tion of independence and power which society might grant to a legally married woman; that is, it might give her as much independence as an actress has towards the admirer of an actress."[1]
She spoke much; Viérotchka spoke much; they both got excited. Viérotchka finally became pathetic.
"You call me fanciful, you ask me what I want from life. I want neither to reign nor to be subjected; I do not want to deceive or to make pretence; I do not want to regard the opinions of others, to strive for what other people recommend to me, without I feel the need of it. I am not used to riches—for myself they are not necessary; why, then, should I seek them only because others think that they are pleasant for all people, and consequently must be pleasant for me? I have never gone into society, I have not known what it was to shine, and as yet I have no desire to do so; why, then, should I sacrifice anything for a brilliant situation, only because according to the ideas of others it is pleasant? For what I do not feel the slightest need of, I am not going to sacrifice, I do not say myself, but even my slightest caprice. I want to be independent and live in my own way; I am prepared for whatever is needful for myself; whatever is not needful I do not want. What will be necessary for me I do not know; you say, 'I am young and inexperienced, that I shall change as time goes on,'—well, so be it; when the time comes, I shall change; but now I do not want, do not want, do not want, anything that I do not want! 'But what do I want now?' you ask. Well, I am sure I do not know. Do I want to love a man? I do not know! It was only yesterday morning I did not know when I got up that I was going to want to love you; and several hours before I began to love you I did not know that I could love any one; and I did not know how I should feel when I felt love for you; and so now I do not know how I should feel to love a man; I only know that I do not want to be anybody's slave! I want to be free! I do not want to be under obligations to any one, so that any one should dare to say to me, 'You must do something for me.' I want to do only what I have it in my heart to do, and let others do the same; I do not want to ask anything of anybody; I do not want to curtail anybody's freedom; I want to be free myself!"
- ↑ In Russia a married woman has absolutely no legal power; the husband has all the rights and privileges. Tchernuishevsky wants to develop the idea of allowing married women equal right with husbands.
