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Vera Figner

Vera Figner was born into a family of aristocrats and seemingly grew up with all of the benefit and privilege afforded to persons of similar means in Russia, at the time. Yet, she describes this upbringing as Spartan (Figner 37). To some extent, the ôSpartanö characteristic of her upbringing could have been due to some level of exploitation of the lower level of the ôaristocraticö class by the Tsar. While there was clear exploitation of the peasant, working class (the serfs), FignerÆs portrayal of her youth demonstrates that some of this exploitation occurred within in the lower levels of landed gentry, such as her father, as well. This may also explain why her father had to work in a bureaucratic job to help make ends meet for his family.

Vera appears to have been a very attractive young woman and likely was determined to be successful at whatever she chose to accomplish. The example of the padlock (Figner 22) is the first glimpse the reader gets pertaining to her character and strength of will and determination. This particular example demonstrates what would be a lifelong characteristic of being able to take a high level of accountability for her actions, whether these actions were right or wrong.

For Vera, her domestic life appears to have been typical of others of her station until 1861 when the serfs were emancipated and the social order in Russia began to change for the first time. While her father was an overbearing, blustering aristocrat and government bureaucrat, he was also very much in tune with the plight of the lower (serf) class. It is likely Vera may have acquired a portion of her sensitivity for the ôaverageö peasant and the need for responsible ôsocial activityö through her father. This need for responsible social activity, in her case, grew into outright political activism and ultimately into her becoming a self-described ôrevolutionary.ö Today, at least in the United States, her actions,...

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Vera Figner. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:14, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1702166.html