tune with her current worldview, so she erased them from her memory, or buried them intact, sealed so tightly, just like bees sealed a nest of stem borers (larvae) to prevent them from destroying all their labor achievements. Therefore, Nekhludoff is not the person she once loved with pure love, but just a rich man. She can and should use him, and she and he can only maintain her relationship with all men. (The first chapter 44)