Book Review: Anna Karenina

The past month I took on the epic Russian novel by Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. It was rather on a whim that I made this decision at the onset of yet another winter Russian phase. While the book was very intimidating (over 800 pages), I surprisingly zipped right thru it and found it quite easy to comprehend. I believe this was due to three reasons; first was that I was already quite familiar with the story mostly from the 2012 film starring Kiera Knightly. Second was that the book I read was a more modern version translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokonsky. And third was that the story was truly a captivating one, filled with such drama and inner conflict. 

For me this classic work by Leo Tolstoy was much more enjoyable than his magnum opus, War and Peace (which I read in 2010). While I enjoyed the historical premise of War and Peace (set during the Napoleon invasion of Russia) I found the sheer size of the book to be offsetting and it took me nearly a year to complete (with difficult comprehension). There were just far too many characters and interlacing family affairs that made it almost soap-opera material. Nonetheless it was an epic of Russian dramatic quality that established Tolstoy's brilliance. Nearly ten years after publishing War and Peace, Tolstoy published this domestic novel in 1877 pertaining to love and infidelity. The two books are without question Tolstoy's greatest achievements, considered the greatest works of not only Russian literature but of all literature. 

In this post I want to give a detailed analysis of Tolstoy's epic novel. While the story can ultimately be considered a romantic drama, there are many themes to dive into. The structure is rather simple pertaining to three relationships; Stepan and Dolly; Anna, her husband Alexi, and her lover Vronsky; and Levin and Kitty. I believe each of these three relationships are so different and yet so necessary to demonstrate the common realistic elements of love and marriage. All three of these relationships go thru similar trials and tribulations and they all handle it differently. While the novel is called Anna Karenina, whose character is no doubt the soul of the book, the supporting characters also play a vital part in the overall structure. 

The Plot

The story begins in present day Moscow (1877) where the wealthy and charismatic Stepan Oblonsky has just been discovered by his wife Dolly of having an affair. An upstanding housewife and mother of 6 children, Dolly is devastated by her husband's infidelity and considers leaving him. However Stepan arranges that his sister, Anna Karenina speak to his wife on his behalf. Anna is also a wealthy aristocrat married to the honorable statesmen Alexei Karenin with their 8 year old child Seryozha. As she travels from St. Petersburg to Moscow, little does she know that this visit to her brother will forever change her life. 

As Anna travels on board the train she meets Countess Vronskaya and the two share stories of their sons. Meanwhile in Moscow Stepan is visited by his old college friend Konstantin Levin, a rural landowner. Levin seeks counsel from his old friend, as he prepares to propose to Ekaterina "Kitty" Shcherbatskaya. Kitty is the younger sister of Stepan's wife Dolly, and Levin hopes that his friend can help arrange the proposal. Stepan believes Levin has a good chance however warns him that Kitty is also in love with another young suitor, Count Vronsky. Levin is devastated when Kitty refuses his proposal and thus returns to the country. 

As Anna Karenina arrives to the train station to meet her brother Stepan, she bumps into Count Vronsky who is also there to pick up his mother. The two share a passionate exchange and are later introduced by the count's mother. At this moment a tragedy occurs at the rails, where a worker gets fatally crushed in the tracks. Anna immediately considers it as a bad omen, upon her arrival in Moscow. She watches Count Vronsky offer money to the family of the worker and then she bids the Vornsky family farewell as she sets off with her brother Stepan. 

Anna is an intelligent and charming person, with a charisma just like her brother, she captivates all those around her. She is able to sympathize and console with Dolly's sorrow, yet also convinces Dolly her husband still loves her, and it was nothing more than a meaningless fling. Dolly is able to head Anna's heartfelt words and decides to forgive Stepan. Later on she meets Dolly's charming young sister, Kitty who is head over heels in love with Count Vronsky. Kitty invites Anna to the upcoming ball in which Kitty hopes to be the dazzling star of the night with Vronsky. 

Anna reluctantly decides to attend this ball for young debutantes, and is surprised when Vronsky approaches her for a dance. Despite being a married woman, she cannot deny her attraction for this young suitor and the two dance the night away. Meanwhile Kitty is shattered to witness the man she is infatuated with chose Anna over her. Anna is also surprised by her impulsive reckless behavior at this ball and quickly decides to return to her family in St. Petersburg. However on the train ride home, she once again encounters Vronsky who confesses that he is in love with her and must be wherever she is. 

Anna attempts to return to the status quo of her life in St. Petersburg, however begins to find her husband more and more mundane and unattractive. Meanwhile Count Vronsky finds a new military post in the city and seeks Anna out at high class social gatherings. She first attempts to reject his pursuits but eventually gives in to his determination and the two begin an affair. It does not take long for the affair to become the gossip of the town, and come to the attention of Anna's husband. Alexei is a very stern yet gentle soul and he kindly warns Anna that they are married and she should not be causing any controversary. However at one of Vronsky's horse races, she once again draws much attention with her reactions towards Vronsky. Alexei once again confronts her, at which point Anna confesses that she no longer loves him and is in love with Vronsky, pregnant with his child. Alexei is devastated but demands that she end the affair in order to keep their proper standing in society. 

Meanwhile in the country estate, Levin attempts to forget about his heartbreak caused by Kitty and focuses on his land endeavors. He eventually finds peace as he works alongside the peasants hunting and mowing the vast fields of his estate. He visits with his two elder brothers, the snooty intellect Sergei and the struggling alcoholic Nikolai. Levin realizes he is very different from both his brothers and is rather a simplistic man who enjoys the country setting. He furthers himself from local politics and aristocrat meetings while focusing more on his books and estate. Just as it seems he has found peace with his new life, he encounters Kitty once again passing by from a distance. He is reminded and tormented yet again by his burning desire for her. He later learns that she was rejected by Vronsky, so Levin decides to travel to Moscow to meet her again. 

Anna and Vronsky continue their affair, which further eats away at Alexei, who then decides to file for a divorce. Alexei has a chance meeting with Stepan and informs him of his sister's infidelities and that they must no longer have acquaintance. Stepan however insists that Alexei join them for dinner to speak with his wife Dolly, who has also suffered from infidelity. At the same dinner party Levin reunites with Kitty and this time the two confess their love for one another and agree to a marriage. So at the same party one relationship is coming to an end, while another has bloomed into a new beginning. Despite his emotional meeting with Dolly, Alexei is still set on filing for a divorce. 

Alexei's mind is suddenly changed when he realizes his wife is dying from childbirth. Thinking she is at her end, Anna appeals that Alexei have mercy on her and forgive her and her lover Vronsky. Alexei agrees to forgive the two lovers and take on a magnanimous stance towards the situation. Vronsky feels humiliated by Alexei's high-minded grace and attempts to commit suicide unsuccessfully. Days after this forgiveness Anna begins to recover from her sickness and is quickly reminded of how much she cannot stand her husband. Alexei also takes notice of this despisal however maintains a stance of magnanimity and takes care of both of Anna's children Seryozha and the newly born Annie. However once recovered Anna Karenina decides to leave her house and elope with Vronsky in western Europe. 

The first few months of Levin and Kitty's marriage is a bumpy one, in which Levin is constantly conflicted with his anxieties and unworthiness of Kitty's love. He also begins to miss his independence he once had as a bachelor where he could read, write, and work the fields. Their love however hits a deeper level when Kitty joins Levin at the deathbed of his brother, Nikolai. While this is a very difficult time for Levin, he is strengthened by the support of his wife. They later welcome the Oblonsky family to their estate, and Levin goes hunting with his old friend Stepan and their younger friend Veslovsky. During dinner Levin notices the charming Veslovsky flirting with his wife, and asks him to leave their estate. 

Anna and Vronsky travel across Europe and live a frivolous few months together. However Anna begins to notice that Vronsky still has ambitions within his career and society while Anna feels more ashamed. Anna begins to grow jealous of her younger new husband, and seeks to be accepted in society. Whilst in St. Petersburg she decides to boldly attend an opera, where all the elite upper class will be. Vronsky considers it a bad idea, afraid Anna will be hurt. From the onset Anna feels the scold and judgment all around her, and she is later humiliated by the outburst of another woman who is offended by Anna's presence. Anna returns home devastated from this event, as her inner turmoil continues to grow. She then decides to visit her son Seryozha on his birthday and she storms into the Karenin household. She is further devastated at the humiliation of having to break into a house to visit her own son. 

Anna finds some brief solace from these events when she is visited by her old friend Dolly. However Dolly cannot hide her reactions in seeing her old friend so changed from what she use to be. Dolly sees a woman no longer charming and in control, yet rather very much in distress. Furthermore the very intelligent Anna sees that Dolly sees this and becomes all the more conflicted by society's perception of her. Vronsky also meets with Dolly and asks that she and her husband Stepan, convince Alexei to file for divorce. Vronsky hopes an official divorce would slightly improve their situation in society for the betterment of Anna. 

Stepan visits Alexei to appeal for the divorce, however Alexei is now consulted by the strongminded countess Lidia Ivanovna who urges him not to give in to this appeal. Lidia cares for Alexei, his family, and especially for the work he does for the government of Russia and does not wish to see him suffer anymore. Stepan realizes this is a lost cause and must break the news to Anna and Vronsky. Anna grows more and more conflicted with the situation and begins to suspect that Vronsky is having love affairs with other women. In a state of emotional disarray she intends to uncover Vronsky's affair at a train station but later realizes he will not be back until much later. She then decides to give in to the growing darkness of death that is consuming her as an answer to her turmoil. She remembers the rail worker who died when she first met Vronsky and impulsively decides to emulate this death. She asks for forgiveness then throws herself into the rails between the train-cars for an instant crushing death. 

While a very dark and tragic ending for Anna, the book then turns to the much lighter relationship of Levin and Kitty. Vronsky is of course ruined by the horrific death of his lover and decides to embark upon a military campaign against the Turks. Meanwhile Levin is still trying to find an inner peace with being a husband, a new father, and maintaining his independence. Through much thought and reasoning he decides to accept God and Christianity as the true purpose of everything. He understands that although he can never be a perfect man, he can at least strive towards righteousness thru faith in a higher power. 

The Characters

As I stated above, there are really 7 main characters and 3 relationships that make up the structure of this story. Stepan and Dolly; Anna, Alexei, and Vronsky, and Levin and Kitty. Anna Karenina is obviously the central driving force of the book and it is her actions that affect the other characters' relations. She is first brought in to assist Stepan and Dolly's relationship with good nature. However she then interferes with Kitty and Vronsky's relationship thus beginning the love affair conflict. It is her infidelity with her husband Alexei and her lover Vronsky that are the basis of the book. However in her act of passion with Vronsky, she enables Levin and Kitty to find a true and pure love. Therefore the these relationships demonstrate various kinds of love; from romantic passion to a more unconditional love.  

Anna Karenina: She is a very charming woman in her upper 20s,  married to a much older man for nearly 10 years with a child, Seryozha. All is well for Anna until she is ignited by passion from the much younger and attractive Count Vronsky. This begins the conflict of the story, a love affair that drives Anna to inner madness. She is extremely intelligent and is able to read other people's thoughts and body language very well. Despite her invigorated passion with Vronsky, she later becomes very conflicted with the magnanimity of her husband, the separation from her son, the judgement from society, and jealousy of her lover Vronsky. All of this eventually becomes to much inner turmoil for Anna to handle and she thus commits suicide to escape the torment. 

Count Vronsky: The young dashing suitor, is a military officer with great confidence. He flirts with Kitty who is infatuated with him, however he later becomes infatuated with Anna Karenina. Despite her pleas that he leave her alone, he continues to pursue her driving by a burning passion. While Anna welcomes the attention it is Count Vronsky who is more at fault for his persistence of chasing a married woman. Anna eventually succumbs to this persistence to begin their love affair. It is Vronsky who is the more optimistic of the two, however he also struggles with Anna's mood swings and Alexei's stoic personality. He is later humiliated when Alexei forgives him for the affair and nearly commits suicide. Despite his career and social ambitions, Vronsky remains faithful and loyal to Anna as she falls further into madness.

Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin: He is the much older husband of Anna, a statesmen of high regard. He is an honorable man and husband, yet is later considered as mundane and unattractive by Anna. A very intelligent man, he also endures conflict when he discovers of the affair. However he turns to his faith to maintain a stoic and magnanimous stance of the situation. He refuses to divorce Anna considering it bad for him and for her, and also takes custody of both her children. Alexei is later aided by an admirer, the countess Lidia Ivanova who helps him take care o the children. 

Stepan Arkadyevna Oblonsky: He is the very charismatic brother of Anna who begins the story by having an affair with another woman and calling for his sister's help. Stepan does truly love Dolly, however his flaw is that he is too open with other people which often gets him in trouble. He possesses an undeniable energy and charisma about him, just like his sister, winning everyone over with his words. He also has a good sense of humor, and despite his early mishap in the book, he is probably the most likable character in the book. It is he who helps arrange the engagement of his good friend Levin and his sister-in-law Kitty. 

Dolly Oblonskaya: She is the good-natured housewife, mother of 6 children, married to Stepan. She is distraught when she discovers of her husband's affair with a younger woman and considers leaving him. That is until Anna implores her to look deep into herself for any love that remains for Stepan, who still loves her. Dolly reluctantly decides to forgive Stepan, thinking it best for their family. She remains the voice of reason throughout the book, supporting her sister Kitty's trials-and-tribulations, while also supporting Anna. She pleads with Alexei, not to divorce Anna but to forgive her as she forgave Stepan. Dolly is probably the most pure of heart character in this book. 

Ekaterina "Kitty" Shcherbatskaya: She is the younger sister of Dolly, at the age of 18 she begins an exciting new phase as a "debutante" in high class society. She is obsessed with the dashing officer Vronsky and hopes that he will propose to her at the ball. She is however devastated when he choses Anna Karenina over her. Kitty then goes thru a period of remorse seeking a new way in life, aside from love and marriage. She eventually finds peace in the country and thru charity works. She is later rearranged with Levin and the two agree to get married. Just like her older sister, Kitty becomes an upstanding wife who supports her husband, family, and household at all costs.  

Konstantin Levin: He is the college friend of Stepan, a wealthy landowner who seeks to marry Kitty at the onset of the novel. He is a good hearted person with a minor flaw of agnosticism and anxiety.  He is however rejected by Kitty and somberly returns to his country estate. He later finds solace in the peasantry work of mowing the land and reading his books. He discovers that he is nothing like his elder brothers Sergei and Nikolai, yet is more of a simplistic minded person who enjoys the country. He is reminded of his love for Kitty when he sees her passing by and his friend Levin arranges another gathering. This time Levin and Kitty are able to confess their love and get married. However despite his new found love and happiness with Kitty, Levin continues with various inner anxieties. He is first conflicted with not being worthy enough for Kitty, then the loss of his independence, and finally his purpose in life. He eventually finds peace in understanding that he will never be perfect and it is best to just have faith in God. 

Themes and Analysis

I think what makes this book so great and unique is the inner turmoil experienced by each character. It's without question one of the best features of reading a book is to go inside the character's thought process. Leo Tolstoy creates great inner conflict and drama in this book, especially in the case of Anna Karenina. She is a very intelligent woman and to follow her thought process is like a roller coaster of exhilarating drama. She is conflicted with a new found passion that has become like a drug for her, and has greatly affected her stance in society. The topic of a love affair always makes for a juicy romance drama, but even more so when it's layered with inner complexities. 

Two other characters I found very enjoyable to get inside their mind was Alexei and Levin. Just like Anna these are also two very intelligent characters who are deep thinkers and use reason to make their decisions. Alexei has a very dry personality but also very sharp as a statesmen in which he considers every aspect before making a decision. His stoic high minded approach with the affair is truly an example of inner mental strength. Levin however is a much more miscalculated mind but still a very busy one. Throughout the book he really isn't sure what he wants out of life aside from Kitty. He is constantly struggling with his own inner anxieties for perfection and eventually accepts that he can never be perfect. 

There are several themes that stand out to me in this book. First is the type of love demonstrated in the contrasting relations of Anna-Vronsky in comparison to Stepan-Dolly and later Levin-Kitty. Anna and Vronsky are driven by passion and lust and because of this their relationship quickly begins to unravel It is a selfish love they share for one another that affects everyone around them and eventually catches up with them. In comparison Stepan is a flawed husband who has a fling without meaning yet still loves his wife Dolly, who forgives him and continues to love him unconditionally. Similarly Levin and Kitty's love is also a pure one as they are not so much driven by fiery passion but rather a long-term goal of family. Tolstoy demonstrates in his novel thru a sharp contrast that it is this second type of love (the pure and unconditional one pertaining to the family) that will always win over the love of passion. 

The second theme I noticed in this book on par with Tolstoyan beliefs, is the contrast of the city vs the country. Tolstoy incorporates his philosophy of simple living by demonstrating how the characters are usually at distress while in the cities of Moscow or St. Petersburg yet find peace in the rural country estates. This is especially the case for Levin who finds solace in hunting and working the fields with his peasant employees. Yet is also the case for Anna, Dolly, and Kitty who escape to the country throughout the book to find peace from their own personal problems. It is while in the city (particularly the train station on various occasions) that Anna is tormented by a storm of madness. 

Levin's complex character probably gets most into the thoughts and ideals of Leo Tolstoy. Here is a guy who really doesn't know what his stance in life is. He is a wealthy educated aristocrat who should be engaging in high class society yet prefers the solitude of the country. Despite criticism from his friends and brothers he accepts that he does not need to have a stance on politics yet more so a practical stance on his personal endeavors. He also comes to terms with his agnosticism, by realizing that the path for righteousness is best achieved thru faith in a higher power. Tolstoy is demonstrating his beliefs of Christian anarchism thru Levin, a man that is driven by the simple life of nature, love, and faith. 

Other Adaptations

As I stated in my introduction I first came to understand and enjoy this story from the 2012 film Anna Karenina starring Kiera Knightly. Directed by Joe Wright the film is quite an artistic adaptation done so as if it were all unfolding on a stage. The movie has all the passion and complexities of the book with each character bringing Tolstoy's words to life. Aaron Johnson plays the suave young suitor of Vronsky while Jude Law plays the cold husband of Alexei. Kiera Knightly however steals the show as the dazzling star that demonstrates an attune sense around her. She is extremely clever as she is beautiful which is no doubt the appealing character that Tolstoy envisioned. The dance scene with her and Vronsky is probably my favorite part of the film .

The story has undergone many operas and stage performances since it's first release in 1878. The first motion picture of the story was produced by Russia in 1911. The first American production was produced in 1927 starring the iconic Greta Garbo, well known for her beauty yet melancholic characters. Greta revisited the same role in the much larger 1935 production. The beautiful Vivien Leigh (star of Gone with the Wind) played the title role in the 1948 version of the story. There was also a more recent version in 1997 starring Sophie Marceau (from Braveheart). I've seen some other smaller versions but for me it's this 2012 film version that really stands out.