Tells the story of a character typical to Turgenev -- a superfluous man, weak of will, brimming with indecisive frustration -- and yet tormented by ideals.
Rudin is made impotent by the dissonance of honoring the older generations while at the same time embracing the new bold epoch of pre-revolutionary Russia. The theme of melancholic powerless men coupled with vital idealistic women is prevalent in Turgenev's work.