1) The novel Fathers and Sons is not only a realistic novel in the literary sense but one with characters dedicated to the idea of realism and rationalism itself. Arkady is such a character, along with his friend Bazarov. However, realism and romanticism clash between generations, and for that matter, Arkady's story itself shows how romanticism cannot be weeded out entirely as the nihilists would have. Arkady develops a passion for Katya that causes his point of view to be tinged more and more with the romanticism of his father, the very force that he has been opposing since he came home. He shows a romantic spirit when he gets involved first with Katya, which shows a change as he has been criticizing his uncle and father for the way they relate to Fenichka even as he tries to show that he is dedicated only to science. His friend Bazarov is also one who tries to be always the scientist, though his passion for Madame Odintsova tests his resolve in this area. Bazarov says he is searching for objective truth, which contrasts with the individual truth of the romantic era. Bazarov also must come to see that love does not fit easily into his scientific view of the world and instead is emotional and irrational yet powerful and uneradicable.
3) Turgenev sees science as having a place, for Nikolai accepts some of science and adapts his farming to meet changing views of the world. However, Turgenev also sees science as having limitations which men like Bazarov do not recognize. Progress is brought about when science is applied to the practical matters of the world and develops new ways of doing things, new technologies to help mankind, and so on. Science may also help explain aspects of our world. However, the application of science to morality and human behavior is a different matter, and there are simply areas of life which science cannot touch and which science should not change. Nikolai loves his world, the arts, music, liter...